The
Myth of Success and Church Growth
The phone rang. On the line was a pastor with urgency, frustration,
and desperation in his voice. "I have a problem, and I don't know what
to do," he said. He then described the situation in his church. "I have
been in this church 6 years, and it has grown. We had to build a new
sanctuary as worship attendance grew. We now have two services; both
are full. We need more parking space, and we don't have room for educational
ministries and Sunday school. Although we have grown, we don't have
money to build additional parking or educational space, and we don't
have committed people to give or to serve. We can't find workers. My
staff and I are exhausted. What can I do?"
How would you answer this pastor's question?
The Success Myth Disclosed
This pastor is not alone, and this church is becoming the norm. Collectively
we have a problem, and it will not get better until we recognize it
and take decisive action to rectify it. We are dealing with the myth
of success and church growth.
The myth of success suggests that a numerically growing worship attendance
means success. We focus on the big event--the grand production--and
ignore the teaching, training, and discipling of people. We have been
taught that we are to produce, and we feel more successful if we have
a crowd.
But what about spiritual development and discipleship? Three choruses
and a hymn, a choir number and a special song, a pastoral prayer and
a 20- to 30-minute sermon on Sunday morning do not make a disciple.
Teen's lives are not changed by coming to a youth service that consists
of 30 minutes of relay races over and under the pews, 25 minutes of
wild worship, and a 5-minute pep talk. Children need more than a large
crowd experience with puppets, clowns and prizes. Adults, teens, and
children need to know God's Word in order to stand against the storms
and tests of life. We forget that it is possible to have a crowd and
not a congregation. It is possible to have a sanctuary full of spiritually
dysfunctional people who come week after week to be entertained.
Counting people and keeping good records are necessary. However, when
we base our success on the wrong indicators, we deceive ourselves, lose
our direction and mislead people.
The myth of success suggests that big programs that provide ministry
to many people mean success. God never called leaders to build big churches
or big programs, but rather to build big people. The size of the church
is really the size of the spiritual development of its people. A church
is no stronger than its weakest member.
The success of any ministry is measured in terms of the fruit it produces.
Jesus could draw a crowd, but He knew His success would ultimately lie
in the transformational power of the Word in the lives of His disciples.
He ministered to the multitudes. He fed them, taught them, prayed for
them, and healed them. But He poured himself into a few men. The crowds
left as He got closer to the cross; in fact, they turned on Him.
Jesus measured success by a group of committed disciples He had nurtured,
taught, and trained. In John 17, as He prayed in the garden, He said
that all 12 of the disciples His Father had given Him were strong and
solid except for Judas. He had built the infrastructure of His church.
The myth of success suggests that if you look successful, you are.
True success says that looks can be deceiving. It's the core -- the
infrastructure -- that counts. It is like the spinal column that ties
the body together. Every church has ministries and programs, but every
church needs a primary structure through which it ministers, reaches,
disciples, develops, and trains its people.
While the church is being seduced by the myth of success and church
growth, its impact on the world is minimal. Rather than the church influencing
the world, the world is seeping into the church. There is an indication
of spiritual revival in America, yet crime and violence are escalating.
The Gallup poll indicates that there is very little difference between
the ethical behavior between churchgoers and those who by their own
admission are not religiously active. Lying, cheating, and stealing
are nearly the same for both groups. Only about 10 percent of Americans
have a religious faith that affects the way they live.
Have we accepted a Christianity that demands no life-changing walk?
Do we as leaders enable or even perpetuate this type of Christianity
by leading people to believe that they can be Christians without sacrifice
or commitment? Have we lulled our congregations into believing it is
possible to be a Christian without growing in the knowledge and grace
of Jesus Christ? This kind of thinking and preaching can draw a crowd
but it does little to make disciples or build the Kingdom. It gives
a false sense of success that leaves both leader and layman empty, bored,
weary, and weakened. It is impossible for a world church to change its
world.
In 1989 and 1990 the Search Institute did a study of six different
denominations as to the value and impact of Bible study and Christian
education in the lives of constituents. They found that churches with
strong systematic study of God's Word through Christian education (Sunday
school) had teenagers and adults whose faith was stronger and more viable.
