Church growth ideas and evangelism strategies have caused intense controversy in Christian circles. Handling this controversy demands we debunk some church growth myths.
Church growth is one of the most controversial subjects in Christian circles, particularly evangelical and fundamentalist Christian circles. As pastors and churches consider church growth principles and what makes a church grow, there is tremendous resistance to many of the church growth trends. So, what constitutes biblical church growth? How should churches engage in effective evangelism?
Before one can answer those questions, it is important to clear away some myths associated with church growth. In the interest of fairness and full disclosure, this article is written from a Bible-believing, evangelical perspective and is intended primarily for those who share that perspective.
Here are just three of the myths that modern evangelical churches need to clear:
Myth #1: Churches shouldn't concern themselves with growth or numbers.
This myth is perhaps the leading cause of small churches staying small and (in many cases) fading into oblivion. After all, what is the church? Answer: the PEOPLE! If you don't have people, you don't have a church. A church needs people in order to continue to exist, and that means (practically speaking) it needs a steady flow of people (from all age groups) to remain healthy and viable in the long term. This is just common sense.
Most importantly, this "the church shouldn't care about numbers" myth is downright heretical. The truth is that God cares about numbers, and therefore Bible-believing, God-honoring churches should also care about numbers. If a church refuses to concern itself with the number of people it reaches, then that church has no tangible commitment to the Great Commission (Acts 1:8) and therefore has no business calling itself a church.
Myth #2: Church growth should rely exclusively on prayer.
This is the easiest myth to refute, but unfortunately, it's one of the most persistent. Prayer should be at the foundation of church growth, and all that a church does should indeed be submitted to God in prayer. That said, serving God requires both prayer and action.
Noah didn't simply pray his ark into existence. He built it. Moses didn't just pray the people across the Red Sea. He led them. Nehemiah didn't simply pray the wall up around Jerusalem. He responded to God's answering his prayers by going out and actually doing the work. The disciples didn't just pray and ask God to lead people to them so that they could carry out the Great Commission. They went into the world and preached -- spreading out all over the known world, in fact, in the years after Jesus' ascension.
If you don't back up your prayer with action, then you are not putting yourself in a position for God to use YOU to carry out His answer.
Myth #3: Good intentions and hard work equal success.
This myth has unfortunately woven its way into every fabric of society. Many people have worked hard all their lives, only to find themselves disappointed in the end. Hard work is wonderful, and good intentions are priceless. But you need a third ingredient -- strategy.
That's right, SMART work beats hard work every day of the week -- and twice on Sunday. If you don't work smart, then you'll be wasting energy and will wind up with disappointing results.
A church must approach the need for growth intelligently and strategically. Church growth ideas and tactics that worked in the 1960s and 70s may very well not work in the 21st century. The ironic thing is that most people understand this in the world of business, but they can't quite bring that over into the church.
There are many more myths of church growth, but clearing away the above three should get you and your church positioned for great things ahead. God bless you.
**The above article is written by a Baptist pastor and intended for a Bible-believing, evangelical Christian audience.
