Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Interested in Church Growth? Before putting all sorts of complicated systems and strategies in place, start with the three basic ways to grow the Church as seen in Ephesians 4:16. Follow God’s design.

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

By church growth we’re not just talking about numbers, though numerical growth often becomes a part of it. We’re talking about growing “to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Eph. 4:15).

Basic #1 for Church Growth: Acknowledge and Align with the Head of the Church

After referring to Christ “who is the head” in verse 15, we read “From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows …” (Eph. 4:16). Elsewhere Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). The number one way to grow the Church must be to acknowledge and align with the Head of the Church.

Jesus, not our programs, leaders, technology, buildings, or strategies, must have first place in our churches. He is the greatest draw in outreach. — “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” (Col. 1:15-18)

We do more, however, than merely point people to Jesus. We align with and depend on Him for without Him, the Church isn’t properly held together.

Basic #2 for Growing as a Church: Love God and One Another

Notice how the Body “grows and builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:16). When people believe we truly care about them, it motivates them to want to be a part. Even more, when we help them know and rely on the love God has for them, they in turn love others (1 Jn. 4:16-19).

Jesus identified loving God with all of who we are and loving others (Matt. 22:37-40) as the greatest commandments. How can love, then, not be a part of the growth equation? Let’s purpose to love. It’s one of God’s ways to grow the Church.

Basic #3 of Ways to Grow the Church: Encourage and Equip People to Do Their Parts

The Body “grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph. 4:16). God designed the Church to function interdependently, not as a spectator sport. He also provides the empowerment needed to do our parts. — “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Pet. 4:10)

Teach about spiritual gifting and God’s design for the Body using something like the Everybody Has a Part Curriculum, to encourage people to do their parts. Also, however, equip them to serve effectively. Provide ministry training. — “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-13)

Let’s follow God’s ways to grow the Church.

Sometimes we can get caught up in the place we worship. We may even bemoan not having as big and nice of a building as others. Perhaps, however, our buildings get in the way of true worship and ministry. We forget that Jesus promised, “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:20). With His presence comes His glory and His power, which leads to true worship and ministry. So, let’s focus on the presence of the Lord, not our buildings and technology.

The Focus in the Old Testament

God made His presence known throughout Israel’s history in various places. We see His glory in the pillar of fire and cloud that guided them through the wilderness, on the mountain where Moses met with God, about the Ark of the Covenant and tabernacle, and then in the Temple.

Think of the splendor of the Old Testament temple built by Solomon — the exactness and excellence put into it, the way it reflected different aspects of God’s presence and work among them. Yet, Solomon understood that God could not be contained in a building, in a place.

“But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27)

The Focus in the New Testament

In the New Testament we read of the Early Church meeting together in the temple courts and in their homes (Acts 2:46-47; Rom. 16:5). Paul mentioned teaching them “publicly and from house to house” (Acts 20:20). How much of meeting in homes was simply pragmatic is hard to say. Where would large gatherings have met? Meeting in homes would have drawn less attention during times of persecution.

What we do know is that the focus was not on the meeting place. Rather, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. . . . All the believers were together and had everything in common. … praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47) They did that which put the focus on the Lord, that which invited His presence in their midst. They resultantly experienced His power among them.

Focusing on the Presence of the Lord as We Meet Today

We find no commands for us about the type, size, or location of the place we gather in order to know His presence. We simply read Jesus’ words, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:20).

When we gather in His name, we do all we do in His name. — “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:16-17)

We do find a command about “not giving up meeting together” (Heb. 10:25). The collective experience of gathering in His name invites God’s presence in ways we may not experience on our own as we spur one another on and encourage each other in the Lord (Heb. 10:24-25). That is not dependent on the place we meet.

Help Keeping Perspective About the Place We Meet

For more thoughts about Church Facilities, go to the Church Leader’s Practicum. There you’ll find the following four admonitions that will help you be able to say, “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!” (Click on the links below.)

Keep Footing
Keep Focus
Keep Flexible
Keep Functional

When asked about the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus’ responded with what could be summed up in one word — LOVE (Matt. 22:36-40). Though only asked what He viewed as the greatest commandment, Jesus broke it down into two commands:

#1 – Love God.
#2 – Love people.

Since Jesus identified these as the greatest commandments, it only makes sense that we consider them as our two-fold purpose in life.

Why a Two-Fold Purpose?

Jesus didn’t stop with the greatest commandment, which is to love God with all of who we are. Why give more than He was asked, especially since the person asking was trying to test Him? Further, the Old Testament verses Jesus quoted don’t mention both commands together.

Perhaps these two commandments tie together so closely that Jesus couldn’t state one without the other. Love for God and love for people have to go hand in hand. Love for people spills out of our love for God. If we love God, we will love people.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 Jn. 4:8)

If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 Jn. 4:20-21)

Perhaps Jesus wants us to know that life in Him isn’t an either/or. When we accept Jesus into our life, we’re placed into the Body of Christ. We first and foremost love Him but we also love one another.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (Jn. 15:12)

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. (1 Jn. 3:23)

Steering the Church Toward God’s Priorities as Given in the Greatest Commandments

If Jesus identified both love for God and love for people as top priorities, certainly as a Church we should be helping people live out these purposes. Church leaders have a major role in keeping the church on track in this two-fold purpose. You’ll find the above content in the Steering the Church Toward God’s Purposes Leadership Guide which also considers some implications of this truth for our church bodies and leaders.

For even more help steering the Church in this direction, go to: Church Purpose Resources

We have good, life-changing news. The Gospel touches every need. We move from death to life and from out of darkness into His glorious light. God intends for us to not only have eternal life but that we live in His abundant life and light right now, every day. Each encounter with God and His Word has the potential of changing us from the inside out. Here’s the question for us: Are people leaving our churches changed? — How sad when it’s like they were never there!

The Need for Change

Perhaps people come with burdens that seem too heavy to bear. Maybe they come with a bad habit or sin they just can’t overcome. People may come empty spiritually. Or, perhaps they come never having put their trust in the Lord to save them.

• How sad when they leave unchanged!
• How sad when it’s like they were never there!

Even those who may seem to have it together still have room for growth. None of us have obtained all there is to life in Christ and what He wants to do in and through us. We each, with the Apostle Paul, must say, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Phil. 3:12).

• How sad when we think we don’t need to change!
• How sad when any of us leave like as though we were never there!

The Goal of People Leaving Church Changed

You’ve probably heard it said, “Aim at nothing and you’ll hit it every time.” If we want to see changed lives, we must prayerfully and purposefully head in that direction. What will it take to experience the presence and power of the Lord in our midst? What will it take to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18)?

1. We must purposefully point people to a God who is great enough and caring enough to make a difference in their lives. (Ps. 145:3; Prov. 14:27; Rom. 8:28)
2. We must purposefully work at connecting with the whole person and show people how the unconditional and all-encompassing love and power of the Lord reaches into every aspect of their lives. (2 Cor. 1:3-4; 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 4:12)
3. We must purposefully help people get beyond head knowledge about God and His Word by presenting it as the life-changing, powerful Book it is that affects everything we do. (Ps. 19:7-11; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)
4. We must purposefully encourage people to engage with God and His truth right there in our gatherings rather than remain passive bystanders. (Col. 3:16-17; Eph. 4:16)
5. We must be the kind of leaders and teachers who authentically and purposefully model seeking after God and allowing His power to work in and through us. (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2-3; Titus 2:7-8)

Pray to this end, trusting God to work in people’s lives, including your own.