(Good texts are Daniel 2:34-35 and Matthew 13:31-33.)

All Christians should have a genuine interest in the church growing and reaching every possible lost person. I cannot imagine what sort of attitude would stand against it. There are both biblical principles and things that we have learned from experience about human nature that are crucial to church growth. Knowing these principles is important for every member of the church who cares about the lost.

Good research has been and is being done in the brotherhood on this topic. Flavil R. Yeakley, Jr, is the director for The Harding Center for Church Growth Studies in Searcy, Arkansas. John Ellas is the director of the Center for Church Growth in Houston, Texas. Another one is Leadership and Church Growth led by Jerry Humphries in Florence, Alabama. There are others as well, both from the brotherhood and outside. Good research materials are coming out of these centers and others outside the brotherhood. In the church we should listen to both Scripture and proven research methods in areas where the Bible does not speak specifically.

God gives the increase and God knows them that are His. Paul wrote important words when he penned these: "I have planted; Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." (1 Cor. 3:6.) We cannot and do not control all the factors in church growth. God may have "given up" on some (Romans 1:24, 26, 28); His Spirit will not strive always with man. (Genesis 6:3.)

"Hymenaues and Philetus. . . overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure having this seal: The Lord knows them that are his. Let everyone that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." (2 Tim. 2:17-19.)

The Spirit of God is often not considered. In much of the material that I have read, the Holy Spirit is rarely mentioned. Yet, the church was begun by the work of the Holy Spirit and continues to function by His presence. Every conversion involves the work of the Holy Spirit. If a lost person’s spirit is not born of the Holy Spirit, there is no conversion. (John 3:6.) When a farmer plants a seed, it sprouts and grows but he knows not how. (Mark 4:27.) Neither do we see all that is involved in the conversion process.

We should not take polls to determine what to do. Some churches have adopted the method of pleasing the people in order to increase their numbers. Modern churches tend to be more sensitive about the needs of the people than to what God has commanded us to preach. We must preach the Gospel "in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." Paul continues, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears." (2 Tim. 4:2-3.) A "user-friendly church" may not please the Lord. "Do I seek to please men? If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of the Christ." (Gal. 1:10.)

We should not make a benefit/cost study. There are some business principles that the church can adopt. Jesus did say that "the children of the world are in their generation wiser than the children of light." (Luke 16:8.) However, we should not put a price tag on a soul. The Lord has already told us that one soul is worth more than the whole world. (Matt. 16:26.) We should not stop mission work in one area because it costs more there than somewhere else. Jesus said, Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.

One of the beneficial things about research in this area is the practical and useful information that can be put to use in every congregation. Here are some biblical and practical applications.

Worship. Every member and visitors are affected by what we do in worship. Even though worship is directed to God, Paul cautions that we should be aware of what unbelievers think about our activities. (1 Cor. 14:23.) If they go away convicted by the message of God and the worship activities, then something helpful toward the growth of the church occurred. If they go away mocking us, saying that those people are mad, then we have not favorably impressed those people. Worship assemblies are becoming more and more the entry point of the unchurched into the church.

Serious attention should be given to our worship assemblies. We should have Christian men to lead us who are serious about the work of God. These men should be able to communicate well the message of the Gospel in song, in prayer, in Scripture reading and in the Communion. A poor song service can literally kill the worship. All aspects of the worship should be encouraging and edifying. If it is not edifying, we should not do it or we should get someone else to do it. Paul wrote, "Seek that you may excel to the edifying of the church." (1 Cor. 14:12.)

Someone (a woman who is highly regarded in the church) said to me that we seem to approve of mediocrity (ordinary or not excelling highly). Our expectations are rather low. We do not demand excellence or the best. We seem to think that if it comes from the "heart," we can just do or say anything in worship to God. The Bible does not endorse that view. We need excellent Bible teachers, outstanding song leaders, good readers of God’s Word, and devoted people who lead us in prayer. When I go to the doctor, I want the best that I can find, not the one who nearly failed medical school or who did not attend at all. This is not said to discourage men from leading us in worship, but it is said to say when you lead us you should do your best. Your heart should be right with God. We must embrace the view of Paul---I want to excel in edifying the church.

