22/01/2023
CHURCH GROWTH.
The what ,the how,the obstacles and nuggets.
Today I made some keynote remarks on Church growth at the event while Marvelous Light Church was opening its 1st service that will be conducted at Victoria mall Kigezi Hall Entebbe .
This was on invitation of Senior Pastor Steven Mubazi,to speak about church growth.As always I share an extract of my remarks for you my FB friends.
It was fulfilling to see the ministry take this important stride.
My anchor scripture was
Mathew 28: 19-20.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
What is church growth?
Acts 2:42-47 describes church growth as the result of intentional evangelism and discipleship.
Luke tells us people were added to the church on a daily basis. That's church growth.
Indicators of church growth.
Call to ministry by church team.
Inward and personal transformation of members.Outreach to the lost /unbelievers who are outside the church that need help.
Ways of church growth;
*Numerical growth happens when churches reach more people and grows in size.
*Spiritual growth happens when the people in the church come to love and follow Jesus emulating his character and growing in the word.
*Kingdom growth happens when there is both spiritual and numerical growth.
We must remember though, Jesus is the one who builds His church, not us. He said, "...I will build My church..." (Matt. 16:18). There are numerous approach, methods of church growth today, however
Jesus must always be at the center. Leaders need to be keen on what strategies they adopt trying to substitute man's wisdom and methodology in the place of the Lord. The Bible says, "Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it..." (Psalms 127:1)
Why should there be church growth.
1.Reach the masses
Give knowledge and platform for repentance which sets his people free from yokes. With the saving message of Christ, "...not desiring any to perish, but all to come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9).
2.The great commission
To obey and fulfill the great commision. We are all commanded as a church to go and "...make disciples" (Matt. 28:19). Not only does God want persons to be saved, but He wants them to be discipled into spiritually mature believers who will carry on ministry — this requires the environment of the church . The believer is taught the word, has the guidance and correction of spiritual authority, and through worship and fellowship, will develop spiritual virtues, including a deeper love for God and others.
3.Joining to a local body of believers
Just as they were in the early church. "...the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47).
How to grow the church.
1.Emulating and Lifting Christ up in our message and lifestyle, Church needs to concentrate on its main objective, to live Jesus and preach Jesus. During His earthly ministry, there was no Watsapp,no tik tok,Instagram,tweeter,LinkedIn etc But Christ never had a problem drawing a crowd. Therefore, if Jesus is effectively personified in the church, by His presence will have the same drawing power to bring souls to His church. Growth is not really the primary goal, but is the natural derivative of lifting up Jesus Christ. "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself" (John 12:32).
Therefore Profile when a church begins to absorb and emulate the character of Jesus, it will exhibit the qualities and climate that naturally lend toward growth.
2.Bearing fruits as a church
My observations are,;
"the seeds for growth are in the fruit." In other words, it is a fact of nature that within the fruit of each species (such as mangos,avocado, peaches or grapes), there are seeds that will yield the offspring of future harvests. Similarly, the character of spiritual fruit in the church bears spiritual seed that contributes toward the harvest of souls. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22-23). Spiritual fruit is the loving, sweet personality of Jesus that warms the heart. Therefore, development of the spiritual character of the church contributes toward church growth.
SprituaI Fruits ;
(a) Love — a genuine care for other people.
(b) Commitment — a deep sense of direction and purpose.
(c) Openness — to new people and new ideas.
(d) Unity — respect for, and harmony with the team.
(e) Flexibility — willingness to make changes when needed.
(f) Vision — an attitude and expectancy for growth.
3.Influence of friends and relatives.
Most common misconception that church growth comes as a result of the wonderful preaching and warm personality of the ministers or the visitation programs, conducting great crusades etc All these are good and have their value, however statistics show that the reason for increased numbers originates from influence of friends or relative.
The percentage from a church research below shows reasons people attended church for;
2.0% ..... Due to a special Need
3.0% ..... Just walked in
6.0% ..... Because of the Pastor's influence
1.0% ..... In response to visitation from the Church
5.0% ..... Due to interest in Sunday School
0.5% ..... In response to a special crusade
3.0% ..... Because of interest in a particular program
79.0% ..... From the influence of a friend or relative
The Glue of Church Growth — It's one thing to get people to come to church, and it's quite another to get them to stay. The assimilation of individuals into the church is probably the most important element to growth. Generally speaking, the two great reasons why persons stick in a church are;
(1) Relationship bonds, &
(2)Task or role of service that provides a sense of purpose.Finding ways to help people develop relationships in the church, and getting them involved in its ministries will help to stop the revolving door tendency, and result in a growing adherence to the church.
It is believed that these two church adhesives are best developed in the environment of a condensed sub group, sometimes referred to as a "cell." The smaller climate better enables people to get to know each other and develop "relationship bonds," something that's not very easy in a larger setting. And in the smaller group, everyone is able to be used in their gift or a special "role of service," something not always possible when there are many gifted people in a large church. In some churches, Sunday School classes or other specific groups for youth, men or women fulfill the need for such cell groups. Other churches use a concept of home groups, where small gatherings meet for fellowship and ministry. It is a truth that for a church to grow larger, it must also grow smaller at the same time.
Some barriers to church growth.
• Not Ready to Expand.
• Not Enough Space.
• Communication Issues.
• Resistance to Change.
• Encouraging Attendance.
• Retaining New Congregants.
Some Nuggets on church growth
1.Remain transparent about your plans. There’s often temptation to hide news that are unpopular among church members. However, transparency will help you retain the trust of your congregation, even when you give them news they may not like. In the long-run, transparent communication is always better.
2.Give members a voice to raise divergent views and critic.Another challenging habit in church during growth is trying to silence complaints. Don’t yield to this behaviour. Listen to your unhappy members. They may have a different perspective to take into consideration that will make the church growth process even smoother.
3.Give advance notice on upcoming events as members have made prior schedules .Use all communication techniques to give advance notice of the upcoming actions your church will take. Tell everyone about upcoming ahead of time to give them more time to adjust to the small changes.
4.Remind them of when the church began. Many of the older congregants who remember the founding of the church will also remember experiencing this same kind of growth when it was young. Remind them of the excitement of this time and of how much the church family has grown since then. This testimony of the church reminds them of its purpose.
5.Ask for help and prayers. It is humbling when a church leader asks for help and prayers from church It Help your congregants realize the important part they play in church growth process. They can donate time for prayer, money, or a helping hand in all times
Wish you well Miraculous Light and Pastor Mubazi & Team as you impact the world.
