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.
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.
Author
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Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of four books on church leadership. His fifth book, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next, releases on April 2, 2024.
He also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry. Episodes feature in-depth interviews about the 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.