Good leadership. Whether in the church or out of it, leadership is key to any organization succeeding. In the church, spiritual, servant leadership must be understood and practiced. Jesus said,

"You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But is shall not be so among you. Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your servant." (Matt. 20:25-26.)

Jesus, effectively, turned the world’s model for leadership and greatness upside down. The servant-leader in the church is the greatest, not the one who exercises lordship over God’s people. I have seen many leaders fail in the church because they did not understand the meaning of servant-leadership. They practiced dominion and office-authority. In the end, the church will reject every such person who lords it over God’s people. In the Bible, the members selected the leaders (elders and deacons) and the apostles appointed the ones they selected. (Acts 6:3.)

We need leaders who understand the difference between the Law and the Gospel, between law and grace. They must have the wisdom to discern the difference between the letter and the spirit of the Word. Good leaders will be cautious about seeing a pattern not in the Bible and careful to follow the ones that are found. Spiritual leaders must be men of faith and dedication to the Cause of Christ. They must be able to teach the Bible and even to convince the gainsayers. Good leaders must love people like God loves them. They must be able to see beyond petty things and see what we can all become.

Simply put, the church cannot grow beyond the leadership of a local congregation. If the leaders are weak, the church will suffer. In my home state of Mississippi, many churches have leveled off at about 75 members. Some research was done to determine why. There were many factors, no doubt, but one that was common to most of them was the absence of elders and deacons. The local congregations could not grow without proper leadership. For congregations who reject the notion of having elders and deacons, they do so to their own peril. God’s plan involves having qualified men to serve in these areas. We should be thankful when we have such men able to serve among us.

These may seem like insignificant factors to be considering, but research shows them to be very important. Some of these are modern American cultural issues that are important to us, but were not important to first century Christians. Leaders in churches should be aware of human traits and psychological matters that affect our behavior. One thing that I have noticed is that people do not like to sit toward the front. It relates to our comfort zones and fears.

Human beings are such that we do not feel comfortable if the building is too full or too empty. If a building reaches the 90% capacity or falls below the 40% mark, some will stop coming because they fell uncomfortable. (Gospel Advocate, "Too Little or Too Much Room For Growth," July 1987, Flavil Yeakley, Jr.) Wise churches either build larger auditoriums or have two morning assemblies when the maximum is reached. Two churches in our area, Southwest and Denbigh, have recently started two assemblies on Sunday mornings.

Recently, I was one of three speakers at Kennedy High School. The service was held in the high school auditorium that seated approx. 1000 with the balcony. We had only 115 people present. Of course, with a special effort like that, they did not know how many would assemble. But it would be very unwise to continue to meet in such a setting. Too much space for a few people affects those attending adversely. Adult auditorium classes usually do not do very well for that reason. Almost every Sunday, I hear someone say something jokingly about the need to hurry and find their seat before someone gets it. What are they saying? They are saying that it bothers them to have a small class to meet in such a large space. There is something psychological going on that hurts.

Inner city churches that have started to decline in membership also experience the same phenomenon. If something is not done quickly, the membership will continue to fall because people do not like the feeling of being alone at a church assembly. Others will leave and go where the crowds are.

The same applies to parking space for cars. This is an appropriate time to say something about this for all of us. We are in the process of purchasing some additional property next door to increase our parking area. Research shows that available parking space is critical to the growth of the church. Thom S. Rainer noted that "the most critical factor in facility space is adequate parking." (The Book of Church Growth, Thom S. Rainer, Broadman Press, 1993.) Flavil R. Yeakley, Jr. wrote that the 90% limit applies to parking as well as seating. (Gospel Advocate, "Too Little or Too Much Room for Growth," July 16, 1987, 428-29.) Have you ever noticed how much parking space is available in front of Wal-Mart stores? What would happen to their business if they had a small parking lot? The children of the world are often wiser than the children of light.

Preachers have always exerted an enormous amount of influence, for good or evil, over churches by virtue of their constant presence in the assemblies presenting messages. Studies have been done on the length of time a preacher stays at one congregation and church growth. Here are some of the results of the study.

