Last week I talked about church growth and praying for it.  To recap, I mentioned the thought of increasing our average attendance from 120 to 150 over the next couple of years.  I mentioned that if I thought that to be something that was desirable I (and you if you agree) should commit to praying for that to happen.

This week my question is:  “Why would we want church growth?”  I am going to address this from two perspectives.

First, what is the proper motivation for seeking church growth?  Why should we desire an increase in our worship attendance?  People mention to me sometimes how good it feels when there are more people in church.  On Easter morning we will probably have around 200 people in worship instead of our average of 120.  People love the excitement and good feeling the larger crowd brings about.  As a pastor, I will admit it definitely feels exciting to have a larger crowd out in the congregation.  So should our motivation for increased attendance be to “feel good”.  Simply put the answer, in my mind, is no. 

If we enjoy our church (appreciate the fellowship, the worship experience, the prayers, etc.)  and believe our church helps you grow in your spiritual life, then we should desire that more people gain that same benefit in their lives.  If we have 150 people in worship instead of 120 then we have 30 additional people being given the opportunity to grow in their faith.  While the extra 30 people may help us “feel good” the real reason is so that we can more faithfully be sharing the Good News and showing forth the light of Jesus Christ.

The second perspective on the question “Why would we want church growth” is do we really want church growth.

If we increase our attendance from 120 to 150 things may change in the church.  Those additional 30 people may desire to invite additional people.  Then our 150 may become 180 and …

As new people come into the church they may have ideas of how things should be done that are different from what we have been doing.  These people may desire to become a part of the leadership of the church, and bring new ideas for programs into our church.  In addition those of us who have been around for a while will have to start learning the names of new people.  Our church with 150 (or 180) people in attendance may well look different from what it does with 120.  We may say that we want this because it sounds like the right thing to say.  We may agree that our motivation is to be more faithful in sharing the Good News with more people.  But, do we want the church to grow knowing that growth may bring about change?

Ponder those thoughts for a while.  Do you want the church to grow?  If you do, join me in a commitment to pray to God for church growth.  Join me in praying that our attendance increase and that we all are able to deepen our faith and commitment to Jesus Christ.

Next week I will ponder the question: “What is my part in helping the church to grow?”

Blessings and Peace,