Today' s post is sort of a flipside companion piece to the one from a few days ago called "I unashamedly, unapolgetically want our church to grow." Yes, that is true, but not at any cost. If our church lacks the following three things, I'm not all that interested in growth:
1. Conversions
Some churches grow primarily by being the best show in town. They siphon believers from other churches, get big and call it success. Don't get me wrong, I want people that are already Christians to discover and be a part of our church too; especially those new to town or those displaced from a church home. But I want them to join us on mission to reach our community. And I don't reallty want people to leave a solid home church and come to ours.
New believers are a lot like physical kids. They don't know a lot, can't do a lot, and they require lots of time, attention, care, patience and work! However, like physical kids, new spiritual kids are a blessing; they are precious, full of life, energy and enthusiasm. Just like real kids they also help those around them grow up in return as we have to learn to become less selfish and more concerned with the needs of others. Plus there's that whole Great Commission thing!
2. Change
I don't want to be a part of a church that is a mile wide and an inch deep. I want to be a part of church that is growing not only in depth but also in breadth. We know that life-transformation really rests in God's hands, not our own, but here are some things we do to try to create an environment where change can best happen:
- We emphasize Jesus and the gospel -External obedience is no substitute for change that begins inside and works its way out. We try to help people dig underneath the surface to allow Jesus to deal with their hearts.
- We teach the Bible in depth -Yes, we do attractional series (often topical) with the seeker in mind. But we also do deepening series (often exegetical) with the believer in mind. In both cases we consider the entire audience and try to have something to teach and challenge people at various stages of spiritual growth.
- We challenge people to take next steps -Every single week we challenge people to take a next step in their journey with God. They might not even take the suggested steps, but they constantly hear the challenge, and realize that there is a next step for them that God desires them to take.
- We offer balanced spiritual nutrition -You could summarize the above two as diet and excercise. Just as physical health requires a good balance of both, so does spiritual growth. We intentionally emphasize both regularly.
- We are also offering more depth growth opportunities like our Biblical Counseling Training Class.
3. Commitment
A Christian is committed to Jesus. If you aren't committed to Jesus, you are not a Christian. Likewise, a Christian is committed to Christ's body; the church. I do not believe a person can be a growing Christian without being committed (which means more than attendance) to a local church.
We have had people leave when we have raised the heat on commitment. I am OK with that. The early church is a model of deep commitment to Christian community, and I think there are many lessons to learn from them. Here are some things we do to raise the commitment level.
- Teach on commitment regularly serving, giving, evangelism, fellowship, etc. (so people understand what is "normal" Christian living)
- Model commitment. People won't be committed if their leaders aren't...period.
- We are implementing church membership this year with the hope that it will raise awareness on the commitment required to follow Jesus and function responsibly and effectively within His body.
Note: Our staff is throwing a volunteer appreciation dinner tonight to honor all of those who serve at Calvary. I am so thrilled that we are blessed with so many who faithfully give of themselves to serve Jesus and His people at our church! When I think of each of them, it makes me confident that our church will grow and should grow, because God's kingdom would be well served with more people like these!
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