The Numbers Game?

Recently I saw footage of a church that had grown numerically relatively quickly. The leader(s) were vocal in equating the growth with God's overall approval of what they do. While on one hand being able to tell many people about God's love can only be good, in the long run is counter-productive to God's overall aims and objectives for people.

Whatever is preached and however support systems are employed, God still wants people to be in families, not organisations. Filling halls with people is not difficult. Muslims do it every Friday, football stadiums do it routinely and Rock bands can draw the thousands to the gig. For sports or music a big crowd is an indication of the success. when the concert or game is over, the gates are closed and everyone goes home. The product is assessed by the size of the paying customer. Islam has a religious obligation to meet in the Mosque. So with church, which is it?

If people meeting in a church is for religious obligation then no leader can take credit because the reasons for gathering lie in the obligation not the personal achievement of the leaders involved. If the reason for gathering is because of 'product' then what is the product that people are investing in? Most leaders in churches will say that people gather because the Lord draws them to their more genuine or special anointing. More honest leaders will admit they are offering church to the masses to fit with what people want in terms of entertainment, bling and easy listening. Even the most challenging message is ineffective in an organisation style church because it is anonymous. In a family, a challenge is personal and pertinent because you are known on a deeper level among brothers and sisters.

God's long term aims are to see people transformed into being like Christ and be salt and light to the people in their lives. While the slick program, trendy auditorium and articulate front - men may tell people the component parts of living an authentic Christian life, it is the environment that is missing. It doesn't matter how many people are in the church, it doesn't matter how successful the evangelistic mission is, what matters is that people are being anchored for a lifetime relationship transforming into the image of Christ. Sadly, statistics show that despite the budget, gifting, worship band being the best in the world, the 10 year turnover is consistent in every church that relies on marketing and product.

The 10 year turnover shows that apart from a core group, usually the people the leader gets on with best or simply live locally, a person will take around ten years to either:

1. leave the church discouraged and disillusioned

2. leave the church to pursue an authentic christian experience

3. wander around other churches, never finding a family

4. stay in the church, lie down and accept the 'way it is'

5. stay in the church in the back third, disillusioned and discouraged

6. become one of the inner circle by swallowing and following

7. decide to never question the leaders and hope you 'get picked' sometime

8. throw the entire idea of God away and pretend it never happened.

9. stay in church and commit to a life of arguing and questioning

10. pursue 'biblical church' and find out how Jesus leads his church.

Authentic Christian living has never relied on numbers to somehow validate the experience. God wants people to be being changed so this dark world can not just hear about a living God but see God's work IN those who say they follow him. That will change a world, not just fill a hall.