INTRODUCTION
True disciples of Jesus Christ, who implicitly and without reservations believe in God’s Word and in the relevance of the church, are passionate about the growth and the renewal of the church. Parts of the world are becoming increasingly more resistant to the message of the Gospel. Postmodernism, liberal revolutions, proliferation of sexual immorality, affluence mentality, and visionless church leadership have together produced a declining church movement in the Northern Hemisphere. The rapid expansion of Islam and other religious groups and cults have impeded the work of evangelism.
Rapid church growth is taking place in new regions and among surprising cultures. This is true in places such as Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The church growth that is happening is characterized by a spiritual passion for finding the lost and making disciples. In declining churches we see a passionless, selfish attitude with little or no vision to reach lost people and make disciples.
Therefore, church growth seems to depend upon faithfulness to the Great Commission. Only faithfulness and obedience to God’s plan for the church will bring growth and renewal. We must first be completely convinced as to why evangelism and spiritual renewal is necessary. Principles and passion are more important than creative methods.
The critics of religion, especially Biblical Christianity, are bold and have a great impact on modern culture. Internal apostate church leaders who resist the Holy Spirit, lust for power, and resist renewal have weakened Christianity and infused critics with blasphemous courage.
A master plan to achieve church growth through evangelism and spiritual renewal must include the following design:
- Commitment to the Core Biblical Premise for Mission and Vision
- Steadfastness to the Process of Discipleship
- Trust in the Sovereign Work of the Holy Spirit
- Faithful and Anointed Pastoral Leadership
1) Commitment to the core biblical premise for mission and vision
It is the Word of God that gives us the knowledge of God’s will and His commission to go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel. The Bible is the powerful witness to God’s plan for salvation through Jesus Christ.
The Bible provides the core foundation for all faith and practice. Evangelism will not happen unless the people of God are totally committed to the authority of God’s Word. Evangelism flows out of the depths of passionate followers of Christ who can articulate their beliefs and demonstrate with credibility the love of God.
Churches whose members have a high commitment to the authority of God’s Word, whose hearts burn with compassion, whose wills are fortified by discipline and devotion, and whose eyes see the ripe harvest have great potential for true church growth.
Growing churches are driven to bring glory to God by winning the lost, building up the saints, preaching the Word in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit, and fulfilling God’s purpose with a true eternal perspective.
2) Steadfastness to the process of discipleship
Church growth depends upon the process of discipleship. Evangelism in action is disciples making other disciples. A Biblical profile of a real disciple of Jesus Christ would embody the following characteristics (Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version).
- Wholehearted loyalty and surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord.
Luke 14:26-27: If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. - A transformed and renewed mind.
John 8:31-32: Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. - A journey of unconditional love.
John 13:35: By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
I Corinthians 13:7-8: …bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail, whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. - A journey of intimacy with God through a life of prayer.
Luke 11:1 – Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
Philippians 4:6 – Be anxious for nothing, but in everything be prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. - A journey beyond ourselves toward obedience to God’s call.
I Peter 3:15 – By sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
I Corinthians 15:58 – Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
II Timothy 4:5 – But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill you ministry. - A pursuit of God’s agenda in the Spirit of servanthood.
Luke 14:33 – So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
Hebrews 12:1 – Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
3) Trust in the sovereign work of the holy spirit
Life-giving, anointed churches trust in the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit for the growth of the church. Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit from the beginning of His earthly life. The Holy Spirit is called the “Spirit of Life” (Romans 8:2) and the “Spirit of Truth” (John 14:17); the Spirit seals (Ephesians 1:13), indwells (Romans 8:9-11), and fills (Ephesians 5:18) the believer for effective life and ministry.
The Holy Spirit inaugurated the church (Acts 1:5, 2:4) and empowers its witness. As Jesus Christ promised in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witness to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
It is the convicting work of the Holy Spirit that leads people to Christ (John 16:8-11). Biblical church growth can not be experienced without the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
Timothy Hill (Secretary-General of the Church of God) said in his article on True Spiritual Revival:
Revival is not a mere rearranging of our ecclesiastical furnishings; nor a resurrecting of our historical memories; neither is it a response to our greatest plans and programs. Revival is that holy and sovereign move of God in an individual’s life that replaces all that is spiritually dead with all that is spiritually alive.
Churches that wish to grow will seek to use proper techniques, methods, and strategies. Their pastors and lay leaders will use the power of their personalities in setting vision, building unity, and empowering laity. But these churches and leaders will carry out their responsibilities in total dependence on the work of the Holy Spirit. It is always God who causes growth (I Corinthians 3:6).
Building a church that glorifies God requires that the Holy Spirit be at the center of the process. In an effort to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit to bring growth and renewal, we see churches involved in the following:
- spiritual warfare
- prayer evangelism
- spiritual mapping
- cell group evangelism
- covenant support groups
- prayer walking
- mobilization of intercessors
- concerts of prayer
- mentoring lay leaders
- friendship evangelism
- compassionate relief
- emphasis on fasting and prayer
Biblical growth and renewal will not take place in churches when leaders and members seek growth through their own wisdom and power rather than by submitting themselves to the direction of the Holy Spirit.
