Success & Growth

One of the parts I found particularly insightful in Tim Chester's and Steve Timmis' book was the chapter on success. What does success in a church look like? Here are some of their thoughts....

"Living plants are growing plants. The plants in my garden are either growing or dying. In the same way living churches are growing churches. Members grow in their love for God and for one another. Unbelievers will encounter the aroma of Christ. Such growth is rarely straightforward. Often it is three steps forward and two steps backward. But growth is normal. God's word will achieve what he purposes for it. And so, as people are saved, the church will grow numerically.

"But numerical growth need not equate to larger congregations. There is another model for church growth: growing churches by planting churches. As we have argued, planting churches offers the most biblical and most effective way to reach our towns and cities for Christ. But it requires a different vision for church growth. If we measure ourselves by the size of our congregations, there will always be a strong deterrent to plant."