One of the great breakthroughs I've personally experienced over the last year is the realization of how much I was trapped in Church Growth mentality, over the missional mentality of Kingdom Growth.
Obviously, we all want our churches to grow in numbers, but the key is to also grow healthy--- for the sake of impacting great numbers of transformational faith into the marketplace of every day life.
Some churches can grow in numbers and become big religious organizations, attractive to our culture's consumer-minded, what's-in-it for me, mentality. The numbers then become a show case, focused only on Sunday worship and inside programming attendance. I believe that when Jesus said "Go and make disciples", he wasn't referring to building bigger buildings, programs or worship seating, but rather to equip a big army for greater outside impartation. In other words: Church Growth mentality grows a congregation's membership, while a Kingdom mentality transforms a whole city! There's nothing wrong with growing a congregation, so long as its vision is to grow the city.
Now that I am getting out-of the Church Growth box that I thought marked success, I'm now noticing how many of my fellow pastors are trapped in the same dead end. While it is certainly great to want grand numbers at our Easter services, and I hope you all did, the greatest move we can do post-Easter Day is to take on the "Now What? What are we to do with the resurrection?
We could return to status quo of the church calendar and lament why worship attendance goes down in the summer after setting records on Easter Day. Or, we could lead our ministries towards the same vision Jesus had when he walked out of the grave and into the world. He was now light to break darkness. He was now a walking billboard for real hope. All his training of the disciples in the flesh was now to be compliment by the giving of his Holy Spirit.
Allow me to now suggest that you don't need another small group, big event, or task force to generate a now what mentality. What you might very well need, however, is a Kingdom Mentality that answers the question, now what? What can you and your church now do to bless your city in Jesus' name for the sake of the lost? What city need is currently not being met well by anyone or anything? How can your now church be like the resurrected Jesus--- as light, as hope and the giver of the life-transforming Spirit? Whether non-believers know it or not, they are dying, and they need Jesus like never before.
A well attended worship service/revival is great. It stirs and it awakens...but it's usually not sustainable. Often times it is self-serving, and therefore unbiblical. It's focus can be centered on filling-up seats and fueling-up finances so that ministry life will be more enjoyable. Easter's Kingdom revival also stirs and awakens, but it's geared to the day-by-day transformational qualities of the resurrected Jesus. The focus is on healing the broken and that is never easy...but it is always powerful! That, my friends, is what Easter worship is suppose to do--- to move the great worshipping numbers from one-day inside the building, to becoming great numbers of kingdom people worshipping God through their daily labors; and thus, changing the lives of others.
NOTE: I will be attending the annual Exponential Conference in Orlando, Florida, April 28-May 1. Exponential is known as the best place for church planters and missional leaders to gather and be inspired by God's Easter work for their own sites. Going with me will be 8 of our LCMC planters. Several of them will be bringing their spouse, or staff members and/or launch team leaders. Please keep the following planters in your prayers as we gather with some 5,000 others for God's Kingdom direction:
Jonathan Haseley: "Barefoot Community" Niagara Falls, NY
Jonathan Kosec: "Waterside" Rockport, TX
Noah Ruppert: "LightHouse Ministries" Polk City, IA
Matt Anderson: "Surprise" Bismarck, ND
Bob Swearer: "Life Journey" Vancouver, WA
Terry Rebert: "Transformation in Christ" Lake Orion, MI
Brian Hughes: "St. John's", Columbia, MD
Myself!
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