What Does A Spiritually Healthy Church Look Like? [Part 2]

Some pastors like to say that “healthy things grow”, and this principle is designed to support their drive for the continued physical (i.e., numerical) growth of the church. Seldom is this statement challenged, but it is arguably untrue…both biologically and biblically.

Biologically: as human beings, we grow physically for only a very short portion of our lives. To remain healthy, we obviously need to continue growing after adolescence in all sorts of ways - such as intellectually and emotionally - but we are not designed to keep growing physically. In fact, continued physical growth for adults is usually unhealthy (i.e., we just put on more weight).

Biblically: the Bible does not promote numerical growth as the cardinal virtue. Jesus tells us that healthy things “produce fruit” (see John 15, for example). As followers of Jesus, we can produce fruit in all sorts of ways…numerical growth being just one of those ways, as we share our faith and other people come to know Jesus. However, there are many…many…other ways to produce fruit, such as the fruit of a transformed life (Galatians 5:22-23) and using our spiritual gifts to enrich the lives of others (1 Corinthians 12:7).

The over-emphasis on numerical growth (described in detail in Part 1 of this post) is just one of many indications that too many pastors have stopped thinking biblically about what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ. This produces a huge ripple effect, because the volunteer leaders appointed under a system where numerical growth is the primary value therefore are not trained to think biblically about the role of the church. All they know is that the church is “supposed” to grow. They have been conditioned to believe that a numerically growing church is - by definition – “healthy” (and therefore a church that is not growing must be unhealthy).

When it is time for such volunteer leaders to recruit a replacement for their pastor, the language of growth permeates their recruiting because they simply do not know anything different. Here are some examples of what I encounter in ministry want ads:

• “We are looking for a pastor with a proven track record of exponential growth.”

• “We desire a leader who knows how to grow a church above 500 people” (or 1000 people or whatever the leaders have picked as their magic number).

• “Our next senior pastor will have a proven method for using the latest technological tools to grow the church.”

• “We are looking for a man who knows how to read the culture in order to grow a church.”

• And the worst ad of all: after bragging about the numerical growth of their church, and describing what they wanted in a new pastor, one church summarized their ideal candidate by stating, “We are looking for a man that God can get behind.” [This statement is simply amazing. When I read my Bible, I don’t find the Father looking for people He can get behind. Rather, I find the Lord looking for repentant sinners who will respond to His mercy and grace by simply striving to be faithful to whatever He calls them to do.]

Every time I review such ads…and there are many of them…my reaction is one of despair. It makes me wonder if any of these people actually read their Bibles and have any understanding of what the church of Jesus Christ is to be and to do. But then I listen to the podcasts of the sermons these church leaders have been hearing…and I understand why they do not have any grasp of basic biblical truths. Far too many of these volunteers have been raised on a spiritual diet of cultural baby food.

As a result, these churches really are not looking for pastors – they are looking for marketing managers, or sales representatives, or strategic planners. And it breaks my heart to realize that dozens and dozens of pastors will respond, each claiming to have just the right track record to fulfill the desires of the search committee.

But as pastors, how can we dare to guarantee that numerical growth will occur? How can we claim that the numerical growth which may have occurred in a prior ministry will automatically occur in our next ministry?

When pastors tell search committees that they know how to numerically grow a church, then they are relying on themselves and their methodology…they cannot be relying on the Spirit of God. Why? Because sometimes God desires a church to grow in ways other than simply by adding numbers. And sometimes God allows a church to engage in efforts that fail in order to build the character of the leaders.

By God’s grace, I have been privileged to create, start, oversee, and perform ministry in a variety of ways. Some of these efforts have been numerically significant…some have not. Some of these efforts have produced numerical growth…some have not. Virtually all of them, however, have produced some kind of spiritual fruit.  So I cannot, and will not, even begin to attempt to guarantee numerical growth. Unfortunately, that is not what many search committees want to hear, because they have been conditioned to think culturally – not biblically – about the church.

The only thing I can “guarantee” to a search committee is this: God has equipped me to proclaim His Word through preaching, teaching, and writing. As a result, I have been able to help many people encounter God through His Truth. And God has made a firm promise that His Word always will accomplish His purposes (see Isaiah 55:11). Note that this is God’s promise…not mine. Therefore, when people encounter the Living God through the Word of God, they will begin to grow and produce spiritual fruit in all sorts of ways as He determines.

Beyond that…everything else is in God’s hands. Not mine.

I believe that a primary task of a new pastor is not to implement a system, or impose a methodology, or push for numerical growth. A newly called shepherd must join with the leaders of the church and prayerfully ask, “Father, what do you want us to be doing in this new season in the life of our church?”

I believe God will answer such prayers by revealing specific ways in which the church should live out core biblical principles, such as The Great Commandment and The Great Commission. And, as the church obediently carries out the Father’s will, then spiritual fruit will be produced. And if God so wills, He will bring about numerical growth at the times when it pleases Him to do so, because it is the Lord – not us - who adds to the church (see Acts 2:42-47).

Unfortunately, when we make numerical growth the over-riding goal, we so easily can fall prey to the temptation to manufacture results through our own efforts. Instead, we must focus on faithful service to the Lord and His truth. When we choose to live in obedience to His Word, then spiritual fruit can – and will – result in His way and in His time.

So as I search for a new ministry opportunity…I prayerfully wait. I read a lot of ads…pass many of them by…and I ponder. And each day I ask the Father to lead me to a church that is not enamored by the culture or the crowds. A church where the highest value is placed on God and His Word, and on the mission of proclaiming the gospel. A church where we faithfully can carry out our responsibilities...and leave the results up to God.

In Part 3 of this post (next week), I will lay out a list of my own personal principles where I try to answer the question, “What does a spiritually healthy church look like?”

- Bruce