ELEMENTS OF CHURCH GROWTH

PROFESSOR BEN ONYEUKWU (REV)

NCE, (ENG.) ND/HD (JOURNALISM), DIP; BA, (THEOLOGY), MA, PhD

ELEMENTS OF CHURCH GROWTH

Introduction:

          Biblically speaking, the Church is designed to be a world-wide force for evangelism and impact in society. Giving credence to  the above view, James Poitras, remarks that, “we cannot have a realistic church growth without preaching the message of the early church, (Acts 2:38). He further notes that, “in preaching from our pulpit a word-centered/anointed, and also relevant and practical to the people, five elements of church growth based on Acts 2:41-47 must be considered”. In order for the church to grow, Poitras also remarks that each of these principles must be operating in the church and they must be in balance, which implies that non of the principles should be considered to be more important than another, as each of them is necessary”.

BASIC TOOLS FOR CHURCH GROWTH

1:1    Fellowship  

          According to James Poitras, the first church members were in unity; shared in fellowship and in breaking of bread. This is why it is important for each member to attend church regularly. The church, where fellowship is strong is a caring church where believers demonstrate a genuine concern for one another. Based on the foregoing, the scripture remarks that we should not be in the habit of “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is:  but exhorting one another and so much more as we see the day approaching”, (Hebrews 10:25).

          In fact, the early church did not only have fellowship with one another but also with God, through prayer. The first church, in the

words of Poitras, was brought into existence as a result of prayer meeting and continued to grow as a result of prayer. Miracles began taking place in Act 3, as they featured prominently in prayer. Therefore, if the present day church must genuinely grow, it must adopt the cited twin approach in fellowship, that is, fellowship with one another and with God through prayer.

1:2 Discipleship

          We are called upon to make disciples, (Mathew 28:19). In the expression of James Poitras, this call, is a call to reproduce ourselves. Thus, the Apostle Paul says, “and the things you have heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also”, (2 Timothy 2:2).

          In the Great Commission, Jesus Christ placed “discipleship” at the top of the list on things needed to be done. As a church, Poitras continues to remark, “we must never forget about discipling and enabling our members “. By this, it becomes important to attend and participate in the elective series of teaching offered for adults and Sunday school offered for all ages, as this provides spiritual nutrition for us to grow.

          The early church did not cease to preach and teach (Acts 5:42), and so, filled Jerusalem with their doctrine, (Acts 5:28). Similarly, “we can only make a difference in our community, culture and country, as well as foster church growth when we preach and teach sound biblical doctrines that promote the knowledge of God. In this connection, Hosea remarks, “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”, (Hosea 4:6). Put differently, if we do not teach people what is expected of them from the Bible, as well as present such things in the way they promote sound knowledge of the living God, our quest for church growth will remain futile.

1:3 Worship

          James Poitras as well holds out that “worship and praise are vital to church growth, as he illustrates that, “in sports we realize there is something greater about a game that is played in front of thousands of people, compared to a game prayed in front of a few hundred people. He, therefore, notes that “as we gather together at church, there is an atmosphere of celebration, and so, when we begin to celebrate our God and what he has done for us, we are expressing our love for God. So, the start-off point for any concrete effort that leads to church growth is worship. Thus, Poitras equally remarks that “we enter the church to worship and leave to reach others for Christ. In other words, when we worship the Lord before evangelism, we definitely acquire power from his presence that makes for effective evangelism, that hitherto results in church growth.

FOUNDATIONS FOR CHURCH GROWTH

2:1    Prayer

          In the words of Ben Onyeukwu (2009), “prayer is the surest and strongest source of energy (power) on earth, and a foundation laid through it never falls. In this connection, every effort towards church growth must begin with prayer. This is because the demonic powers that seek to hinder church growth can only be overcome through fervent prayers. And, since Satan is the spirit strongman that hinder people from coming to Christ, he must be bound through prayer, if any meaningful progress would be made, (Matthew 12:29)

          Jesus Christ started his evangelical ministry through prayer. And, the inauguration of the church in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) was through prayer. Furthermore, throughout the history of the church, as narrated in the book of Acts and beyond, successes in evangelism that resulted in church growth were all through prayers. So, no fervent prayer, no church growth.

