On The Mark

You ever notice how the typical church, and church planter, are always trying to find ways to reach new people in their community?  So what drives them?  A desire to fulfill the Great Commission or the need to overcome the financial shortfalls related to the recession.  If we are honest, probably a little of both.

Although it won’t resolve financial dilemas, discovering long term growth is not outside our easy grasp.  I am not talking growth through outreach but growth through securing what we have been developing for many years, our children.

Churches spend hundreds if not thousands of hours ministering to children.  Tens of thousands of dollars on childrens ministry programming and then watch them go out the door somewhere between 16-18 years of age as Biblical illiterates, Theological midgets, and Philosophical idiots.  We want to have large ministries so we focus on the large group events while losing the individual.   Lots of them!

So, if we want to have church growth, why don’t we PLAN to keep a few.  I am not suggesting we PLAN to lose anyone but reality tells us we need to make a special effort to keep some.

Last weekend I spoke in a seminar in Wisconsin on the subject of ‘Student Ministry That Transforms The Church”.   The attendees shared their youth group leadership experience.  They mentioned that their youth are unchanged and the parents don’t seem to care.  Most of their youth actually express ungodly attitudes and actions.  We concluded that unless things change, they will lose their youth and spend many hours in frustrating fruitless ministry.  So, I suggested they just quit.  Quit doing the same ole, same ole, and try working with the parents and get the church leadership involved.  What? No youth group meetings?!  Right.

So, what has this all got to do with church growth?  How about if we aim to keep just a few more youth than we lose.  Bingo, church growth.  Sounds stupid, well then, just keep doing what your doing.