Friday, March 30, 2007

NUMB3RS

There was something that a previous pastor used to always tell our kids and it frustrated me so much.
He kept asking our kids to bring in friends, new members to our church. Each Sunday, during announcements, if there wasn't anyone new, he would say "c'mon guys! We need to start bringing people. If we don't bring new people, our ministry is a dead ministry! We're dying!"
I can't tell you how much it upset me to hear that.

It almost wanted me to ask what was his purpose of his ministry? To make it physically big as possible?

For all my seminary career and so far in my ministry career, numbers has been the last thing on my mind. Blame it on my professor of youth ministry and Doug Fields, but I've been putting extra effort into not thinking about number.
If i hold an activity and event, i don't think it's a failure if 2 people show up. Sure, i'll be disappointed, that's natural, but if we fulfill the purpose of the activity and event through those 2 people, then what we aimed to do was a success.

I'm not saying that having a big church is wrong or not. But we shouldn't deem a church more "successful" if they are bringing in 3000 members compared to the church down the street who has 30 members.

My focus has been to have a growth spiritually with our kids. If God chooses to bless us by having us multiply in numbers, that's great! If we stay the same size yet we are becoming more mature in our spirituality, that's awesome!

That's a hard mentality to keep with my church.
I think the elders and the pastor expects some physical growth within the first year of my ministry here to see if i'm doing my job.
It saddens me that some have to think like that.
I know i'll hear grumbling if our youth size stays the same for the next two years. the saddest thing is that they'll never know how God is working through those youth, because all they want to see is physical results.

I honestly don't know the exact size of our youth group and many people don't understand why i don't know.
I like to keep it that way, for many reasons.

Oops, must get ready for tonight.
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2 comments:

Willie Deuel said...

I think pretty much the same way. Maybe I'm naive, but I believe that spiritual growth and maturity are necessary for the ministries of the church, especially when talking about numbers. This is oversimplifying it a bit, but what does it mean if you bring in new people and nothing great is going on in church? They won't be back. But if something is happening, spiritual growth is encouraged and nurtured, visitors will sense it and possibly be hooked.

March 30, 2007 at 7:06 PM
David said...

I used to claim the same thing, and then it occurred to me that the ideology, at least to me, was a sham. Truly effective ministry will effectively bring people in. Take a look at "word of mouth" advertising in the restaurant and movie world and see what "something well done and interesting" generates. But, more importantly to look to the scriptures and find that those who are doing ministry by virtue of doing ministry are self-replicating, and developing new disciples.
Now, I would argue that the only way to do that is develop the faith of the "2" that you mentioned attending your program in the first place. We may have a long uphill climb before we reach the place of growing congregations by leaps and bounds, we have to overcome the spiritual deadness of many within our congregations (and many pastors too, for being worn out, crippled by sin, or other factors)
Peace,
DC

March 31, 2007 at 3:10 PM

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