Principles of Healthy Church Growth

by Phil Van Auken

Understanding Church Growth

The growth of a local church is the natural byproduct of its spiritual health (intimate relationship to God).
The church belongs to Christ, not to us. He has a unique growth plan and purpose for each local church that makes up His body. Christ, not man, makes the local church grow.
Some churches are redwood trees, others are bushes; some are flowers, others are grass. But ALL of the plants in God's forest have strong roots.
Christ is interested in Kingdom growth (converted souls), not man-made growth based on the "3 Ms": materialism, marketing, and management.
Christ is interested in the right motives for church growth: love for sinners; a sacrificing lifestyle that is salt and light to the world; dependence on God (humility).
Man's motives for church growth are: the "3Bs": (budgets, baptisms, and buildings); empire-building pride (like the Tower of Babel); staff career-climbing; and guilt.
Christ vomits man-made growth out of His mouth. (Rev. 3:18)
Man-made church growth causes church cancers: congregational politics; materialism; competition between churches; cultural (undiscipled) Christianity; congregational homogeneity; performance-oriented staff (the "CEO" pastor).
Growing churches are thus not necessarily healthy churches.
Christ calls us to labor in a number of overlooked fertile harvest fields: growth in corporate prayer and patience; growth in heartfelt, genuine worship (instead of routine rituals for God); growth in the percentage of members who do the work of the church; growth in congregational diversity (ethnic diversity, as well as a mixture of new Christians and mature Christians); growth in member discipleship and empowerment; growth in ministry partnerships with other Christian organizations outside your local church.

Today's Lukewarm, Naked Church

The comfortable, non-sacrificing church.
We expect the staff to do the work of the church. "That's what we pay then for, isn't it?"
We expect missionaries to save all the souls. "That's what God called them to do, isn't it?"
Church leaders must stay out of the comfort zone and model sacrificing discipleship to the congregation.
The church must be in the world to save those in the world. (John 17: 6-19)
Growing, spiritually healthy churches must make room for the non-Christian, the "near-Christian," the immature Christian, and the backslidden Christian. Legalism and membership conformity cause the church to lose its warmth (salt and light).
The church must tithe its budget and time to go beyond church walls in the local community.
Why we don't pray: (1) We're comfortable and don't want anything (2) We don't care enough about others (3) We think small (4) We don't want to get involved (5) We're afraid God will respond and we'll have to interrupt our comfortable routine.

In The World...

Church growth does not take place unless a new Christian enters God's Kingdom. Transferring memberships between churches is "recycled" (man-made) growth.
Because our society is breaking down morally, most church growth opportunities today come from crisis ministry: divorce, unwanted pregnancies, alcohol and drug addiction, family abuse, etc. This is the harvest field that Christ labored in and said was white unto harvest. (John 4:35 and Matthew 9:37-38) Unfortunately, this is crisis ministry, not comfortable ministry.
Middle class America is comfortable and secular, so this is often a barren harvest field to work in. Unfortunately, many churches want to do all of their work in this harvest field, because middle class church members have money and usually require only a modest amount of the church staff's time and energy. Crisis ministry church members can be disruptive to church routine and require a lot of time and attention. Highly legalistic churches don't view the "crop" in crisis harvest fields to be very worthy of harvesting. (Matthew 9:1-6)
Church growth requires the church to be all things to all people. (1 Cor. 10:33)
Because God has a unique purpose and plan for each local church, He is doing special work in each church. Leaders should find where God's special construction site is for their local church and go to work there. If we want our church to grow, we should work where God is already working in our midst!
The more a church grows numerically, the more it must engage in discipleship. New Christians need "big brother" disciplers. Church growth is discipleship.
The best form of discipleship is "on-the-job" ministry service to the unsaved and to those in crisis. Disciples of Christ must get beyond the comfortable walls of the local church and go out into the world where people are hurting and searching for forgiveness and a fresh start in life.
The local church cannot grow if it seals itself off from the world for fear of being "tainted" by sin. We have the whole armor of God to help us be in the world but not be of the world. (Ephesians 6:13)
Churches should look for ministry partners to provide growth opportunities: Prison Fellowship, community Christian service agencies (Salvation Army, etc.), other congregations, etc. God extends special blessings to unity among the brethren.

...But Not Of The World

Christ's local church is not a business ("First Baptist Incorporated"). A CEO and board of executives shouldn't run it. The job of the church staff and lay leaders is not to perform. This is Christ's role. Church leaders are to be spiritual role models, reflecting the light of the Holy Spirit to the congregation and a dying world.
The local church must not use the devices of the world (entertainment, material wealth and comfort, power, slick marketing, autocratic management, etc.) to run itself and promote its interests.
The church must emphasize outreach (to the unsaved) over inreach (to the comfortable congregation).
Church leaders must encourage and empower members to get away from the church for outreaching ministry activities.
Church leaders are to empower members, not control them (which is the proper role of the Holy Spirit). When staff seek to control people, someone goes out the back door of the church every time a new member arrives through the front door.
The Bible is meant to be applied, not merely studied.
Small churches shouldn't envy middle size churches. Middle-size churches shouldn't covet to be large churches. Large churches shouldn't lust to be "super" churches. All church growth is Christ's business.
The wrong church growth tools are: pressure, competition, guilt, and entertainment.
The right church growth tools are: prayer, sanctification, discipleship, outreach, sacrifice, discomfort, sorrow, compassion, diversity, Bible-applying.

Encouragement In The Garden Of Gethsemane

God doesn't value you or your church for what you do. We don't have to earn God's love or blessings.
God has a unique role for you and your church. Look at your ministry through His eyes, not man's eyes.
Church growth is God's work.
Church growth happens one saved soul at a time.
The grass and bushes in the forest are just as useful and necessary as the tall trees.
Be the Christian God wants you to be and He will sanctify you to help the members of your church become the Christians He wants them to be. When the members of a church are the Christians God wants them to be, the church will grow and grow!

Note: This article originally appeared in Phil Van Auken's website.