Grow your church, or reach your community?

This comes from David Watson via Guy Muse. If your church is looking for perspective in reaching its community for Christ, this article is a worthy read. As a missionary, I can not stress how strongly I concur with this portion of the article. 

I am frequently asked to consult with churches who are interested in starting new work. The first question I ask is, “Are you interested in growing your church, or in reaching your community for Christ?” Many people see these as the same. They are not.

Growing a church is about getting more people to come to the church. The reality is that no single church appeals to even a miniscule part of society. Churches have personalities, and these personalities click with only a few. So, if you start out to simply grow a church, there is a limit to how many people can be reached, simply because most people will have zero interest in the church.

On the other hand, if you start out to reach a community, regardless of whether or not the new believers will come to any particular church, numerous churches with just the right personalities for new believers will be initiated. In the course of all these new groups being starting, the catalytic church or churches will grow.

One can’t reach a community by trying to grow a church. But, if one reaches the community by all means available, the church that does this will grow.

http://guymuse.blogspot.com/2010/04/how-to-kill-church-planting.html

See Also:

• Why Growing Your Church and Reaching Your Community are not the Same Thing
• How to Measure Success as a Pastor
• When a Church Changes Size