Church Health, Then Church Growth
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“Our objective ought to be church health, not church growth. A vital or healthy church is marked by spiritual vitality, functional effectiveness, and statistical growth in its life and ministry.” - Ken Brown
Gerardo Martí: What the Fate of the Crystal Cathedral Teaches Us About Church Growth
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“Gerardo Martí is professor of sociology at Davidson College and co-author of The Glass Church: Robert H. Schuller, the Crystal Cathedral, and the Strain of Megachurch Ministry.” - C.Leaders
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Of Course the Church Is Going to Be Small
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“Our models and our expectations for ‘successful’ churches tend to focus on growing in numbers. But is that realistic? …. Christian minorities gathered into small congregations can still function effectively as the Body of Christ. In fact, that may be the Biblical norm.” - Veith
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The Best (And Least Expensive) Way to Grow Your Church ...and it's probably not what you think.
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“I’m talking about churches that were growing before the pandemic, then embraced the digital world during the pandemic, and now are back growing again after the pandemic. In every case, they cited one powerful tool for growing the church … Word of mouth.” - Phil Cooke
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Getting beyond attendance as the measure of church success
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“To truly understand how healthy we are as a church we have to know how we are caring for the three circles of people we are called to shepherd; our neighbors, our followers and our disciples.” - C.Leaders
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“When healthy small churches grow, they become healthy big churches. When unhealthy small churches grow, they become unhealthy big churches.”
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“Being small does not mean that something is broken. But if something is broken, you can’t fix it by making it bigger. Bigger fixes nothing.” - Church Leaders
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Willow Creek Restarts Search for Its Next Bill Hybels
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“After months of delays in the process, the church’s interim pastor announces plans to resign.” - Christianity Today
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Niche Marketing Now Gives Us Micro-Churches
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“The Church Growth Movement of a few decades ago promoted the use of marketing techniques to attract as many people as possible to form a ‘mega-church.’ But today’s marketing philosophy, enabled by online technology, focuses not on reaching vast numbers but on identifying individuals with highly specific interests and targeting them with tailor-made appeals…creating not ‘mega-’ but ‘micro-churches.’” -
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From the Archives – Ministry Success & The Great Commission
A two-fold assumption is often evident when believers are evaluating the effectiveness of churches, ministries, movements, and denominations. The assumption is, first, that the Great Commission is the standard of measurement and, second, that the way to apply the standard is to count the number of people who are hearing the gospel or are being brought into worship services.
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"...numbers can tell us only part of the story concerning our churches"
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“I know that growth is important and matters to God. However, if we’re not careful, it can consume our souls and become an idol that competes with our ultimate calling as ministers.” - Facts & Trends
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