Real Church Growth Doesn’t Just Make Bigger Churches, It Heals Hurting Ones

How did the church of Jesus grow for the first 1900+ years of its existence without any megachurches around? That’s how long it took for the first megachurches to appear on the landscape. They’re the new kid on the church block. Until the middle of the 20th century, the relentless growth of the church moved forward, not through growing bigger churches, but almost exclusively through the multiplication of smaller congregations. And that’s where most of the growth of the church still happens today. The church must always grow. The church will always grow. We know that because Jesus said he’d do it. In some places, that means larger congregations. In most places that means more healthy small congregations.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/crdot/6804285637/

Let’s encourage, support and resource healthy churches of all sizes. The ones being planted, the ones that have existed for generations, and the ones that are hanging on for dear life.

It’s hard to say we love the church when we ignore, discourage or belittle its weakest members.

Real church growth doesn’t just support and celebrate our big, recent, but rare success stories – as great as those may be. Real church growth helps hurting churches, restores broken communities and celebrates the vast array small successes, too.

Read more at Pivot

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