In my role as Director of Mission Growth, a common question that church members and even some pastors ask me is “How do we grow our church?” I love this question because it tells me a few things about the person asking it. First, the very question itself communicates that the person asking recognizes that their church has a purpose to connect to more people and reveals a “holy discontent” with the present reality. Secondly, the question also informs me that the asker is genuinely interested and open to learning and implementing new ideas. Both having a heart to connect with more people and a teachable spirit are key components to ministry success and congregational revitalization.
The question also presents a bit of a challenge: Growing a bigger church should never be the mission of the church! Instead, church growth is a biproduct of a church engaging in and accomplishing its true mission and purpose. So, what is the true mission and purpose of the church? In my opinion, it can be summed up with “connecting people to Jesus.” Exactly what this looks like in each congregation and community can and should be very different: no two congregations are alike; nor are the contexts in which those congregations minister.
I truly believe that churches who prioritize connecting people to a life-giving relationship with Jesus will indeed grow. Yet growth, in and of itself, should not be the actual goal. What would happen if we stopped obsessing over worship attendance or confirmation class size or Sunday School participation and started prioritizing and praying for those in our community whom God is calling us to befriend with the purpose and intent of gently and lovingly connecting them with Jesus? How can churches prioritize this activity as their mission, encouraging and equipping one another for everyday mission work?
In the book 7 Habits of Healthy Churches, Marcus Carlson notes that “Healthy churches are focused more on those outside the church than those inside the church.” I couldn’t agree more with Carlson’s assertion. To be clear, this does not mean that healthy churches do not care for one another within the church; healthy churches always love one another. What the author is pointing out is a reality I routinely observe: in the absence of a clear, outward-focused mission, congregations always default to pleasing their own members as their de facto purpose. Whenever a congregation focuses on member satisfaction, it becomes unhealthy and ultimately, inevitably declines.
God is calling the church to more. That more isn’t simply to worry about stopping decline and growing our congregation. The more God is calling the church to is a mission that extends beyond our church walls and prioritizes connecting people to Jesus.
