the success of the church
There has been a lot of talk about successful churches as of late. One can attend conferences to learn what is it that makes a successful church. There are books written about what makes a church successful. There are many who are looking out for a the silver bullet. The are many who want to know the one thing that will make a church successful.
The problem with this train of thought is that there are many different opinions about what makes a church successful. One common denominator seems to be church growth. The bottom line, for some, is, “How many people are showing up on a Sunday morning?” Perhaps there is a better way to think about this.
After spending a week in Dominican Republic, I was reminded of something that I experienced when I spent time with several churches in Mozambique. When we sat with the pastors and asked them, “What do you need?” and “How can we support you in what you are already doing?” The immediate response was to tell us about the communities they were in.
In DR, the Haitian pastors told us about the refugee villages, and the high level of HIV/AIDS among those who live there. We were told about the needs in the slums of Puerta Plata. We were told about the need for proper documentation for Haitians so they can work and be enabled to feed their families.
Their focus is serving those who are in a bad spot – the poor, the sick, and the marginalized. Thinking about this for a time, I then asked about success. They then spoke of those who had new homes built – homes that would not flood after a rain. They spoke about support coming to them so that refugees could get documents that would allow them to work. They told stories of healing.
On Sunday we gathered with our brothers and sisters at the church’s building. A few showed up. Yet as I sat and listened to songs sung in Creole and Spanish I knew that I was with a successful church. Which reminded me of a statement Jesus made.
John the Baptist sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the one to come. He was sending his disciples to Jesus to find out if he was Messiah, if he had come to establish his kingdom. Jesus’ response is simple. He says, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” Jesus does not just say “yes.”
He tells John’s disciples – “Yes, and this is what the kingdom looks like.” The kingdom is here now, and the Church is to be the embodiment of that kingdom. When we think about success then, maybe we should measure it against this. Maybe we should ask, “Is there healing, renewal, love, and hope?”
What would it sound like to answer the question, “What does success look like in your church?” with the answer – “The hungry are fed, the naked are clothed, the poor are seeing justice, the sick are being healed, the prisoners are being visited, the thirsty are receiving clean water …” That sounds like success, but only because it sounds like the kingdom.
The problem with this train of thought is that there are many different opinions about what makes a church successful. One common denominator seems to be church growth. The bottom line, for some, is, “How many people are showing up on a Sunday morning?” Perhaps there is a better way to think about this.
After spending a week in Dominican Republic, I was reminded of something that I experienced when I spent time with several churches in Mozambique. When we sat with the pastors and asked them, “What do you need?” and “How can we support you in what you are already doing?” The immediate response was to tell us about the communities they were in.
In DR, the Haitian pastors told us about the refugee villages, and the high level of HIV/AIDS among those who live there. We were told about the needs in the slums of Puerta Plata. We were told about the need for proper documentation for Haitians so they can work and be enabled to feed their families.
Their focus is serving those who are in a bad spot – the poor, the sick, and the marginalized. Thinking about this for a time, I then asked about success. They then spoke of those who had new homes built – homes that would not flood after a rain. They spoke about support coming to them so that refugees could get documents that would allow them to work. They told stories of healing.
On Sunday we gathered with our brothers and sisters at the church’s building. A few showed up. Yet as I sat and listened to songs sung in Creole and Spanish I knew that I was with a successful church. Which reminded me of a statement Jesus made.
John the Baptist sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the one to come. He was sending his disciples to Jesus to find out if he was Messiah, if he had come to establish his kingdom. Jesus’ response is simple. He says, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” Jesus does not just say “yes.”
He tells John’s disciples – “Yes, and this is what the kingdom looks like.” The kingdom is here now, and the Church is to be the embodiment of that kingdom. When we think about success then, maybe we should measure it against this. Maybe we should ask, “Is there healing, renewal, love, and hope?”
What would it sound like to answer the question, “What does success look like in your church?” with the answer – “The hungry are fed, the naked are clothed, the poor are seeing justice, the sick are being healed, the prisoners are being visited, the thirsty are receiving clean water …” That sounds like success, but only because it sounds like the kingdom.