Taking the "Long View" in Church Growth

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You know it's a wonderful January day in Fresno when you have to roll down your car window to cool off. Too nice!

For some very specific reasons, I've been reflecting on the nature of church growth. I'm fortunate to be in a situation where my leaders are not focused on short-term growth or on immediate results. Still, it's only human to measure things like attendance, giving and involvement. From there, it's natural to look for the easiest path to increase those metrics. Does the easiest path, however, really help us in the long run? 

Church leaders ought to think more than six months down the road. While there's nothing wrong with short-term growth, they need to occasionally step back and see the big picture. They need to ask themselves, "Are we laying a good foundation for those who come after us? Are we taking the long view? Or are we just focused on our immediate success?"

What would it look like to take the "long view" in church? Those who are deeply invested want to believe that their hard work makes a difference. Church leaders may say, "God gives the increase," but we still feel the pressure to produce results.

In a quest for ready-made growth (or whatever desired result), churches sometimes accidentally damage their long-term prospects. Christians occasionally fall into the trap of wanting their church to be more attractive to their neighbors (who already attend a "nicer" church) or to their former members who slipped off the radar screen. At times, some individuals instinctively push for programs that personally make them feel good. These may bring some instant gratification, but they tend to delay the tough choices. These hard choices are rarely about worship style or ministry reconfiguration. They involve realizing that the world (our real target) has changed.

Taking the "long view" means to stop and reconsider the mission of God. It means to reevaluate what our mission field and how we understand our role as missionaries to the world in which we find ourselves. In Psalm 46:10, the psalmist speaks for God. "Stop," he says, "and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations. I am exalted in the earth."

I'm excited about our Renew weekend, because it offers a chance to stop and reflect. It will us the chance to evaluate our actions and our direction. And it will help us better hear the voice of the Lord as we seek to be God's people shaped by God's mission.

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