How Do We Grow A Church?

There is a growing concern in many churches today over regaining the attention of our “attention-deficit” generation.  These are people who, if they come to church at all, seem to find it terribly boring.  As a consequence, church leaders have been running after any new man-centered marketing tool that might appeal to the post-moderns of our culture.  “The power of attraction” is the name of the game.  The old music, Sunday School, worship, and preaching must accommodate themselves to the god of social psychology.  The most obvious goal is to keep the pews full.  The philosophies of relativism and pragmatism have gained new adherents in the sanctuary.

I would suggest to those church leaders who have embraced all things modern that they are deceiving themselves.  The only hope for the modern church is to pray for pastors to be set aflame by God.  Truth must be spoken with anointed power from the pulpits in order to bring people to Christ.

I would rather hear 50 words from an uneducated man full of the Holy Spirit than a sermon from a Doctor of Theology who does not know the Spirit’s anointing power.  The withdrawal of the Holy Spirit’s power in preaching and in teaching is evident by the lack of conviction in church leadership and membership.  If we would have revival in this generation, we must rely on the Gospel not gimmicks.  Without the blessing of the Holy Spirit, no change in methods will be effective.  The question is, “Do I really believe that by trusting and relying on the Holy Spirit, the gospel will build the church to God’s glory?”

We cannot reach our culture for Christ using man-centered psychology.  The power for conversion lies in the word of God accompanied by the Holy Spirit.  God will not help us if we adorn the church with frivolous and worldly methods that are really in opposition to His supernatural order.

If we feel irrelevant to our secular culture, we must trust in God to use His means to change our land.  Often, the lack of humility in our hearts, the neglect of Bible study and time spent with God in prayer, causes us to place our trust in means other than God.  This will not do.  Spiritual strength is trusting God even when things don’t seem to be working.  We trust His word in our weakness because through our weakness He displays His strength.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring revival to our churches.  Pray that our churches will be filled with preachers who are set aflame by the power of the Holy Spirit.