How do churches grow?  Well, a quick answer is, “Only through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  A more nuanced answer is that churches grow in different ways and are at different stages of growth – some numerically, some organically, some in maturity, and others grow by incarnating Jesus’ love for others.  While we may stumble over definitions, strategies, and even priorities, for the Church of Jesus Christ, it is an expectation that we continue growing in all of these different ways.

On Tuesday night I had the staff and committees of the church look at the different ways churches grow, and give me their perspective.  Here is a sampling of responses on the area of Numerical Growth:

Positive Growth -

• Participation in our ministries is up, including non-members
• The number of ministries is up
• The number of kids in the new youth choir is up
• The number of youth involved is up
• The number of people being served and impacted through our ministries, especially our service/outreach ministries is way up

Negative Growth (also known as stagnation or decline) -

• Worship attendance has slipped down again, to under 250 per Sunday (back where things were 11 years ago)
• Number of pledges and budget is down
• Slight growth in membership
• Decline in visitors

What does all this mean?  Overall we are not growing numerically.

Historically, Christus Victor has gone through a number of cycles of church membership growth and decline.  The highest point was in the mid-1980′s when worship attendance hit an average of 450 a Sunday, and then, for a number of reasons, dropped the next year to 250.  In 1998 the average attendance was 270.  It grew to 330 for a few years in 2004 and 2005, and then started to slip a little each year, back to the 1998 level in 2009.

There are both internal and external issues at work, effecting church growth and decline.  One book that has greatly informed and challenged my thinking is “Transforming Congregational Culture” by Anthony Robinson.  In the first chapters, Robinson addresses the many cultural changes that have occured in our country, and how those changes are speeding up.  Yet, I find it too easy to point the finger outside the church, and so does Robinson.  We need to be asking some serious questions, even basic questions of ourselves.  The first question we need to ask and answer is the PURPOSE question:  “What is our purpose/mission?”  and “How is it going?”

We are starting to ask these questions, to find out how it is going, but more importantly to listen where God may be calling us to change for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I hope you will share your insights, questions, and ideas in the weeks and months ahead as we seek to be faithful to God’s call and command to grow – in faith, hope, and love of God and our neighbors.