How is the church growing?

A discussion on the article "Beyond Numerical Growth" by Alan McMahan & Billy McMahan

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

It’s been a few weeks now that I’ve been reflecting on Alan McMahan & Billy McMahan’s article, Beyond Numerical Growth. After looking at the largest and fastest growing churches in the US, they conclude that very few churches are growing through conversations. They note that only about 3-5% of all US churches see conversation growth in contrast to 70-85% of US churches which are either plateaued or declining. It’s reasonable to assume the remaining churches are growing as families have children or through the transfer of members from other churches.

I find this troubling!

Growing up in church, and later following a call to vocational ministry, I’ve always believed our primary calling as believers is to reach the lost; to introduce people to the love and forgiveness of Jesus. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus says: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. It seems clear the mandate given to the early disciples (and to all subsequent disciples) is to bring people (nations) into the family of God and to teach and train them in the ways of God. If I’m reading this correctly, only about 3-5% of churches are fulfilling this mandate.

Let me make a few comments on this:

The Bar Seems Low

According to the article, for churches to be considered “effective evangelistic churches” they need to be seeing a conversation ratio of 20:1 (5%) or better. That means for every 20 people only 1 person will come to the Lord annually. This seems like a low number considering the gospel is the good news we all need. What’s going on here? Why do people seem averse to a message of love, grace, and forgiveness? Is it possible the church has a messaging problem?

It’s Not a Question of Style

Style seems to come to the foreground when discussing the church’s growth potential. To be sure, we need to have these discussions, but amongst the high-conversation-rate churches listed, we see a variety of styles. Interestingly enough, it would appear a mainline church made it to the top of the list. As noted in the article, it’s more a question of ethos than style. The key factors identified point to ways the churches shaped their culture to focus on evangelism. Style is important, but it’s downstream from the mandate given to us in the Great Commission. This is consistent with the Apostle Paul, who in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 summarized his approach to ministry by saying, “I become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.”

Discovering Receptive Audiences

The idea of identifying a “receptive audience” rings true. The Holy Spirit goes before us, so by the time we meet or grow in our relationship with people, they’ve already been on a journey we probably know little about. We are called to love all regardless of their receptivity; however, there are some that will be more open and receptive to the good news. There is wisdom in hearing from God and discerning where God would have us focus our attention. We get an idea of this in Luke 10, where Jesus sends out the seventy and instructs them to seek out people of peace (Luke 10:5-6). Where might the Spirit be directing us as a church? Where should we be focusing our time and resources to best see God’s mandate fulfilled?

High-Touch, High-Relationship, & High Purpose

I was challenged to hear how Compass Church encouraged its team to have at least three meetings every week: Meeting with a first-time guest, meeting with someone serving, and meeting with someone less known in the church. Although that’s a sizable weekly commitment, it all comes back to the ethos. If people are important, then that’s where we need to be investing our time and energy. This aligns with my belief that people need to be personalized, which is to say, we need to look beyond the objectification of people as a means to an end and understand that each person is created in the image of God, is known by God, loved by God, and needs to be engaged as such. The heart of the gospel is lost when we put our programs ahead of a love of people. There is no gospel without a deep love for people; the gospel is the good news that Jesus knows you, loves you, and came to die … just for you.

These are just a few comments on an article I found deeply challenging, an article I hope will generate discussion and help us rethink how we might better position ourselves and the church to fulfill the Great Commission.

Let me know your thoughts.