Understanding

church growth
INTRODUCTION

Read Acts 2: 41, 4: 4, 5:14, 6:1 & 7, 8:26-39,

9:31, 16:5, 21:20-27
What can be drawn from this scripture
concerning church growth?
There was growth and multiplication in the
churches.
Factors that demonstrate church growth
• Conscious of its mission mandate and always reaching out beyond it
current scope
• Puts emphasis on winning of souls and discipleship to mature faith
• Are not afraid of daring and step into new contexts however risking it
is.
• Open to the move of the Holy Spirit and manifestation of God’s power
that motivates faith.
• Passionate about witnessing and sharing God’s saving grace with
neighbors.
• Acknowledges that it is God who courses growth.
• Send out missionaries to new mission frontier and support them to
plant new churches
• Value the work of God’s divine powers among them.
• Consistent and passionate in faith.
Steps involved in growing a healthy Church
• John 15:1-18, Acts 2:41-47
1. Visionary strategic and flexible leadership:- must develop
strong, passionate and visionary leadership with the capacity to
perceive
dreams, see opportunities, plan and rally for support of the vision.
2. Proclamation and teaching of God’s word:- plans on themes
and topics that are relevant to spiritual and socio economic needs.
3. Lively and Bible centered worship:- Put emphasis on worship
lifestyle of those being converted to Christian faith.
4. Structured sector ministries:- acknowledge the life cycle from
birth, children, teens, youths adults, old and families i.e. single
parents, widows, widowers, etc.
5. Pastoral care ministry:- taking care of all the spiritual, social
concerns of all the church members and those outside church.
…cont…
Hospitality:- the culture of handling each other with respect
and dignity.
• Mission outreach:- focuses on reaching out the church.
• Leadership development:- developing leaders guarantees
ministry consistency and continuity without creating gaps and
improves maturity of gifting, ownership, and participation
ministry.
• Budgeting:- clear budget brings into focus areas of priority in
mission and avoids procrastination. It also enhances giving as
away of resource mobilization.
• Prayer:- acknowledges that the war is not against blood and
flesh but principalities and powers of darkness.
Characteristics of a healthy growing church
• Empowering leadership- helping other become what God
wants them to be.
• Gift- based ministry-help identify gifts and nature
• Passionate spirituality:-People on fire for God and committed
to the great commission.
• Effective Structure:- organizational structures, financial
policies, service schedules, human resource policies,
developmental plans
• Inspiring worship service:- Everyone looks forward to the
service and accommodative.
• Need oriented Evangelism:- has the urgency of evangelism
• Mission:- pastoral care and involvement in the lives of others.
Signs of a dying church
• Lack of expository preaching- has no biblical themes, systematic
teaching which is relevant and practical.
• Declining worship attendance.
• Decline in frequency of attendance of church members
• Lack of joy and vibrancy in the worship service
• Little evangelistic fruit
• Low community impact
• More meetings than ministry
• Acrimonious business meetings;- disagreement reflect obvious
bitterness and anger.
• Very few visitors in worship services
• Worship wars
…Cont..

• Unrealistic expectations of pastoral care;-view pastor and other

leaders to do all the work
• Decline in giving
• High level of ignorance in understanding God’s word.
• Lack of interest and commitment to God’s service.
• Question
• 1. Giving an honest opinion, asses whether your local church is
growing or dying?
Church planting stages and leadership
1. Infant stage;- is a newly planted church-requires a catalytic leader
who is a person that has the ability to bring something into being
that didn’t formally exist.
2. Growing stage:- occurs within 5 years, is a period of great
discoveries, nurturing gifts and leadership development. This stage
requires an organizer kind of a leader. Organizers take a disorderly
organization, bringing the pieces together and maximizing the
resource available.
3. Plateau/ consolidating/ saturation stage:-this is a period of
consolidation, stability in systems in terms, structures, human
resources as well as material resources. The period last between 10-
80. The stage requires operators because they manage stable
organization by making small changes and maintain systems at
work.
…cont…

• 4. Declining/ decrease stage: Starts from 60-100 years

onwards. It is coursed by failure to appreciate change of times,
emerging issues, defensive and insecure leadership and loss of
interest by church members. This stage requires re-organizers
as leaders so that the church refocuses on the future. They help
in pleasing the long time members but simultaneously build a
new congregation.