Horticulture

When we think about church growth, we usually think about adding more people. We see these mega-churches that have thousands of people walking through their doors each week and we are sure that growth is possible. We just aren't that sure how to do it.

Let me say that I don't think church growth is just adding more people or more dollars or more programs. I think it's actually helping people to grow, who will help other people grow. When Jesus talked about growth - in the kingdom and in people - he talked a lot about plants. Plants must be healthy in order to grow, and must be growing in order to produce fruit. We don't just need to look good - we need to actually help people to transform and grow. The church will naturally grow that way.

A healthy church is one in which there are people rooted and growing. We do not need to try to bring more people in with our music, tvs, events, or marketing schemes. We need to give people a place they can grow.