Does your church want to grow? I believe most churches want more baptisms, numerical growth, and to see their pews filled with eager listeners. We don’t want to grow for the wrong reasons (think Joel Osteen), but we don’t always know why we aren’t growing or how to fix it. So we try to solve the wrong problem the wrong way. Some assume that their worship or doctrine is not appealing to outsiders, so they change their worship practices, soften the preaching, and even become more flexible in doctrine. Others keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results and hoping people will come like they used to. Even if it does result in some growth, these things won’t solve the true crisis and may make the problem worse.
Assuming we are dealing with a relatively stable church with no major conflict, doctrinal error, or external factors like community decline, how do we solve a growth crisis? The growth problem is ultimately a culture problem, and for a church to truly begin growing again they need to implement an evangelistic culture that prioritizes the fulfillment of the Great Commission and the equipping of Christians to do the same. This is nothing other than what we are called to do as Christians in the church, but like the church in Ephesus, sometimes we abandon our first love (Rev 2:4).
So how do we go about implementing an evangelistic culture? First, an evangelistic culture has to begin with the example set by its leaders including the elders, preacher, ministers, teachers, deacons, and other people of influence (1 Tim 4:12; 2 Tim 4:2). We love to talk about evangelism, preach about evangelism, but don’t always like to do it (“Here I am, send Aaron!”). Leaders who are not doing evangelism themselves cannot effectively train members to reach the lost. They must lay out a vision for evangelism from the pulpit and encourage Christians in their work in evangelism. This is especially true for preachers. While we don’t have to do all the evangelism, we need to take a hard look at ourselves and ask: when was the last time I was personally involved in an evangelistic study?
Second, an evangelistic church will require changes to existing ministries, processes, and habits. This won’t always be received well and can be threatening and uncomfortable to many members. Leaders will be challenged to do things they didn’t sign up for and not everyone will want to participate in evangelism. But to transform the culture of the church, existing ministries must become more evangelistic, and old routines must die (see Rev 2-3). We must never compromise on doctrine, but we should be ready to break free of our unproductive habits and restore biblical ones.
At its core, true church growth is evangelistic. It’s not about having the best song leader, fun-filled family bonanza, rockstar preacher, or multi-million dollar amenities. It’s not only about restoring the New Testament church but also restoring the New Testament evangelistic culture of Jesus, his disciples, and the early church. By doing this, we too can plant, water, and rely upon God to provide the increase (1 Cor 3:6).