Measure growth by capacity to release, not retain. Remember that your church growth goal shouldn’t be simply to get bigger; it should be to equip more people to live as authentic disciples of Jesus. Instead of focusing on numerical growth on your membership rolls, focus on sending people out into the community to serve. Depend on God’s unlimited supply of energy to grow naturally. View your church as a mission-sending agency of God’s design. Equip leaders to reach new generations and start new churches or ministries. Develop an aggressive plan for starting new community ministries and churches. Move new believers into leadership roles. Regularly commission members who are going into ministry.
Place kingdom concerns first. View your church as only one battalion of a great kingdom force deployed on earth. See other Christians of other denominations as your brothers and sisters who are serving the same master. Distinguish between essentials and nonessentials in doctrinal interpretation, value and cooperate with Christians from other denominations in kingdom tasks, and join together in spiritual warfare against the enemy. Partner with other churches in your community to complete joint service projects. Share the pain and joy of Christians around the world. Regularly pray for other churches in your local area. Encourage your members to participate in interdenominational ministries.
Keep trying. Realize that the process of transforming your church into a missional one will take a while. Accept any failure as a step toward success by learning from it and moving on.
Adapted from Shaped by God’s Heart: The Passion and Practices of Missional Churches by Milfred Minatrea, copyright 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published by Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Imprint, San Francisco, Ca., www.josseybass.com.
Milfred Minatrea is the director of the Missional Church Center for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He served as pastor of several churches before becoming a highly sought-after church consultant. Minatrea desires to be an authentic disciple of Jesus and enjoys walking with others on that spiritual journey.
