By reading this article you will receive 3 Steps To Grow A Church.
I believe your Church exists for one reason; that reason is to grow.
I know if you ask 100 people you will probably get 100 different reasons, but I believe the Bible is clear that Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
I remember sitting at my desk feeling discouraged as I looked over records of attendance, small groups, first time guests, and new members.
Why weren’t the numbers going up? In some cases, the numbers were going down.
Looking over the information, a sinking feeling was followed by me asking myself, why can’t this Church grow?
I would become even more determined, so I would search the internet for the latest Church Growth Strategy.
Once I found the latest and greatest one, I would implement it.
I would go back to the records after a couple of weeks to see the progress.
I didn’t get the same results that other Churches did. I began to question myself, my leaders, and my attenders.
My guess is you have been there too.
The purpose of this article is to give 3 steps that you can apply today to help begin to produce growth within the next 90 days.
Make sure you read till the end because I am going to give the number one reason why Churches don’t grow.
Let’s get started.
These 3 steps can be found in Acts 9:31- “So the Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.”
Step #1 – Change Your Focus
The church had peace and was strengthened.
These Churches had peace from religious conflict. The main persecutor, Saul, got converted. The Romans were dealing with political issues. So there was peace.
Peace would not be a characteristic of some Churches today. Actually, the conflict found in some Churches are over some silly things.
- Argument over the appropriate length of the worship pastor’s beard.
- Argument over installing dividers in the women’s restroom.
- Argument over if the clock in the worship center should be removed.
- Argument over what type of filing cabinet should be purchased.
- Argument over if the church staff should be clean shaven.
- Argument over what type of beans can be served.
- Argument over if the Church can serve deviled eggs.
First step to growing is to change your focus.
Our focus needs to be shifted off of us and onto Jesus. Our focus, should shift from budgets, programming, volunteers, leadership, and events to focusing on Jesus.
“As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32
Change our focus to Jesus. That is how we will have peace.
Step #2 – Change Your Perspective
The Church started to live in the fear of the Lord.
People struggle with this idea of fearing the Lord, due to a wrong understanding of the meaning of the word fear.
Fear doesn’t mean to coward before God because He will inflict pain, cause harm, or because He is dangerous.
Fear means to stand in “AWE, reverently aware of God’s Person. This awareness will lead to a deeper understanding of Who God is and What God has done.
- God spoke everything into existence.
- God raised dead people.
- God separated the Red Sea so people can cross.
- God closed the lions’ mouths.
- Jesus turned water into wine.
- Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
- Jesus fed 5,000 with barely nothing.
- Jesus walks on water.
- Jesus calms the storm.
- Jesus rises from the grave.
The second step to growing is to change your perspective.
It is God Who sustains us.
“For in him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28a
When our perspective changes, we’ll begin to understand it is all up to God. He is in control not us.
Step #3 – Change Your Habits
The Church was encouraged by the Holy Spirit.
Since the Church’s focus and perspective were changed, a freedom to worship was created.
Through worship of God both corporately and privately, the Holy Spirit revealed truth to the Church.
The Church set aside time to meet all together to learn from the Apostles, but they also took time separately to worship God individually.
The third step to growing is to change your habit.
When the Church worshipped, they grew in their understanding of Jesus and their experience of God’s love.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” Acts 2:42
Their habits changed from hiding in fear to seeking God openly.
When the Church made these changes, people became attracted to their lives, therefore the Church grew numerically.
Your community will be attracted to your Church, once your Church begins to make these changes.
The change must start with what we focus on, because without that the Church’s perspective and habits will not change, therefore the Church won’t grow.
The number one reason that the Church doesn’t grow is because it is not spiritually healthy. Healthy things grow.
The Church must grow spiritually before it grows numerically.