3 Basic Ways to Grow the Church

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Ways to Grow the Church Must Follow God's Design in Eph. 4:16
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.

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How Do Your Co-Workers View You?

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Daniel Thrown into Lion's Den Due to Jealousy of Co-workers
God miraculously delivered Daniel from the lions’ den, but why did they throw him in with the lions? True, Daniel continued to pray to God after the king’s decree forbidding everyone from praying to any god or human except the king for thirty days. The real reason, however, goes back further to what led to the king’s decree — to what was taking place in Daniel’s “workplace” with his co-workers.

How Daniel’s Co-Workers Viewed Him

Excelling in his job, Daniel received recognition, which made his co-workers jealous. To sabotage his success they wanted to bring an accusation against him “but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him” (Dan. 6:1-4).

Notice that they found “NO” negligence or corruption in him. That undoubtedly meant he didn’t justify even little breaks in integrity saying,

“It doesn’t hurt anything.”
“Nobody will notice.”
“Everybody’s doing it.”

Daniel’s co-workers concluded, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God” (Dan. 6:5). Since his character flowed from Daniel’s walk with God, his co-workers would have to manipulate the king into making a decree they knew Daniel wouldn’t keep because of his unwavering devotion to his God.

What Kind of Testimony Do You Have in the Workplace?

Think about how your co-workers view you. Would they characterize you similar to Daniel (Dan. 6:4)?

Faithful?

Can people depend on you do do your job and do it well? Do the words trustworthy, consistent, and dependable describe you in the workplace?

No Negligence?

Do you avoid making mistakes due to carelessness? Are you careful not to cut corners or gloss over errors but rather aim for excellence? Do the words conscientious, attentive, and careful describe you in the workplace?

No Corruption?

Do you maintain moral integrity, not even getting caught up in little white lies? Do the words honest and good describe you in the workplace?

Result of Such a Testimony

We probably won’t get thrown into a lions’ den because of jealous co-workers. We might, however, get ridiculed, even fired if we fail to comply with an immoral demand. Are you willing to suffer for righteousness’ sake? God may not “shut the mouths of the lions” (Dan. 6:22) as He did with Daniel. Sometimes He allows suffering to bring about a greater purpose, though we may not see it at the time

The approval of God way supersedes the approval of other people, so “even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed” (1 Pet. 3:14). Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt. 5:10-12)

More on the Workplace

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Prepared to Face Temptation in Ministry?

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Just because we serve in a Christian environment doesn’t mean we won’t encounter potential for doubts or breaks in integrity. Prepare to face temptation. Even our Lord Jesus was tempted (Matt. 4:1-11).

Types of Temptation in Ministry

We learn of it in the news: Pastors engage in adultery. Youth leaders sexually abuse teenagers. Treasurers or other ministry staff get caught embezzling. Maybe you feel you would never give in to those kinds of sins but given the right circumstances, the temptation may present itself.

Not all temptations have dire consequences so we may not be as prepared to resist things like …

lying to save face.
taking shortcuts to make your life easier.
bragging to make yourself look good.
gossiping to make others look bad.
etc.

What to Remember to Be Prepared When Tempted

Be Alert and Sober-Minded, Prepared for Temptation

We have an enemy, the devil, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). To destroy the work of God, he’ll piggyback on our sin nature, putting temptation in our way. Remember that we don’t have to give in to flesh and the devil. To resist, however, we must stay alert and keep submitting ourselves to the Lord in all situations (1 Pet. 5:8-11). Though temptation is “common to mankind”, we have a faithful God who knows what we can bear and provides a way out (1 Cor. 10:13).

Since we still have that old sin nature, there will unfortunately be times we forget to pull on His strength and provision and give in to temptation. Again, we must remember that we have a faithful and just God. “If we confess our sins,” He “will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). That doesn’t mean we won’t face consequences so the objective should always be to stay alert and keep submitting ourselves to the Lord in all situations, so we don’t yield to temptation.

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Prepared to Face Conflict?

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Just because we serve with other Christians, doesn’t mean we’ll always get along and agree with each other. Prepare for possible conflict.

