How Does Your Church Measure Success?
Are decisions for Christ a good indicator that your church or pastor has the blessing of God and is producing fruit? Find out in this clip ...
From the book, “What People Ask About The Church,” by Dale A. Robbins - http://www.victorious.org/churchbook/chur09.htm
Does a church's size indicate anything about its spirituality or success?
Not necessarily. There are excellent churches which have grown to great size. But there is a danger in using largeness as a standard to measure success. Size does not depend as much on spirituality as it may many other factors. There are many smaller churches which uphold the same truths as faithfully as the larger, but have never experienced the same degree of growth.
Most large churches claim that their size is a result of the ability to satisfactorily "minister" to the needs of a broad range of people. If this is so, then it would necessitate a broad range of gifts, talents, programs, and social factors to be represented in a congregation. Although their preaching, teaching, and spiritual fervor may not be any greater than many other smaller churches, they have been able to "multiply" that ministry by training others to use their gifts, and developing a network of personal interaction and care for one another. Many smaller churches have excellent preachers and ministries but may not have developed all the gifts which lend toward this type of growth. This certainly does not make them inferior.
Popularity or growing numbers do not necessarily give credence to any religion or teaching, and in fact, can often be the mark of compromise or deception. The Jehovah's Witnesses have been called one of the most rapidly growing religious groups in the United States, increasing from 373,430 members in 1950 to more than 4,701,357 in 1994 — but the JW's are a cult. The Mormons are another church cult which are growing at an overwhelming pace, from 4,936,000 in 1981, to over 9,000,000 in 1995.³ Some sociologists even classify professional football as the largest of America's religions, drawing the greatest of all Sunday congregations, but the NFL doesn't seek to lead anyone to Heaven.
If crowds alone were used as the criterion of success, then Hell would prove to be far more successful than Heaven. Jesus made it clear that the way which leads to life is not popular and relatively few will find it. "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matt. 7:13-14).
Not necessarily. There are excellent churches which have grown to great size. But there is a danger in using largeness as a standard to measure success. Size does not depend as much on spirituality as it may many other factors. There are many smaller churches which uphold the same truths as faithfully as the larger, but have never experienced the same degree of growth.
Most large churches claim that their size is a result of the ability to satisfactorily "minister" to the needs of a broad range of people. If this is so, then it would necessitate a broad range of gifts, talents, programs, and social factors to be represented in a congregation. Although their preaching, teaching, and spiritual fervor may not be any greater than many other smaller churches, they have been able to "multiply" that ministry by training others to use their gifts, and developing a network of personal interaction and care for one another. Many smaller churches have excellent preachers and ministries but may not have developed all the gifts which lend toward this type of growth. This certainly does not make them inferior.
Popularity or growing numbers do not necessarily give credence to any religion or teaching, and in fact, can often be the mark of compromise or deception. The Jehovah's Witnesses have been called one of the most rapidly growing religious groups in the United States, increasing from 373,430 members in 1950 to more than 4,701,357 in 1994 — but the JW's are a cult. The Mormons are another church cult which are growing at an overwhelming pace, from 4,936,000 in 1981, to over 9,000,000 in 1995.³ Some sociologists even classify professional football as the largest of America's religions, drawing the greatest of all Sunday congregations, but the NFL doesn't seek to lead anyone to Heaven.
If crowds alone were used as the criterion of success, then Hell would prove to be far more successful than Heaven. Jesus made it clear that the way which leads to life is not popular and relatively few will find it. "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matt. 7:13-14).
