A Church Growth Strategy

Growth is an essential part of what it means to be human, to be created in the image of God.   The Bible records the blessing that God pronounced on humanity at creation.   God said, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth...." (Genesis 1:28)   As a parent and grandparent I can testify to this blessing in life -- seeing children grow up, mature, and increase in number as one's own children have children.   

We love to see our children grow and increase in number.   The same is true in the CRCA with our churches.   We love to see our churches grow and increase in number.   Churches grow in so many ways.  There is biological growth as people have babies.   In my last congregation I knew that that church had a future for there were so many young couples having babies.   Every time a baby was born to one of our families a rose was placed on the communion table.   We kept the local florist very busy.

Churches also grow through transfers.   People move into the community and they transfer into your church from another church.  It is a good thing to worship where you live.  Your locus of witness and ministry are those around you, your neighbourhood.    But not all transfers are because of migration or people shifting suburbs.   Some transfer in because they are disgruntled with their former church.   But they soon will realise that your church is not a perfect church as well.  With any transfers it is critical that churches enfold these new members and set out clear expectations of what it means to be part of God's family.

Then there is evangelism growth as churches and their members reach out to the unbelievers in their community, their schools, and their workplaces.  Evangelism growth is the outcome of the church being gospel hearted and embodying the Great Commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20. (see also Mark 16:15-18; Luke 15; John 15:1-8; Acts 1:7-8)   Sinners are saved, become disciples of Jesus, and join the church.

We can also see growth from a spiritual perspective.   Churches grow both numerically and spiritually.  Churches might grow numerically as people come to faith in Jesus, but the ultimate objective of church growth is spiritual as people mature in life and in ministry over many years.   This is why Jesus told us to teach new disciples to obey everything he has commanded us (Matthew 28:20).  As believers we are to "all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13)   As we grow up into Jesus, the whole body of the church, "joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does it work." (Ephesians 4:15-16)

When these four aspects of church growth are operative in a local church, the natural next step is church growth through multiplication.  As churches we not just to increase in number but also fill the earth.   We are to see new churches populated throughout our suburbs, states, country, and the world.   Jesus told the early church that they were be witnesses not only in Jerusalem, but "in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)  In practise this meant that the apostles were committed to plant churches in every town and city (see Titus 1:5).  Until this goal is reached, as the apostle Paul stated it so clearly, our work is "left unfinished". (Titus 1:5)

For this reason the CRCA has a church growth strategy.   In this current series of articles I have been outlining the various strategies we have in place for coaching, evangelism, disciple-making, leadership development, growing gospel workers, and church health analysis.  Our church growth strategy is to resource ongoing church planting, re-planting, and church revitalisation.   In the CRCA we have a Church Planting Taskforce (CPT) that is committed to assist churches to plant churches through Australia.   Not only is funding made available, but at every stage of church planting, support is given.   A major partner of the CRCA is providing this support is the Geneva Push church planting network.   This network has supported the planting of over 100 churches in Australia in the past 10 years and is committed to support the planting of another 200 churches in Australia in the next 10 years. 

In Australia a number of CRCA churches are not growing in number but are in a state of decline.   These churches are in need of church revitalisation.   While we have seen a number of our churches (including some church plants) shut down, we believe there are better options.  The CPT and Ministry Formation are committed to help declining and dying churches restart.  Check out the Repotting Strategy that details how over a 12 month period churches can go through a process of revitalisation and/or a re-plant/restart. 

In addition to planting churches throughout Australia, the CRCA has a global church growth strategy.   G.O.S.P.E.L. continues to be very effective in planting churches in Central/Western India.    S.W.I.M., in addition to providing effective, practical, compassionate support to the people in Solomon Islands, it also provides Bible based teaching and equipping ministries to build up Christians and churches in that country.   Through these two key denominational ministries, the CRCA resources ongoing church planting and church revitalisation.

May our churches continue to grow throughout Australia and the world.   There is much work left unfinished.   There was a time when your church was planted.   Where might you plant a new church?   To answer this question you need to have church growth strategy.