"You Wanna Biggie-size That?"

For some years, a major trend that has overtaken many Christians churches is the drive for "church growth". There are and have been numerous materials on the subject which present an array of "how-to" methods to 'grow' your church. The thought seems to be that a growing church is a church God is blessing. This could be true... or not.

First, the church is the body of Christ made of all believers, not a building or any other institution of any form. Common usage has caused the word 'church' to mean the place of assembly more than the church body itself. That's okay, the word serves that purpose well and really does no harm. But-- we still need to remember what the church actually is.....the body and ultimately the bride of Christ.

Therefore to press for church growth one might think that church leadership would have as its main focus that of bringing in scores of newly saved people. That is the main goal of Christianity: to bring lost souls back to God by faith in Christ. What also appears to be happening is churches are pushing to expand their physical facilities more and more. This has lead to a creature called the "Mega-Church".

The new breed of church is an impressive thing indeed. These "campuses" may have seating for thousands, entertainment centers, gymnasiums, restaurants, coffee bars and many more features one might associate with a corporate headquarters of a major firm. Is there anything wrong with this? Well, yes and no.

(At this point you may want to see my previous posting about "Welcome to the [Christian] Ghetto).

If a church has as its main focus that of saving of souls and ministry to the community, then they are 'on mission' as a church. If the focus shifts, however subtly, to growing the church as an end in itself, then something has gone very much awry. I say subtly because the church may think it is still doing as it should but ends up becoming a salt-cellar rather than the salt-shaker. With a salt-cellar one usually stores salt, in a shaker one distributes the contents to where it will produce the best effect. Salt in a cellar will keep well for a long time but even if it's still good, it isn't of any use until it's released to go out and do what it was intended to. So with the Christian. You can't do what Christ commanded if you never leave the 'womb' of the church grounds and your immediate church family.

I personally admire and respect the storefront church group of a few-score devoted souls that lives and works in the community it serves and ministers to people and their needs, both the physical and spiritual, usually with very few resources and even fewer funds, and relies on God to provide everything. Contrast this with the mega-church on "the right side of the tracks" which basically takes care of its own and does most of its evangelizing (if any) and "service" by supporting foreign missions missionaries.

I was informed recently that several individuals at my former church had started up ministries that actually do something for people outside the church. The one that blew me away was the group of men who load their cars with food and gas grilles on Thursday nights. They drive to a downtown park and proceed to cook dinner for the homeless folks. This helps open the door for evangelizing opportunities. Wow!

What's sad is that this has nothing to do with their church. They took the initiative, are doing it on their own and financing it themselves. These are the people God wants-- The ones that will do what Jesus did and walk the dirty streets to go where lost and hurting people are and minister to their needs, all their needs.

If a handful of motivated, Godly men can do it, why not the church itself? I used to be a member at their church and one of the main reasons I left was the $15,000,000 building program to expand the present facility into a mini-megalopolis over 43 acres. I don't think I need to tell you that there are people and worthy Christian ministries that could really use that kind of money for any number of necessities, far more than mini-van suburbanites need a bigger church playground. That kind of waste is not only un-Christian, it is downright obscene.

Let's get back to the main mission that we were called to....while there's still time.