In the next 12 months, we will have 2.1 million net new people in the US. Let that number sink in. Let’s do some simple math. Assume the average church size is about 100, to keep it simple. That would mean we would need 21,000 new churches to serve new entries alone. We would also need 21,000 new leaders to teach, serve, train and equip those churches. And in another year? Most likely, we’ll have 2.1 million more. This doesn’t account for those who are already here, not engaged, fallen away or disinterested.
That brings a whole new context to Matthew 9:37 “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”
Use the strategy of multiplication with the churches we serve. There is a great case to be made and we’re not making it. We need urgency and the pendulum needs to shift to an outside focus as a Church. We’ve all heard the comments of “our church is big enough” or “are we only about growth?”. I have a hard time with some of those perspectives. If we believe Jesus is the Hope of the world, everyone should get a clear, helpful, compelling opportunity to consider that as a plausible option on how they live out their short 70-90 years on this planet.
Four quick options emerge as we think about what that means for the churches we serve:
Grow: For every church, are we reaching new people? We are called to go and make disciples, how are we doing? One of the vital signs we look at for churches is their first time guests. If a church is 100 in size, we need to see at least 100 first time guests to come through their doors in that year. If this is happening, the church is probably seeing moderate growth. It’s a front door issue if their ratio is below 1:1 of their current attendance.
Multi-site: Multi-site continues to be a viable option for multiplication. There are times when a church has reached its limit with location, space and footprint and simply needs to take action to continue its reach. The option is to go multisite or plant new churches.
Plant churches: It is it’s easier to start something new than revitalize and lead change to something that is stuck. As you survey your region, partnering with your healthiest churches to build a church planting strategy is a great approach.
Multiply leaders: Leadership development comes up in virtually every church we work with. There is a crisis of leadership in the church. In this increasingly hostile and post-Christian culture, smaller numbers of qualified people are entering the ministry. If a church struggles to grow but is able to send new leaders into the ministry, that is a great win. I believe there are thousands of rural churches that could cast a vision within their churches to help new young leaders listen to a call God may have on their lives.
Double down on multiplication. Literally. It’s not about egos and numbers, it about people and bring the Hope of the world. Let’s not over complicate this.