A true church is not a business organization, but a living organism. Living things live and grow or they starve and die. Your church is in one of these four stages of church growth. Which one?
BIRTH
I love the idea of starting new churches. The church is an organism, not an organization. It is a living entity. It must be born. It can be healthy or sick. It can grow or it can die.
I prefer the analogy of birthing a church over planting a church. Personally, I feel very differently about my children than I do about the plants in my garden. The idea that a new church is birthed from a parent church implies an intimate connection, a need for ongoing care, a sacrificial commitment, and a significant emotional attachment.
A church must be birthed! It must have a beginning. A group of believers must care about an area enough to go through the labor pains of starting a new church. Curtis Corner Baptist Church was born in 1842. A church in another part of our state was concerned for the people in our area. Our church exists today because another church had a burden and helped birth our church 175 years ago. She is 175 years young and still winning souls and bringing glory to God.
Every healthy living organism desires to procreate. Has your church ever given birth to another church? It can and it should. Regardless of your church’s size, you have the authority and power available to birth another church. Make the goal of birthing a church part of your personal vision and part of your church’s DNA.
If you are part of a new church, focus on obeying God in every area. Create an atmosphere of growth through personal soul-winning, Biblical preaching, sanctified living, and Christian love.
“May God give us healthy churches that are committed to reaching their communities while at the same time helping to birth and resurrect other churches!”
GROWTH
A healthy baby grows. A church will grow with the proper food, care, and environment. It will grow Biblically in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. It will grow spiritually in surrender, giving, and commitment. It will grow numerically with souls saved and new believers discipled. The wise pastor is consumed with keeping the church healthy. The wise church member is committed to a healthy church by helping the pastor. A healthy church is a growing church. Is your church growing? It can. Identify what is hindering you and make some changes today.
DEATH
If your church is not growing, it is dying. If your members are not growing closer to the Lord, they are growing farther away from Him. If Christians are not surrendering to the Lordship of Christ, then they are hardening their hearts. If your church isn’t growing numerically over a reasonable period of time, it is on the path to death. The rate of attrition will eventually kill a church that is not reaching the lost. Members move away, get backslidden, or graduate to Heaven. Thousands of churches close their doors every year never to reopen.
Be not weary in well doing. A growing church can get so enamored with the results that it stops doing the things that made it healthy. Remain successful by continuing the habits that made you successful. Be busy about winning souls and compelling them to come to church. Ground new believers in the word with powerful sermons and personal discipleship.
A sick church is a dying church. False doctrine, unrepentant sin, compromise, division, pride, selfishness, laziness, etc. can sicken a church and begin the process of death. Many churches have unconsciously started down the path of death and are not aware of it yet.
“A church cannot be murdered, but it can commit suicide. Keep your eyes on Jesus, stay true to the Bible, and obey God no matter the cost.”
A church is a living organism that can die, but no church has to die. Biblical churches are protected by Divine Perpetuity. An obedient church is supernaturally protected by God.
However, a living church will go through the pains of life. Losses and gains, sickness and health, poverty and wealth, victory and defeat are all part of life. Church growth is cyclical. Don’t be discouraged when your church goes through a rough patch. You’re on the front lines of a battlefield. You will take some hits, but take a licking and keep on ticking. Stay faithful to God, and you will rebound with greater effectiveness.
No church can be destroyed from the outside. A church cannot be murdered, but it can commit suicide. Keep your eyes on Jesus, stay true to the Bible, and obey God no matter the cost. New England is littered with church buildings that were once thriving organisms of Bible preaching and evangelism, but today they are dead remnants of what used to be.
RESURRECTION
Save New England is committed to helping churches birth new churches. This includes raising awareness of the spiritual need, encouraging men of God to come to our region, raising money, and organizing churches to help baby churches.
When God was developing the idea of Save New England in my heart, He opened my eyes to another facet of the ministry. Dying churches can be resurrected! I received a call from the pastor of a church in a large town in Rhode Island. He confessed that he was an aging pastor that did not have the strength to revive his dying church. He told the aged congregation that if they didn’t bring in a soul-winning pastor, the church would be gone in ten years. He called because he heard that CCBC had a few soul-winning assistant pastors that might be interested in pastoring a church.
After a few months of prayer and phone calls, the pastor brought a few men to one of our Sunday evening services. We sang, testified, and preached as usual. God worked in the service. After the service, the pastor and men met me and excitedly said: “This is exactly what we need!” Today, one of our men is the pastor of that church. They have seen people saved, baptized and added to the church over the past two years. The future is bright as the resurrected church continues to obey the Lord. Praise the Lord for resurrected churches!
Many churches in New England are dying. They have buildings, parsonages, and a handful of people, but they are on the path of death. They know it and are not sure what to do about it. One goal of Save New England is to recommend Bible-preaching, soul-winning pastors to churches that do not know where to find good men of God. We are building relationships with excellent Bible Colleges and churches in America to provide a funnel of capable men of God to the Northeast. Pray with us about this!
Also, there are many empty church buildings in New England. Some are being sold and turned into homes or businesses. This is heartbreaking to me. There may be some empty church buildings in which the owners would rather the building stay a church than sell it for gain. Will you pray with us that God will miraculously give us church buildings that we can fill with people for His glory?
“But never forget that we serve the God of the resurrection! He can give life to lifeless bodies. He can bring life where death currently reigns.”
There are pros and cons to resurrecting an old church versus birthing a new one. Some pastors would rather go through the labor pains of birthing a new church. Some will be called to pastor existing works facing the unique struggles of each congregation. Never forget that we serve the God of the Resurrection! He can give life to lifeless bodies. He can bring life where death currently reigns. He can revive dying churches to new life and effectiveness.
Your church is in one of these four stages. Which one? May God give us healthy churches that are committed to reaching their communities while at the same time helping to birth and resurrect other churches throughout New England!