How Are Your Numbers?
by Rev. Mark E. Tidsworth, Founder and Team Leader
Whether we like it or not, whether we appreciate it or despise it, whether we are advocates for it or trying to ignore it… our perspectives on numerical growth in church can flip with just one good Sunday. Perhaps our church is in decline, numerically shrinking. Then we are often quick to point out shallow theology or misplaced priorities of many churches regarding numerical growth. But then the next Sunday many new visitors show for worship and we find ourselves strangely giddy. When some start joining as official members and our head count goes up, we find ourselves telling others that numbers really do indicate something significant about a church. Our perspectives on numerical growth can flip with just one really good (numerically growing) Sunday.
So how do we liberate ourselves from this pendulum-swing theology and practice? Evidently, we need a more healthy and sound understanding regarding numerical growth. I’m hopeful the following descriptors will help us move in that direction.
Numerical growth is mentioned often in the Bible.
I’m reading through the Book of Acts again these days, finding many references to numerical growth. “Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers,” (Acts 9:31, NRSV). Luke included many references like this one to numerical growth. Evidently, numerical growth meant something to those early disciples of Jesus. So, those discounting numerical growth, advocating that it means nothing, have to find a way to make sense of these Biblical passages.
Vitalized churches often experience numerical growth.
Living in the way of Jesus is beautiful. When we are caught up in this Way of being and living, we discover the pearl of great price; the treasure in the field. This is what’s attractive about the good news; transformed lives and invigorated disciples. Clearly, the early church was an invigorated, life-giving spiritual/social movement which swept across its part of this world. We’ve seen this same dynamic throughout history. When churches are alive and invigorated, others often want to participate. A living, breathing, community of faith, organized around a healthy understanding of the Risen Lord and liberated from outdated structures and methodologies draws us like moths to the flame. At the same time, numerical growth does not always reflect congregational vitality. No guarantees accompany church vitality. Being in the right place at the right time (population growing) can be what’s driving numerical growth. Or simply being savvy enough to take advantage of cultural trends, social movements, or mixing politics or nationalism with church can lead to numerical growth, having very little to do with the Way of Jesus. So vitalized churches often experience numerical growth, while it’s not guaranteed, nor is numerical growth always an indicator of Christ-centered vitality.
Numerical growth has occupied an outsized place in the American church.
Have we bowed at that altar enough by now? Have we worked to slay that golden calf often enough? Have we judged our worth as a church through this one metric enough? Have we clergy and church staff persons spent enough sleepless nights over numbers yet? Here in America, the land of “bigger is better,” we have generally magnified the import of numerical growth to where IT IS the primary metric by which we judge church effectiveness or “success.” And, we can find ways to drive more people to our worship gatherings. The church growth movement of the 1980s-1990s based out of Fuller Seminary and championed by Peter Wagner taught us how to methodically turn people into first time worshipers at our churches. This can be done. Whether they stick or not is another topic, yet we can get them there through carefully crafted publicity campaigns. The questions noted above, plus our systematic and carefully researched approach to gathering crowds, suggests we are infatuated with numerical growth, giving it outsized influence in our churches.
Numerical growth, in its rightful place, is liberating and meaningful.
So, where do we go with this numbers dynamic? Perhaps the pole positions on this continuum are not so helpful; either going all in on numbers as the essential way to measure our effectiveness versus totally rejecting numbers as insignificant and meaningless. Either extreme seems more fear-based than faith-based. So here’s a suggestion for your consideration, a potential perspective to try on for fit, perhaps.
Numerical growth is often mentioned in the Bible, suggesting it’s important
Numerical growth often follows vitalization in churches
Numerical growth is not the holy grail of church life, but can draw us in to idol worship, given our history and context
Numerical growth is a helpful indicator, when aligned with our mission, and included in the mix of various spiritually-based metrics
Numerical growth is one of many healthy indicators when it’s a lag measure, one of the outcomes of the good news of the gospel embodied in a body of Christ
When we are caught up in our mission, our calling as churches, the numbers game fades, placing numerical growth in its rightful place rather than driving our efforts
So, how do you feel about this whole numerical growth discussion? Mixed feelings and competing thoughts? This may indicate you have some sorting and clarifying work to do regarding this significant church dynamic. Beyond personal responses, where is your church in its understanding of numbers? Though most churches are running competing narratives regarding their numbers, this topic deserves attention by leadership, pursuing a healthy, mission-congruent collective perspective. Doing that work together, gaining clarity, will empower and liberate your church to pursue its mission with less fear and more freedom.