Church Growth
![Use The Principles, Don’t Buy The Hype Use The Principles, Don’t Buy The Hype](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/81151.jpg?h=168&w=300)
The vast majority of the leaders in the church growth movement are good, godly, passionate people who truly want to advance Christ’s kingdom and be a blessing to other churches.
They write books and speak at conferences because they have a passion to share what they’ve ...
![The Modern Myth Of The Persistently Growing Congregation The Modern Myth Of The Persistently Growing Congregation](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/80793.jpg?h=168&w=300)
The persistently growing congregation is a relatively new phenomenon – and an even more recent expectation.
Aside from the grand cathedrals of Europe (which were often the result of politics and power more than faith), it wasn’t physically possible for local congregations ...
![Sorry, Pastor – Numbers Are NOT People Sorry, Pastor – Numbers Are NOT People](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/79336.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Numbers matter at our church because every number is a person.
No.
Just… No.
I don’t doubt that most pastors who say that mean it. And they truly do care for people. But numbers are not people and people are not numbers.
Most businesses are figuring this out, so why ...
What‘s the best church size?
Many church leaders might argue that, whatever your size, “just a little bigger” would be better.
Many house church attenders would propose that smaller is better.
There are followers of John Wesley’s Rule of 150 who make a good ...
If ninety percent of churches were big and ten percent were small, it would be reasonable to dismiss small churches as being broken.
Irrelevant.
Lazy.
But the opposite is the case. Ninety percent of churches are small, while only ten percent are medium-sized, large and mega combined. ...
![Sorry, Pastors – The Growth Of The Church Is Not Up To Us Sorry, Pastors – The Growth Of The Church Is Not Up To Us](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/79136.jpg?h=168&w=300)
If the size of my church was up to me, it would have been a lot bigger a long time ago.
After all, like so many of my peers in ministry, I’ve followed all the rules. Preach the Word, train disciples, reach people, remove obstacles, lead and manage it well, and the church ...
![Real Church Growth Doesn’t Just Make Bigger Churches, It Heals Hurting Ones Real Church Growth Doesn’t Just Make Bigger Churches, It Heals Hurting Ones](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/78412.jpg?h=168&w=300)
How did the church of Jesus grow for the first 1900+ years of its existence without any megachurches around?
That’s how long it took for the first megachurches to appear on the landscape. They’re the new kid on the church block. Until the middle of the 20th century, ...
![Is It Wrong If I Don’t Want My Church to Grow? Is It Wrong If I Don’t Want My Church to Grow?](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/78388.jpg?h=168&w=300)
One of the foundational beliefs of the church growth movement is that every church should desire to grow. And if you don’t want your church to grow, there’s something wrong. Probably something wrong with you.
So let me get right to it and answer the question in today’s ...
![Jesus And Crowds – An Unhappy Marriage Jesus And Crowds – An Unhappy Marriage](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/77656.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Jesus didn’t value crowds. He didn’t even trust them (John 2:23-24). But he valued the people in them.
Even though they chased him everywhere he went, Jesus and crowds had, at best, a strained relationship. As pastors, we need to keep this in mind as we look at how ...
![The Top 3 Reasons Church Growth Ideas Usually Fail In Smaller Churches The Top 3 Reasons Church Growth Ideas Usually Fail In Smaller Churches](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/77500.jpg?h=168&w=300)
I love church growth.
I also love the Church Growth Movement. It’s brought some wonderful benefits to the church in the last 40 to 50 years. A renewed emphasis on outreach, accurate assessment tools, and an openness to try new methods are just a few of the positives.
But ...
Read More from Karl
![Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250 Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41AU9uOZQAL._SL500_.jpg)