What Does it Take For the Church to Grow?

All of us want to see the church grow.  But how do we define church growth?  For most people that means more people coming to church services.  But does an increase in attendance necessarily mean the church is growing?

A church can grow to gargantuan proportions simply on the flamboyance of a charismatic leader.  Is that what it takes for a church to grow, a preacher with a flashy personality?  I sure hope not.  So what is it that God uses to grow his church?

That’s the question we’re going to address this Sunday. 

We want the church to grow numerically.  And we certainly want it to grow spiritually.  But does it have to be one or the other?  Do we have to sacrifice one element of growth in order to have the other?  No, we do not. 

True church growth comes, not when we focus on church growth, but when we focus on Jesus. When the focus is on church growth, it tends to be on gathering numbers for numbers sake, and this mindset is pretentious and ineffective.  But when the focus in on Jesus, it will model Christ-like character to the community, encouraging others to surrender themselves to Jesus Christ. However, this is only the beginning. When we are worshiping Christ with our hearts and minds, we are focused on Him and motivated to be His witnesses.  It’s not flamboyant personalities that draw people to Jesus.  It is His work in us is that is contagious to others who are looking for the true meaning of life.