June 24, 2016

Every once-in-a-while, as I’m talking with a pastor who’s excited about what God is doing in their church, there’s an awkward pause when it comes to the numbers part.

They might be telling me about how their church is getting healthy, prayerful, missional, etc. Then, just as they’re about to tell me about their numerical growth, things get weird.

Sometimes they’ll change course awkwardly in mid-sentence. Or they’ll tell me about their numerical growth, then apologize for their enthusiasm, with something like “I know numbers aren’t supposed to matter, but sometimes I can’t help it.”

My response to them is always the same.

Never apologize for church growth. Ever.