10 Old Wives' Tales About Church Growth

There's a lot of discussion that goes on about church growth: what causes it; how to generate it; prepare for it; launch it; build it; cultivate it and even, to some degree, manufacture it. Many of the discussions are helpful, but there are a number of subtle beliefs that still creep up that aren't healthy. In fact, they're downright superstitious and, at times, dangerous to the church.

I've collected these myths over many conversations, coffees and lunches with church leaders and I'd like to share them with you.  

10 Old Wives' Tales About Church Growth

1. If You're Not Growing, Something's Wrong

If growth and a bigger crowd is "always" the result of obedience then some of the OT prophets will have some serious explaining to do.

Of course, if you're not growing—or you're declining—I think it is cause to evaluate what you're doing, but it's not a given that something is always "wrong."

God could be doing something different—more Jeremiah and less Peter.

Also, while we're at it, let’s stop using the Acts 2 passage as a normative prescription for every church today. It’s an amazing description of something special God was doing in history to launch his church, but it’s not a church growth manual. A casual reading of the NT will show churches of all different shapes and sizes, and never once is there a declarative statement that the church should be growing faster than it was—more obedience, yes; helping the poor, yes; staying true to the Gospel, yes; practicing the Lord's Supper and baptism, yes.

2. The More You Grow, the Healthier You Are

We would love to believe this one. It certainly feels good to have a bigger crowd. There's a built-in justification for ministry leaders when more people show up, I know. However, just because your church has more people attending doesn't mean your church is completely healthy. In fact, it might be cause to closely evaluate the message the crowd is hearing.

Growth can be healthy, and it can be a very good thing—it's just not an automatic four-stars for healthy spirituality. Large numbers are no more an indicator of health than great wealth is an automatic indicator of wisdom. You can be wealthy or impoverished and still be wise or a fool. The same goes for church growth. You can have a lot of people or a little and still be healthy/unhealthy. Health deals more with what's going on below the surface. Growth tells us something's going on, but whether it's good or bad, that's another issue. 

Brian is the Editor of Outreach Magazine, ChurchLeaders.com and SermonCentral.com. He works with creative and innovative people to discover the best resources, trends and stories to equip the church to lead better every day.

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