Growth we aren’t looking for

I’ve never met a pastor that doesn’t want his church to grow. Growth is the reason we do church, not just numerically, but spiritually as well. Yet, we have discovered how to limit our growth. Yep, you heard me, we have limited our growth, and we know it.

Believe it or not, but I believe we could be a lot larger than we are now if we changed our style. Our style of worship, facility and decor actually often turns certain people away. We have Christians who come to our church for a time, but inevitably leave because it’s just not a match for them. I can appreciate that and have no problem with it.

The reason we are okay with this is because there is a different type of growth we are striving for. We are not looking to snatch up sheep from another pen. We are looking to find the lost sheep. Our vision is directed to reaching people who are not on the path to God and helping them get on it. For that reason, we intentionally do things that would reach someone who has never been to church or has walked away from church.

The fallout of what we do is that a lot of good Christians never land here. While I would love to have them invested here, I’m okay with it. As long as we keep reaching people who don’t know Christ, we’ll keep doing everything we can to see that kind of growth.

189 thoughts on “Growth we aren’t looking for

  1. Just curious why this message? It seems to me I see the same people each week and thankfully new faces. Obviously, you must have a perspective that we are not aware of. But, my only comment is this: I don’t go there for me as much as I go there to support what is happening there. I see people coming to Christ. That is what a true christian should be striving for. I know I need to be bold in presenting people to him. Life him up and he will do the rest, is what I hear!

  2. No particular reason, other than random thoughts that I have from my experience in church ministry. Dow, you get it which is exactly why you are at Crossroads. You realize it’s not about you and whatever you can do to serve. I appreciate people with your attitude and heart!

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