2:2 Fasting

          When prayer appears not to be effective, fasting must be considered. This is because certain strong forces of darkness cannot give way for the repentance and deliverance of people unless fasting is employed in prayer, (Mathew 17:21) Jesus used the weapon of fasting in his ministry,(Mathew 4). The Apostle Paul fasted often (Acts 13:) And, all through the New Testament church records in Acts of the Apostles, fasting was a regular habit (Acts 14:23).

          Fasting subdues the flesh and enable the spirit takes control of the realm of the supernatural. The church that refuses to fast cannot always be in control of its place of operation. This is because prayer alone cannot always dislodge certain powerful demons which, at times, may be posted by Satan to work against the church. So, as there is need for prayer for church growth, so is the need for fasting, at certain internals, as may be directed by the Holy Spirit, when the need arises.

2:3 Bible Message

          Church growth cannot be achieved by precepts in human subjects, but by precepts in the word of God. This is because God confirms his word with signs and wonders following and not the words of men (Mark 16:20). It is only the word of God that bears fruits in evangelism, and not the human stories we tell. This is why the Holy Scripture urges us to “preach the word”, (2 Timothy 4:2). In line with this, Gary Mclntosh and Charles Ann remark that, “the best growing churches in the world have solid biblical preaching at their core. These churches do not water down the Gospel so much that you cannot see the lifted cross”. And, by pointed to the lifted cross, it means that the biblical message of the gospel which seeks to foster church growth must present Christ and his cross and not the preacher, (2 Corinthians 4:5).

ACTIVITIES NECESSARY FOR CHURCH GROWTH

3:1 Visitation

          In the words of Charles Trombley and Gordon Lindsay (1989:3) “the ministry of visitation was foreshadowed in God’s dealing with the first members of the human family. The Lord visited Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He visited the children of Israel in the day of the Exodus. Christ’s incarnation was God visiting his people in the veil of the flesh, (Luke 1:68). When the Lord began his ministry, he visited the people in their homes. His first miracle was performed in a home” (John 2) Likewise, He sent his first disciples into the homes of the people, saying, “in whatever home you enter, first say, “peace be to this house”, (Luke 1vs5).

          Trombley and Lindsay, also remark that Church History tells us that the spread of the gospel in the early centuries, despite intense persecution, was extremely rapid. This tremendous growth, they say, was largely the result of their visitation programme”. In keeping will this tradition, therefore, the present day church, as a way of fostering church growth must, in the words of Trombley and Lindsay (1989:6), learn to.

i.             Contact those families who attend church  irregularly or who have been considered members of the church, but have ceased attending

ii.            Visit those who sign visitor’s cards at the services

iii.           Visit the homes of those who attend Sunday school, but not the other services

iv.          Visit new people moving into a community or city, etc.

3:2 Follow-Up                                   

          Follow-up programme is vital to the growth of the church, as it promotes interpersonal relationships between the church and members of its immediate environment. In this connection, Charles Trombley and Gordon Lindsay (1989:33), hint on approaching people on five levels of follow-up that would foster church growth. Therefore,  there should be follow-up for;

1     New converts from crusades

2     Inquirers and visitors who have attended church services

3     Those one has personally won to Christ

4     Those who are irregular in church attendance, Sunday school and backsliders…

5     Those who accepted literature (tract) during the house-to-house visitation

3:3 House Fellowship:

          House fellowship is another veritable tool for church growth, since it is a means of making people outside the location of the church become aware of its programmes. It is also a way of making non-members share in the fellowship of the church, especially those who have certain inhibitions that prevent them from becoming members of the church. In summary, therefore, house fellowship is a way of;

i.             Bringing the church closer to the people

ii.            Reaching out to people who have certain factors that hinder them from becoming members of the church

iii.           Promoting evangelism beyond the immediate location of the church

iv.          Bringing new converts to the church, etc.

