His Eternal Plan–Part 2

Note: This is a continuation of thoughts and reflections which were introduced in a previous blog.

A church growth survey revealed that the difference between church stagnation and church growth was minimal. In fact, four to five personal evangelistic Bible studies per year (per 100 members) can make the difference between declining or growing. In an average sized church of 150 members, a minister or missionary with a serious commitment to church growth can be the difference in whether the church is growing or not. (When we talk of church growth we are not talking about swelling but about evangelistic growth by conversions to Christ.) The minister or missionary who seeks out a few prospective Christians and teaches weekly evangelistic Bible studies regularly and faithfully can be the difference. Ditto, a church leader or church member. This information, multiplied by the active efforts of a cadre of committed Christians with evangelistic hearts, is incredibly powerful!

In my own ministry it took me a while to learn this basic truth (quite a few years before the church growth study was published). I look back on my early ministries and see that God was getting me ready: the need for more study and for ministry experience, the development of good personal ministry habits, the development of my own personal spiritual life. I look back on the first six years of my full-time ministry and realize that those were years of testing and trying, seeking effective outreach methods, breaking down my own barriers and fears of talking to people about Jesus. I was involved in campaigns, door-knocking, bus ministry, and several other things–all of which provided wonderful practice and opportunities to break down the natural hesitancy and reluctance to bring up the subject of Jesus in everyday conversations and encounters.

The focus on souls, the evangelistic focus, the study, the testing, the desire to save souls and make a difference–these were rewarded over the next 20 years of ministry as we worked with two churches that grew in marvelous ways.

In Michigan, we entered a church system with about 175 in attendance from the church families (plus about 50 children who were being bused to Bible class). A little over a decade later, the bus program was gone, but the church’s commitment to evangelism and a group of Christians who shared Jesus zealously had resulted in 243 baptisms and an attendance approaching 400 at its highest point, eventually settling near 350 when we left that church. This was the ministry during which I was challenged and encouraged by my relationship with Jerry Tallman.

In Oklahoma, we entered another church system with about 175 in attendance and ministered for eight years. When we left after eight years, again with a group of committed Christians sharing their faith, effective outreach and 105 baptisms brought attendance to about 275. (Incidentally, during the last year of this ministry, we helped set up a campaign for the year after we left. There were 45 baptisms during that campaign, bringing the 9-year total for the church to 150 baptisms.)

Later, we accepted a job in Christian higher education, and during a Personal Evangelism class at Ohio Valley, there were 9 baptisms as a result of the efforts of the students in the class.
When we left Ohio Valley, we ministered for 21 months in an Oklahoma church. During those 21 months, there were 34 baptisms.
Early this year, we completed an interim ministry with a church and thrilled when there were 5 baptisms in January. The church has now had 19 baptisms this year.
In Colombia last month, I marveled when the local minister lamented that the number of baptisms had diminished in 2011 in comparison to 2010. The church had had only 28 baptisms through the first 8 months of the year.

Do I have to tell you that these churches are not stagnant? Are you surprised that these are growing, vibrant churches? These examples validate the survey results I mentioned at the top of this article. The key to church growth is simple: telling others the good news of Jesus.

The key is not in advertising, public relations, better facilities, better lighting, less lighting, better singing, better preaching…. You can make up your own list of the various ways in which contemporary churches try to “tweak” the mix and appeal to others. The key is in the gospel: let us share the gospel! Let us return to God’s Eternal Plan, telling others about God’s love for them and his eternal plan for their lives. God give us ministers, preachers, and evangelists who believe the gospel is God’s power to salvation to all who believe!