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What’s Up? Pastors often accuse me of having a church growth obsession … and they’re right.
So What? If your church isn’t growing, it’s dying. And if it dies, all those ministries you care so much about – justice, mercy, missions – die with it. No more feeding the hungry. No more serving the community. No more making disciples. Just another empty building with a “For Sale” sign out front.
The Point Is …
Church Growth Is Not the Enemy
I hear it all the time: “The church isn’t about numbers!” But let’s be clear: every number represents a soul. A person who needs Jesus. A life transformed. If the mission is to make disciples (as decreed by the founder), then reaching more people is the natural outcome. If your church isn’t making new disciples, it’s failing in its mission. Period.
Shepherding Can’t Replace Leadership
Too many pastors are “loving their churches to death” – spending all their time caring for existing members while neglecting the church’s future. Yes, member care is important, but it’s not your primary job. Your first responsibility is to lead the church into disciple-making, not to be everyone’s personal chaplain.
Growth Is a Byproduct of Faithfulness
If you’re faithfully making disciples, your church will grow. It may not be explosive, but it will be real. Churches that intentionally disciple their people see more baptisms, more involvement, and yes, more growth. So, if you’re against church growth, what you’re really against is effective disciple-making.
And …?
When I teach Pastoral Leadership at Phillips Seminary, I get the same pushback. Some students insist that “pastoral care” is the primary role of the church. They’re not wrong – pastors should care for their people. But that doesn’t mean the pastor should be doing all the caring. That’s what deacons, elders, your Care Team, and the congregation are for. The pastor’s primary job is to ensure the church is fulfilling its mission – making disciples, baptizing, and sending people into the world to build the Kingdom of God. When churches fail to prioritize this, they stagnate. When they stagnate, they decline. When they decline, they die. And a dead church makes exactly zero disciples. That’s the hard truth.
I don’t talk about church growth because I’m obsessed with numbers. I talk about church growth because a growing church is a thriving church. It’s a church that is doing its job. A church that’s reaching people. A church that won’t be closing its doors in five years. Church growth isn’t the goal – it’s the result of a church that takes disciple-making seriously.
Action! Take an honest look at your church. Look at the most important numbers of all – your conversion baptism rate. Are you making new disciples? Is your church growing? If not, it’s time to prioritize on mission before it’s too late.
