I’ve spent over two decades as a local church pastor in congregations concerned about growth. In my experience, folks look for every tool or technique for growth except the ones Jesus gave us.
Invitation and inclusion.
Jesus invited people to life in the Kingdom as co-heirs of God’s good gifts and co-laborers in God’s shalom (re)building mission. He established a community where all people who responded to that invitation were welcome as members of God’s family!
Then he handed off the mission to others. He called his followers to invite people to life in the Kingdom and to welcome them into the community of God’s beloved!
You want to grow the church? Stop trying to grow the church. Instead, invite people to follow Jesus into life in the Kingdom and welcome them into the community of faith – making space for them to experience belonging.
You can do all kinds of other things, but if you don’t do that…