They were less likely to drop away from their faith. They were also
less likely to get involved in drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity.
A church must have a strong infrastructure that helps people grow in
faith, in the knowledge of God's Word, and in application to everyday
life.
Testing the Infrastructure
How do you know if your church has a weak, vulnerable infrastructure?
Here are some warning signs.
- Less than 70 percent of worship attendance is in weekly, systematic
Bible study.
- Twenty percent or less of the congregation do 80 percent of the
work.
- Leaders spend 80 percent of their time doing ministry for the 80
percent who don't contribute time, talents, or resources and who ignore
or take for granted the 20 percent who do.
- There is no specific, active strategy for training new leaders and
mobilizing and placing more member in places of ministry.
- Newcomers feel it is difficult to belong.
- Recruiting and enlisting workers are increasingly difficult.
- Pastoral care is seen as primarily the responsibility of the pastor
and staff.
- Minor conflicts destabilize the congregational equilibrium, and
people leave the church.
- Pastoral changes increase the rate of attrition.
- An increasing number of people are becoming inactive or are transferring
to other churches in the area.
Four Guidelines for Building the Infrastructure
1. Find and focus on one primary structure that extends from the
cradle to the grave and develops people. Many ministries in the
church have a narrow issue, age, gender, or life stage focus. These
are valuable and necessary but there needs to be one primary structure
through which ministry, evangelism, assimilation, discipleship, lay
ministry training, and leadership development takes place. In most churches
this is the Sunday school/Christian education structure. Other churches
use a total cell group structure; some use a combination of Sunday school
and cell group. Strengths and weaknesses exist in each structure. However,
for most churches the Sunday school structure is probably best.
2. Develop the infrastructure to its greatest possible potential.
We tend to segment ministries. For leaders, it is like trying to keep
dozens of plates spinning at the same time. There is no focus of energies
and resources; effectiveness diminishes.
It is both possible and expedient to develop a single structure to
minister to the unchurched and churched alike. The same structure can
be used to follow up on visitors, assimilate people, provide for fellowship
and relational needs of people, and train and involve people in ministry
and leadership in the church. We tend to look at each of these areas
separately instead of part of a cohesive whole.
The object is to focus on building the infrastructure rather than the
superstructure. Expand the foundation before you expand the building.
Develop leaders and train people for ministry before you expand your
structure.
3. Plan, promote, and highlight the infrastructure. Communicate
the vision, strategy, and plans of the church. Help regular attendees
see how it all fits together. Clearly communicate to newcomers the focus
of the church and how the infrastructure works to accomplish goals.
4. Find resources to help you develop the infrastructure. One
tool that has been effective in helping churches build infrastructure
is the Church Growth Spiral.
These are the results of 287 churches who used the Church Growth Spiral
for an average of 2 1/2 years:
- Water baptism increased 86 percent.
- Sunday worship attendance increased 56 percent.
- Sunday school attendance increased 50 percent.
- Sunday school prospects increased 93 percent.
- Sunday school workers increased 63 percent.
- Church offerings increased 55 percent.
Another study of 360 churches that used the Church Growth Spiral an
average of 2 years also showed significant growth:
- Water baptisms increased 95 percent.
- Worship attendance increased 44 percent.
- Sunday school attendance increased 45 percent.
- Sunday school enrollment increased 50 percent.
- Sunday school workers increased 63 percent.
- Sunday school prospects increased 133 percent.
- Church offerings increased 60 percent.
The strategy of building the infrastructure involves eight steps:
- Enroll people in Bible study.
- Identify new prospects to enroll.
- Add new classes and departments.
- Enlist and train new workers.
- Provide regular workers meeting.
- Emphasize continual training for all workers.
- Provide space of Bible study groups to meet.
- Promote and develop visitation and care ministry contacts with guests,
members, and prospects.
Any church, cell group structure, Sunday school structure, or combination
structure can build its infrastructure by focusing on these eight areas.
The outcome will be growth in real conversions, true disciples, Sunday
school/Bible study attendance, worship attendance, and finances.
The myth of success suggests that you can ignore the basics and still
succeed. To grow, you have to do it the old-fashioned way--you have
to work.
