A Growing Church Does Not Signify Life
Rev. Tashara Void, Columnist
Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit in on a forum where panelists were asked how they would use their future work to promote church growth and development. The answers varied, but there was one in particular that caught my attention. The panelist responded that they would “tell our stories through documentaries, etc.” The panelist elaborated on how much the church has grown in the past 30-40 years and how it is important that we use this narrative to counter the messages that the church is dying.
I pondered these thoughts long after the forum concluded. I understood the message the panelist wanted to convey, but the message I was receiving was deeper than just telling the story of our growth, which is important, as we have much to learn from how the church has grown in the last 30-40 years. But the physical and numerical growth do not tell the whole story. And certainly growth cannot be used as a marker for health or increase as a sign of depth and spirituality. Church growth in people and/or money does not mean it is a healthy church, as all growth is not good. Just look at cancer or the growth of vines. They both have significant growth rates and are harmful, even deadly, when left untreated or becomes untreatable.
The parable of the sower (as found in the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke) illustrates this beautifully. There were seeds that had fallen on four different types of ground. All but one experienced growth. In one instance, the growth was quick. In another, the growth happened despite challenging surroundings. And, in the other, the one we hyperfocus on, growth and multiplication happened- inadvertently becoming our goal. So much so that we have assigned numerical value to the effectiveness of one’s ministry. More members, more money, more programs mean good soil. But, as we see, growth can happen in unfavorable conditions and may not last.
Some of our churches are like the path, rocks, and thorns. Some of us are not growing, but we are providing sustenance and resources for others, and only on pastoral reports where ascension and conversions is zero is that a problem. Some of us have no depth. We are growing, but the people are perishing under the hardships of life, so the growth is not sustainable. Some of us experience growth in tough spaces, but it gets strangled. And, there are those who believe their growth goes without saying that they have developed the soil necessary to sustain and maintain it. (A deeper dive into the lives of the people will confirm or debunk.)
As we endeavor to move the church into the next couple centuries and beyond, we must consider the conditions of our churches. We must assess the ground to ensure conditions are favorable and ask ourselves how to measure the health of the church while monitoring its wellbeing. What trackers, markers, and developmental milestones will we use to determine if we have good soil? A non-growing church does not signify death, and a growing church does not signify life. The lives of the people do.
