Success

Success is more than a suburb in Western Australia. It is something that everybody wants to achieve!  People measure success in terms of accomplishing specific results. It might be wealth, prestige, happiness, or power.  When I think of the pastors I coach and the churches I partner with, I want them to be successful. But how do you measure success? What are the results we are looking for in a successful church?

“But wait a minute,” you might say. “Is success really our goal?”   It is true, “immediately, when the word ‘success’ is used . . . many modern Christians get up tight. ‘Success’ is a ‘b-a-a-a-a-d’ word!” as Charles L. Chaney and Ron S. Lewis write in their book, Design for Church Growth.  However, when I read the Bible, success is something that God would want us to achieve.   Moses told the people of Israel:   "Today I am giving you a choice. You can choose life and success or death and disaster."  Deut. 30:15 (CEV)   Joshua echoed these words years later when he said:  "Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go."  Joshua 1:7 (ESV)   The Psalms encourage us to pray for success:  "O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success."  Psalm 118:25 (NIV)

Well, if success has to do with results and outcomes, what results should we be looking for in a successful church?   Some might suggest that we should be looking for a growth in numbers. More people saved. More people attending church.  More people on our membership roles.  And yes, as a denomination we really desire to see growth, a growth in numbers.  Numbers represent people being saved, people becoming disciples of Jesus, and people joining the family of God.  Numbers are good!  But when we look only to numbers, we can easily get misled.  You can have lots of people packed into a building, but are they becoming and multiplying disciples of Jesus?   Numbers don't tell the whole story.  In addition (excuse the pun), if we look only to numbers we can easily get discouraged.   In the last 12 years the CRCA had only two years where our denominational count of members increased;  all the other years we have seen a decline in numbers.   Between 2018-19 our overall denominational membership declined by 1.7%, and this is the 9th year of decline in a row.  What does a successful church look like?   What do I look for?

Kenneth Haugk has helped me immensely in thinking about success.   He differentiates between process goals and results goals. He writes, “Process goals differ from results goals as verbs differ from nouns. Kindling a fire is a process; a fire is a result.” (Christian Caregiving, A Way of Life)    He goes on to explain that process goals imply a “passage of time. All the results goals are beneficial, but each comes at the end of a process. You can’t have an outcome without going through a process. And if you have your eye on the outcome, you probably will miss the process altogether.”   As Haugk stresses, a focus on results stymies growth and change; change and growth are maximized when the focus is on process.

When you apply this to the ministry of the local church, this means do not focus on the numbers of people attending church, how many small groups you have, the size of your Sunday offerings, how many people were baptised or made profession of faith, how large your Sunday School program is, or any other outcome.   Rather focus on the process of faithfully and effectively preaching God’s Word, having worship that is inspiring and meaningful, developing discipleship pathways for new believers, offering spiritual and ministry growth opportunities for members, regularly reaching out beyond the walls of the church into the community, providing a loving community that is inclusive, inter-generational, and living in harmony with one another, and any other initiative that will advance the gospel and bring glory to God.  Engaging in an NCD church-wide survey will help you set process goals and help you along in your journey toward a healthy church life and success.

See, results are ultimately dependent upon God’s grace, his blessing and goodness.  But when a church follows the teachings of Scripture and engages in healthy biblical church practices, they begin to remove the obstacles and roadblocks to success.   So go get it!   Choose life and success.  Kindle a fire in your church!   Make this your prayer: "O LORD, grant us success!"   And may God set your church ablaze!