1E. Obstructions to Church Growth

When new people begin attending a church, there is a tendency among existing members to resist them. This is founded upon the mistaken and subtly deceptive concept that "Small is Beautiful." It argues that great numbers are not important, it is the spirit that counts. "Where two or three are gathered," it says, "then there is the church." In this respect, David Pawson writes, "We have glorified littleness."(1)

Small is Beautiful

It is interesting to note the attention the Bible gives to numbers. Not only is there an Old Testament book named "Numbers" but Gideon, David and others carefully counted the people of Israel. Jesus himself is introduced to us at Bethlehem where his parents had gone because of a census, a counting of the number of the people. We read of the twelve apostles, the feeding of the five thousand and then of the five hundred who met Jesus after the resurrection. "Somebody on the day of Pentecost was so full of the Spirit," writes David Pawson, "that they counted heads!" Peter pulled fish out of a net and meticulously counted one hundred and fifty three (2). The early church certainly took great pride in recording numbers.

The most damning rebuttal of the "Small is Beautiful" concept comes in our Lord's own parables. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and looks for the one lost sheep (3). The "Small is Beautiful" approach probably would have written off the loss! Similarly, the woman who loses one of her ten coins seeks diligently until she finds it (4).

The parable of the stewards further reinforces Jesus' teaching that growth is an important element in God's work. In this parable, the master leaves his stewards in charge of his wealth and then when he returns expects a profit. Those who doubled their accounts of five thousand and two thousand silver coins are congratulated as good and faithful servants, whereas he who merely hid his portion is condemned (5). Note that the one who increases is called the faithful steward. Paul writes, "You should think of us as Christ's servants, who have been put in charge of God's secret truths. The one thing required of such a servant is that he is faithful to his master" (6).

Having said this, I feel it's important to understand that it's not being small that's bad but wanting to remain small. The third steward's mistake was thinking it was maintaining what he had that mattered, rather than putting it at risk so that it might earn more. Church people must realize that even though their faith in Christ is like precious perfume in earthenware pottery to them, in order to keep it they have to keep on giving it away! Every church should be striving to grow, and the only effective means is evangelism. Like the chorus, "Love is something if you give it away," each congregation and each individual needs to practice giving away their faith constantly, giving away their love abundantly and giving away their money generously. As the song says, "You'll end up having more!"

For this reason, I would recommend that every local fellowship of believers hold at least one dedicated piece of evangelistic work every year and set aside part of their budget accordingly. Better still that every organization within that church have one or more mission activities of its own as well as a major thrust together! Before this can happen however, we need to shake off the idea that we are meant to be small. This is an obstacle to growth.

Timidity

Another roadblock is timidity. Abraham Lincoln used to remark that he could get any amount of men who were "willing to shed their last drop of blood" but he found it a little difficult to get them to shed their first drop to make a beginning. Christians are also prone to talk about what they will do for Jesus by-and-by. Lack of confidence may cause some churches to defer a decision until the next meeting or the next year. Perhaps if they sit tight, some new people will come in of their own accord. They keep their fingers crossed and hope for the best.

It's Not My Job

Another excuse used for not getting on with evangelism is that it's somebody else's responsibility. It's amazing how many lay people feel that the only one who should work in a church is the minister, and many ministers work on this assumption too. The duplicating machine breaks down, they ring the minister! There's a leak in the roof, they phone the Rectory. Mrs. Smith has a fall and needs a visit, they get the priest to go. Some pastors tell their people how much they abhor this kind of dependence on one person in a church, then get upset when a Christian brother does something without telling them.

The minister, as I see it, should be primarily a shepherd of the shepherds. He or she should see his or her role as the builder of the laity, the one who draws out their gifts. Ideally he or she should not be the administrator, nor the leader of worship and certainly not the treasurer, gardener or choir master.He or she should look for leadership skills and other gifts in the flock and use them to the fullest.

I am always amused to see the list of qualities required of a new minister by an appointment committee. Invariably it contains all the gifts present in the committee members and then some. The only possible candidate would be the Archangel Gabriel, and then only if he were prepared to take some night classes in furnace maintenance. As shepherds, individual Christians in a congregation can take up their responsibilities to "feed my sheep" and "take care of my lambs." Evangelism is everyone's job and it is also hard work.

It's Hard Work

"Stay," wrote Amos Bronson Alcott, "is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary." It is also a hard word for a regular churchgoer to say to a visitor. It means making room and taking a risk on another personal relationship. Evangelism is hard work, time consuming and hard to fit in especially with commitments elsewhere. Church people often get involved in too many outside organizations and the problem comes in trying to sort out priorities. As a church, evangelism must go forward. Christians must prayerfully consider giving their prime time to their own fellowship. Not what's left over like the loose change in one's pocket for the offering, but the first part -the best portion. They must do this before God as stewards of His goodness.

Questions For Discussion

1. Suggest reasons why your congregation is or is not growing? (See "Obstructions to Growth")

2. How can this be improved or remedied?

Notes

(1) David Pawson (2) John 21:11 (3) Luke 15:4 (4) Luke 15:8 (5) Matt. 5:14 (6) 1 Corinthians 4:1

"Practical Christian Outreach in the Local Church"

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