Studies were conducted among 543 churches randomly selected of different religious groups. These were grouped into three categories: growing churches (20% + over 5 years), plateaued (+- 5%), and declining (15% or more). Nearly ¾ of the growing churches have preachers who have been the local minister for 4 years or longer. Over 2/3 of the declining churches have preachers who have been there less than four years. Plateaued churches were randomly distributed. It was reported that 82% of all churches in the United States have now plateaued. We should not be surprised to read that the average tenure among Protestant ministers is 3.7 years. Most church growth authorities agree that the preacher’s most effective years begin between his 5^th and 8^th year in the congregation! (Ministry, "Preacher Tenure and Church Growth," Issue 18, Summer 1995.) Recently we had brother Lynn Cook of Disaster Relief, Nashville, TN with us. He has preached for over 45 years and served as a missionary to Hawaii. He told me that during his early life as a minister that ministers thought it was expected of them to move after two or three years. He moved even though the church was growing and doing well.

Just staying a long time by itself does not produce church growth. However, rapid turnover of ministers does prevent the church from growing. We must encourage our preachers to stay longer and keep on preaching! John Dale is the minister for a growing church in Murray, KY. He recently told the story about a man in the congregation who opposed him. The man said, John don’t you think that it is about time for a change here? John said, Yes, I do. When are you leaving?! (I like that.)

We do not have just the problem of ministers moving too often, but the troubling problem of preachers moving out of ministry altogether. Bill McDonough recently wrote an article about it in the Keynoter, May 2001. He wrote, "Churches are advertising all across the country, ‘Preacher Wanted.’ There are many vacancies. Everett Huffard, Jr., dean of Harding Graduate School, said that more than 600 men are leaving the ministry every year. All of our colleges and schools combined are producing less than 300 preachers per year. Therefore, we are losing over 300 preachers per year. If the trend continues, in just forty years our churches will not be able to hire a full-time minister."

Flavil Yeakely, Jr. wrote that only 45% of those in training list preaching as their first choice of work. They are being trained for youth ministries, counseling, teaching in colleges, and other areas of service. The greatest need in our churches presently is more preachers of the Gospel. We must address this problem or we will begin a tremendous decline in growth. (Church and Family, "The Facts. . . About Preparing for Ministry," Flavil Yeakley, Jr., Spring 2001, 29-30.)

One area of church growth not often mentioned is investigating our loses and determining why. It does the church very little good to baptized many and then lose about the same number during the year. We will not be able to stop all loses, but we must seek to minimize them. Remember that many disciples walk away from Jesus and did not return. (John 6:66.)

We should not take exit polls and determine what those leaving think should be done to cater to them better. However, we should talk to them and listen to why people leave. It does very little good to try to force them to come back for duty’s sake without addressing the reason why they left. Threatening them with formal withdrawal and public embarrassment usually does not work. It re-enforces their decision to leave in the first place. We should listen to their reasons without becoming defensive. Even if their reasons to us are not convincing, they are important enough to them to leave and then to tell you why they left. We should take seriously every statement that people make.

Gainsbrugh gave seven facts that relate to the seven backdoors. They are: (See Winning The Backdoor War, Jonathan Gainsbrugh, 1993. He emphasized how to grow a church by closing 7 backdoors.)

1. 50% of unchurched people say, I’d attend if someone invited me.
2. Most first-time visitors are menu-driven church shoppers who decide before leaving if they will ever return.
3. Most churches lose 90% of their converts within twelve months of conversion.
4. 50% of new members go inactive or dropout within the critical first year of joining.
5. 1/3 to ½ of all church members feels they somehow do not belong.
6. Before leaving, most disengaging members leave a telltale trail.
7. Dropouts are (in their minds) as justified by non-attendance as the faithful are in their weekly attendance.

We have a large group of people that we already know; people who can immediately affect the growth of the church if they stay instead of leaving. We often let them leave without even contacting them. We should not be defensive when they tell us honestly what they feel. Whether we agree or not, what they feel is real and must be addressed if they are going to stay with us. May God help us to care about these people, rather than self-righteously thinking that they are always wrong and we are right. If they want to leave, let them! This attitude may one of the reasons that they are considering leaving in the first place. People need to know that they are wanted, that they are important, and that they are loved.

We believe that the more doors or ways to enter the better for the local congregation. More windows allow more light in. These are avenues for contacting more people. But there is something that everyone should know about why people come to the services.

