Church Growth says
Let’s grow so we can reach more people!
Every church leader wants their church to grow larger.If they’re honest with themselves anyway. If you believe that you have a good church, why wouldn’t you want to have more people attend? That’s akin to discovering a great restaurant nearby and then not letting your friends in on the secret. Of course we want to let our friends know about this great place we’ve found! It’s in our nature to share good news.
And when it comes to our churches, we’re more than motivated to share our church with others. We want to reach as many people as we can with not only good news but the best news ever. The news that God himself came to earth in the form of a human for the sole purpose of reconciling humanity to himself. What better news could there be? And while there may be some people who view church growth as a means of self-promotion, most of the church leaders who desire growing churches do so with the intent of reaching as many as possible with this news.
The problem with a focus on church growth is that it often neglects the bigger issue: Church health. If we make growing our highest priority, we run the risk of reaching people with an unhealthy message. Not the message of the gospel but a message that has been tainted with our own disease. It’s similar to inviting people to a party where the host has the flu. Someone else is going to get sick. Maybe not everyone. But someone.
Church Health Says
Healthy things grow – Let’s focus on health!
Healthy things grow. It’s one of the laws of nature. If we, as church leaders, make the health of our church our priority, its growth will mirror its health. Growth will occur. The question then becomes, how do we create a healthy church? There are several answers to that question which I will address in the coming weeks. Let’s stop for a minute and take a step backward. Get a look at your church from the outside. When is the last time you looked at your church through the eyes of others?
In order to create health, it is important to take an assessment of your current state from time to time. Just as we visit a doctor to get an assessment of our current state of health, we should take an assessment of our church health from time to time. If you’re anything like me, your first step toward health is not to visit a doctor. I Google my symptoms. I take my temperature. I do a self-assessment. In the same way, you can perform a self-assessment of your church’s current state of health.
In the same way, you can perform a self-assessment of your church’s current state of health. A good way of beginning is to look at your church from the point of view of others. Drive onto your campus next Sunday morning with the intent of trying to view your church through the eyes of a first-time guest. What would their impression be of your church?
What do your volunteers see as they arrive? Are things already in place for them, or are they having to make last-minute adjustments to their rooms? Are they rushing to print needed materials? Are they presenting a calm, reassuring presence to your guests? Or is it more like a nest of ants that has been kicked? Are they serving in a position that matches their gifting and abilities, or are they “filling a gap” in service?
This is a starting point to performing a self-assessment of your church’s health. I will follow up with more tips. Of course, if you have performed a self-assessment and are ready to see a doctor for a more in-depth view of your health, contact us. We are professional, affordable and passionate about building healthy growing churches! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for more tips on leadership and church health. Also, please like our Facebook page for opportunities to win free services and tools!