FACTORS THAT HINDER CHURCH GROWTH

     For the church of Jesus Christ to scripturally grow, in any location of its operation, the full drive to evangelize and maintain the principles of God’s word must be in place. Considering the foregoing, Ben Onyeukwu (2014) remarks that the church cannot really grow where there are;

1.   Lack of spirituality

2.   Lack of the Presence of God

3.   lack of sincerity  of purpose

4.   Lack of sincere milk of the word

5.   lack of the love of God

6.   Lack  of motivation

7.   Lack of kingdom focus

8.   Lack of the demonstration of the power of God, etc.

FALSE VIEWS ABOUT CHURCH GROWTH

          Misconception on church growth abundantly exist in the circle of the Christian faith. To many, when a church blossoms numerically, such a church is successful and growing. But scripturally, and in the sight of God, a church only grows at the rate of the number of persons with genuine conversion, and are really candidates of heaven, as every other person outside the said range is not part of the growth (Acts 2:47). In line with the foregoing, this lecture note seeks to cite the following unbiblical principles of church growth.

5:1 Gospel without the Cross:

          Liberal preachers often play down the truth of God’s word in their attempt to attract people to their denominations. This is obvious in today’s church, where certain preachers have deceitfully watered down the massage of the cross, and have deceived many into the light-feather Christianity, through which no one can be saved.

          But, Jesus says, “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me”, (Matthew 10:38). By this, Jesus declares that Christianity is not a “bed of roses”, as some preachers portray at present. He, also, made it clear that for one to become a true disciple of His, one must be prepared for the sacrifice of self-denial (Matthew 16:24). So, any church growth without the principles of the cross of Jesus Christ is false, and unbiblical.

5:2 Gospel without morality        

          The idea of growing a church with human gimmicks and all forms of propaganda is currently ravaging the Christian church. As such, most preachers, at present are in the business of bringing people to the church for what they get from them and not for the purpose of making them true believers or candidates of heaven. It is obvious today, that so many Christian pulpits are no longer propagating messages of salvation and revival, but those which give people false hope about the kingdom of God. And, this has given impetus to the influx of people in the church, who are, “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful and unholy”, instead of those with genuine Christian virtue and morality, (11 Timothy 3:1-5).

          Today, there is hardly a rebuke for sin committed or suspension for any immoral or criminal acts in the church. Instead, what is heard are sounds of “God bless you”, to sinners who carry the damnation of hell with them. As a result of this, millions of Christian denominations with the cited tendency grow at a jet speed with false hope of making heaven at last. Based on the foregoing, this lecture note brings to the fore, that any church growing without the Christian virtues of holiness, righteousness and godly love, is not really growing, but carries the propensity of false growth.

5:3 Gospel of False Miracles, Testimonies and Prophecies

          The Gospel of Jesus Christ scripturally carries the power of miracles, signs and wonders, (Mark 16:15-20). But today, false apostles, who have no link with the Lord and his kingdom, are busy destroying the church with “fixed miracles”, “arranged testimonies” and “false prophecies”, which seem to lure an unprecedented number of the unsuspecting individuals to their denominations. Such pulpit bandits, with the help of the press (or Media) market the gospel of materialism and false prosperity to the people, and by so doing, deceive many into falsehood.

          But, the true church of Jesus Christ grows by the power of the Holy Spirit, and not by the deceiving words of man’s wisdom, (I Cor. 2:4). Therefore, this lecture note seeks to draw the attention of the students to the evils of “false miracles” “false testimonies and “false prophecies”, which certain preachers employ in their bid to bring people to their self-styled churches, as well as caution them (the students) against the use of such antics in church growth programmes, since they are unbiblical and counter-productive in terms of what the scripture says about church growth, etc.

          In conclusion, the course, “Elements of Church Growth”  is one of the essential courses that any devoted student of the Bible should not treat will levity, as it borders on the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, which is the supreme task of the church, (Matthew 28:19). The course is more of practical than theory. Therefore, it is advised that the student who offers the course should accord it a priority to practicalize the church growth principles which the course presents, bearing in mind that the genuine growth of the church is on the topmost list of what the Lord wants the church to achieve on earth, and so, a failure in church growth, is a failure in every aspect of the ministry.

PUBLISHED 2014