Special needs---1 to 2%

Visitation (cold door knocking)---1 to 2%

Church programs---2-3%

Walk-ins---2-3%

Sunday School---4-5%

Preacher---5-6%

Friends/relatives invited---75-90%

These numbers have always impressed me. We must remember what works and emphasize those. Some have coined the expression "friendship evangelism." Each member has friends, co-workers, and acquaintances that others do not know. We can have spiritual influence upon them. 50% of the people who do not go to services say in the polls that they would attend if invited. 75-90% of visitors says they came because of family and friends who invited them. This works.

Conclusions: I called area preachers and asked them to give me what they considered to be one or two key factors in church growth. Here are the results.

Tommy South, minister at Glen Allen: The number one factor is whether our focus is on Jesus and his life as the heart of the Gospel. He added that as a human factor probably the friendliness of the church was key to many people.

Bill Voss, minister at Edge Hill: The only thing that has produced real results for him was the personal contact with people. You must get to know them before they will trust you to teach them spiritual things.

Lonnie Davis, minister at Southwest: referred to a book titled, Pyramid Principle of Church Growth. Growth depends upon the base of the pyramid. The "base" are all the different ministries of the church; the more the broader the base. It could be likened to pouring sand on a table and forming a pyramid. A certain size table can hold only a certain amount of sand on it until it start falling off the table. The base must be expanded for the pyramid to grow taller.

Lonnie also placed emphasis upon youth ministry. A family with children will likely come to a church that has a youth program. He added that we must be open to change, not change for change’s sake but in order to reach the lost.

Neal Pollard: minister at Cold Harbor: Growth occurs when everybody’s involved and enthused: involved in soul winning and other programs of the church; enthused about the direction, vision, leadership and tone set by the leaders. He added that there needs to be a "strong sense of connection." The members must feel a great kinship, a sense of belonging and worth, the eldership communicates well with people, longevity of the preacher who is motivated but not "in charge."

Mac Layton’s book: How to Build a Great Church, 1987: A brick mason stood before a huge stack of bricks. A passerby asked him, How will you ever get those thousands and thousands of bricks laid? He answered, One brick at a time! Local church work is the finest of the fine arts, and it is done only with patience, time, love and one brick at a time.

"The way to build a great congregation is one step at a time. Gimmicks, gadgets, or schemes will not build the local church. There are no easy ways to build the local church. Church growth requires patience, love, hard work and vision." (Bobby Smith)

Mural Worthey, minister for Cawson Street, Hopewell, VA: I have already listed several factors that are central for church growth. Here is a summary of some other important matters.

No guarantee. There are many unknowns when dealing with human beings who are permitted by God to exercise freedom of choice. A local congregation could be doing many things well and yet still not succeed numerically. We live in a cultural setting that affects our lives. People often follow movements. The wealth or poverty of the time period in which we live affects people spiritually. A church could be doing many things poorly, even contrary to God’s will and yet that church may grow numerically. There is no guarantee or set formula.

grow. Immature, un-Christlike members (like the ones at Corinth) keep the church from making progress. Divisions over insignificant things like fellowship halls, communion cups and orphan homes, destroy the reputation of churches. Thinking people will not take you seriously if you do not know the difference between the important issues of Christianity and the trivial. Once personality conflicts develop among members, it is difficult to ever heal the wounds. We should be ready to suffer wrong rather than to take vengeance and fight back.

Faithfulness and personal growth. The church as a body cannot grow unless you grow individually. This is the point of beginning. If the body is healthy, the body will grow. I am totally convinced that growth must begin with members already present. Until we make some solid decisions about our lives, how we are going to live, the depth of our commitment, the willingness to participate and do our part, we will not make very much progress trying to teach others how to live. One can shout to the heavens that one is a part of the true church, but until one shows it by the manner of life and ones understanding of the Gospel it will go unheard. Most churches have a Sunday morning attendance number and another much smaller number of people that make up the core of the church. There are many who cannot be counted on to do anything constructive for the church. Some are born complainers who criticize others rather than edifying the church. We cannot allow these to paralyze the church and kill its growth. Ira North summed it up this way: "Everyone should get their say, but no one person always gets his way."