Churches that are focused on something other than growing disciples eventually stop growing. That’s where a lot of churches are today. But if a church is healthy, there’s no real reason why it should stop growing both wider and deeper. That’s the vision we believe God has for his Church. Here are 5 of the common denominators why healthy growing churches keep growing.
- A Committed and Cohesive Leadership Team
Jesus called his Apostles, shared with them his mission and ministry, and went out to set the world on fire. Even if Jesus could have done it alone, he didn’t- he brought his word through a team. Even with an important and well-defined mission, no organization can last long without effective leadership. Spending time and resources developing your church leadership team might seem unnecessary, but growing churches know that the health of the leadership sets the tone for the health of the congregation.
- An Uncompromising Vision for Reaching the Unchurched
When they stop being a church for the unchurched. Other churches like the idea of reaching out but remain uncommitted to taking the necessary steps. Growing churches remain uncompromising when it comes to making the unchurched their priority; it sets the agenda for everything they do.
- A Clear Discipleship Path
You can’t grow if you have nowhere to go. Many people in the pews are hungry to find ways to grow spiritually but their church simply has no clear or simply strategy. In growing churches where there is a clear discipleship pathway, there is always a “Next Step.” At Nativity, we literally call these our “Next S.T.E.P.S.” Growing churches believe no one is ever done growing as a disciple and are committed to making that possible.
- A Constantly Adapting Social Media Strategy
Many of the great revolutions in the history of Christianity revolved around a revolution in communication technology (books, printing press, computers). We are living in such a time, the digital revolution, and having a Social media strategy is critically important if we are going to make an impact. Growing churches not only seek to keep up with the bare minimum but actively look for innovative ways to communicate their presence.
- Small Groups Focused on Life Change
There is nothing more irresistible and inspiring than witnessing life change. We are convinced that the kind of lasting life change that keeps churches growing happens in small groups. And while Bible and study groups can be greatly useful, we’ve realized that ultimately Bible studies focus more on sharing ideas while effective small groups focus on sharing life. The former might lead to some growth for a short time, but any community that is producing life change is going to keep growing.
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