Do We Over Emphasize Growth?

This is a difficult blog for me to write. The truth is, things are going great at my church. Our numbers are the best they have been since I got there. We are taking in more money then we have ever done before. We are growing. This being said, I must ask the question, "Do we over emphasize growth?"

When I was in seminary the church growth movement was at its apex. It has slowed down a little in recent years. However, it is still the most popular ecclesiology in the world today. The idea behind the church growth movement is simple. Healthy things grow. Thus, if a church is healthy; it must grow. I am not a church growth guy, but I use this type of language all the time. Now, I am beginning to wonder if growth and health are the same thing.

As I study the Bible, I have come to the conclusion that some of the most unsuccessful ministries were the best. Elijah and Jeremiah were failures. Their call was to preach repentance to Israel. Neither one of them saw the nation repent. As a matter of fact, God told both of these men that their ministries would not succeed. They preached knowing that the people would not repent. They preached knowing that destruction was coming. They preached only out of a state of obedience.

I also look at Job. Job was decimated as a faithful follower of God. I know, I know, God gave him back everything and then some at the end of his life. However, when Job was going through the trial would anyone describe him as a success.

This being said, Job, Isaiah, and Jeremiah were obedient to God. They did not have success in their lives. This leads me to think that growth and obedience are not always linked together.

I have come to believe that football can draw a crowd. That a concert can draw a crowd. That Benny Hinn can draw a crowd. Yet, I do not believe that any of these things are obedient to God.

Now there is one thing that scares me about writing on this topic. I do believe that many ministers are not successful because they don't work very hard at what they do. I believe that someone could easily take this little article and say, "You see, I am being obedient. I am just suffering in my work. I am laboring for the master." So let me put this disclaimer here. If you are a minister, and your church is not growing. And you take your sermons from sermon central. And you preach only topical messages because it is easy. And you spend more time sleeping than you do in the ministry each day. Then please, totally disregard this post. I am not talking about you.

Ministry is a hard thing to judge. I believe God calls some ministers to struggle. Why? Because God just does. I speculate that the best Pastor in America is in some small community that no one has ever heard of. He has pastored the flock faithfully for 30 years. He has burried and married everyone in the town. He has ministered to them in triumph and tragedy. No one will ever ask him to speak at a conference. He will never write a book. He will never be called Doctor. All he does is faithfully minister to the people God gives him. He is obedient and not successful. I hope to be that good.