Are We More Invested In Bringing People to Church? Or to Jesus?

I have a confession to make. As a pastor, I have too much invested in getting people to attend church. My salary depends on it. My reputation depends on it. My sense of self-worth depends on it. All to a much larger degree and I'm comfortable with. And I'm not alone. The way most church systems are structured, most pastors have a greater stake in getting people to come to church than getting them to come to Jesus.

January 13, 2016

by Karl Vaters

I have a confession to make.

As a pastor, I have too much invested in getting people to attend church.

My salary depends on it.
My reputation depends on it.
My sense of self-worth depends on it.

All to a much larger degree and I’m comfortable with.

And I’m not alone.

Author

Karl Vaters

Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of five books on church leadership, including his newest, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next. His other books include The Grasshopper Myth and Small Church Essentials.
Karl also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry, featuring in-depth interviews about topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context.
Karl has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience. He and his wife, Shelley have three children and two grandkids.

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