4) Faithful and anointed pastoral leadership
Growing churches are lead by pastors who faithfully serve as a model disciple of Jesus Christ who is passionate about the Great Commission. Spiritual leadership has always been a major factor in the growth of God’s kingdom.
Paul writes, in Ephesians 4:11-13, that:
Christ gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Paul and Timothy are models for us in building unity and in equipping people for ministry essential to growth and renewal. In Ephesians chapter four, Paul built unity amidst diversity. Paul built a powerful ministry team that was unified in their desire to grow and to do ministry.
The greatest task of the pastor/leader is to equip and build unity. Equipping is a tougher job than shepherding. In order for a pastor to equip people he/she must:
1) CARE for people.
- C – communicate the vision
- A – affirm trustworthy disciples
- R – recognize potential in laity
- E – exemplify disciple and commitment
2) Work on weaknesses but function out of strengths.
3) Give people time, energy, and focus.
4) Become a resource person providing.
- atmosphere for growth
- training in evangelism and leadership
- support and motivate loyalty
- tools, resources, and opportunities for involvement in evangelism and renewal
5) Clarify expectations and vision.
6) Eliminate de-motivating conditions and barriers.
7) Provide reward, reinforcement, and celebration of victories.
Biblical church growth requires pastors who will shepherd the flock of God with character (integrity of the heart) and competence (skillful hands). Character is the most critical dimension for Biblical leadership. Paul instructed Timothy to be “above reproach” (1 Timothy 3:2). The moral or ethical failure of a pastor will devastate a church. A pastor needs to be competent to lead and to care for the church (flock).
A strong initiating pastor who serves with integrity of heart and serves with skillfulness is important. It is also important that the leadership of the church be a ministry team of laity who are equipped, trained, and empowered to do God’s work.
The pastor as a leader communicates the vision, coaches, and challenges the team to work in unity. The pastor is often the architect of the plans, the goal setter, the influencer, and the path-finder. The pastor must help the laity to stay focused on the mission. A pastor is charting the course when he/she is pointing to a future possibility, communicating that possibility to others, and faithfully leading toward the vision.
Pastoral leadership should not only be concerned with the spiritual growth of the member, but also concerned about the work of evangelism.
5) THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN LAY LEADERSHIP
The involvement of laity in the total work of the church is essential. Church growth, evangelism, and spiritual renewal is dependent on the laity.
Maturing disciples make growing churches when they are equipped and empowered to fulfill their passion and calling. The goal of developing mature members can become self-serving if the focus on is always Bible knowledge, worship, and fellowship.
Growing, transformational churches are made up of motivated worshipers who willingly invest their lives and resources in life-giving ministry and evangelism.
Today, in order to fulfill the Great Commission and build growing, life-giving, churches, we need to see a “Volunteer Revolution.” Courageous, visionary leadership is about unleashing the power of the laity!
Bill Hybels wrote, “The Volunteer Revolution is about what the local church can be when Christ’s followers offer their hearts, their passions, and their talents to meet the enormous needs all around them.”
- Declining Churches have limited potential for growth because they are mostly made up of consumers, not lay ministers.
- Plateaued Churches have some potential for growth because they have less passive consumers than declining churches, but still a ministry of active lay members.
- Growing Churches have good potential for continued growth because they have a majority of lay members who are actively volunteering in order to fulfill their passion and win people to Jesus Christ.
In order to mobilize laity for the works of ministry and evangelism, the lay members must be recruited, trained, and empowered with trust and responsibility to faithfully obey God and reach their ministry potential.
CONCLUSION
Church growth requires that we have the right philosophy of ministry, and that we know how to impact our culture in ways that will bring people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
Jesus is the answer for eternal life. Today, some clergy leaders preach total tolerance and acceptance—that Christianity is good, but not necessarily the only true religion. They say that God is equally accepting of all religions as representing His people.
Evangelism and spiritual renewal will only take place when we have the right philosophy, a Biblical philosophy which preaches Jesus Christ and no other name and no other salvation.
The right philosophy embraces our diverse culture and takes a missiological attitude toward the world. We then must focus our ministries on the target of responsive people. The harvest is ripe if we know how and where to focus our plans for evangelism, discipleship, and transforming spiritual renewal.
May we affirm as Paul did to the Romans, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvations to everyone who believes, to the Jews first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Paul was uniquely called to reach the gentiles. In order to achieve his goal, Paul was focused on the right target with a God given plan.
Commit your life and your plans to God and He will direct your steps, cause people to be receptive, honor your faithfulness, and anoint your vision.
May God give us the mind of Christ as we prayerfully propagate the gospel and build multiplying churches.