Reasons We Need to Be Prepared to Face Conflict with Fellow Christians

Think of the mix of people in your group. We come together with …

different personalities and personal styles which leads to different approaches.

varying backgrounds which means varying preconceived ideas.

Conflict When We Fail to Walk by the Spirit
Add to this mix our self-centered human nature which wants its own way, and we’re bound for conflict if any among us fails to walk by the Spirit.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? (James 4:1)

What to Remember When Facing Conflicting Approaches and Ideas

God designed the Church to best function when we bring all of our differences together and learn from one another. We grow through the contribution of each part (Eph. 4:16). With this perspective, we work through our differences rather than let them divide us. For that to happen, however, we need to put on the new nature (Eph. 4:22-27). Then we will heed the exhortation to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Phil. 2:3-4)

We can’t control the words and reactions of others. While we do have a responsibility to help them see the error of their ways, they are ultimately accountable for what they do (Gal. 6:1-5). God doesn’t expect us to “fix” others but rather to encourage and warn as needed (1 Thess. 5:14). Be prepared to face conflict by remembering this verse about your personal responsibility: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Rom. 12:18)

When faced with conflict, our attitudes and emotions can get in the way of resolution. Remember these verses about the need to guard our heart (Prov. 4:23) in conflict: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” (1 Jn. 4:20-21)

For additional help dealing with conflict, check out these resources: Conflict Management & Resolution Resources

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Prepared to Face Obstacles?

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Just because we serve the Lord doesn’t mean all will go well. Be prepared to face obstacles along the way.

Be Prepared to Face These Types of Obstacles in Ministry

Sometimes ministry will affect us personally when we find it …

  • demanding, often inconvenient.
  • stretching, taking us outside of our comfort zones.

Sometimes we will face limitations like …

  • a lack of resources.
  • people who don’t want to grow spiritually.

Sometimes we will meet with resistance from people who ….

  • don’t want change.
  • disagree with us.

What to Remember When Facing These Hurdles

We Will Face Obstacles But Trouble Doesn't Have to Overtake Us
If serving for any length of time, you undoubtedly experienced at least one, maybe even all, of the above scenarios. If not, you probably will at some point so prepare yourself for this reality.

Even Jesus acknowledged, “In this world you will have trouble” (Jn. 16:33). Obstacles, however, don’t have to stop us from serving. Jesus went on to say, “But take heart! I have overcome the world”.

We need to remember that God doesn’t leave us to our own strength or wisdom to hurdle these roadblocks. Consider memorizing the following Scripture verses so you can readily reflect on them and be prepared to obstacles.

To keep discontentment and discouragement from taking over, pull on the strength God provides to rise above.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Josh. 1:9)

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Phil. 4:12-13)

To keep from making obstacles even worse, pull on the wisdom God provides.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5-6)

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

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Identifying and Keeping the Top Priorities?

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We all have priorities, that which we deem as most important. We tend to invest most of our time, energy, and resources into what truly matters to us. As followers of Jesus, we need to ask if what we value most is what He views as the greatest priorities in life. Do we have the right priorities in our lives? How do keep His priorities at the top of our list?

Identifying What’s Most Important

Certainly it makes sense that if Jesus identified two commandments as the greatest, those commands should be our top priorities. In short, He said that loving God with all of who we are should come first. Love for people comes next. See Matthew 22:36-40.

Jesus Identified Love for God and People as the Greatest Commandments, Making It Our Top Priorities

Reflect on these priorities by clicking on the following links:

Keeping the Our Top Priorities

In the busyness of life, we can easily lose sight of what’s most important. We get caught up on all we have to do to the point that we neglect our relationship with God and often important people in our lives. Further, our old sin nature pushes us to self-fulfillment and self-gratification, making ourselves most important rather than God and others. How do we keep the right priorities?

It’s easy to say we love God and people, but another thing to live it out. Maintaining these priorities, however, is possible regardless of our life circumstances if we begin with the right perspective and continue by pulling on a power outside of ourselves. Take time to reflect on these realities by clicking on the links listed below:

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