I think often about churches that grow and why it is they do. What are the factors? Clearly leadership has a significant role to play but it is leadership that has a vision for growth and understands that the church exists for the purpose of mission. But the vision cannot remain with the leaders. They must be able to cast that vision as well as the excitement and passion for that vision into the congregation or it is a vision that will not go very far. I came across some papers from my first congregation in Jacksonville, FL. I knew that the church had closed a number of years ago, but I wanted to see if the building was still standing. I googled the address and much to my amazement the building was still standing. The land had been turned into a park. As I googled the surrounding neighborhood I remember knocking on many of those doors not merely to tell them about the church but to introduce myself and to hear what some of the issues and concerns were in the community. A number of the residents at various times would visit but those visits would rarely turn into folks becoming members. There were a variety of reasons for that but chiefly I think it was visitors often felt as if they were coming into something where they really were accepted. I should have gotten this when I would often here members say that they had gone through so much and that even though they were small in numbers they were united and strong determined to remain together no matter what. I should have gotten it but I didnt know what Ive learned over the years. But there was a spirit of anti-growth and every new person who showed up was a possible antidote to the disease of anti-growth.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 00:05:25 +0000
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