February 2006 

Church Growth - Who Cares? 

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” (Acts 2:44-46)

I recently attended an outreach conference. It’s always good to go to these events and get re-focused on the priorities of our church and its mission. I’ve often said that one of the greatest benefits of being part of a brand new congregation is that we cannot lose sight of our mission to reach out and make more disciples. When we look around us we are constantly reminded that our church needs to grow – if not for our need of more hands and more helpers to wear the many ‘hats’ that a modern congregation requires, then certainly for the many homes and businesses that are currently under construction. We are keenly aware of our need to reach out! And as a pastor, I can tell you that this is refreshing, since it keeps us from being inward focused.

But at this conference, laser-locked on its purpose of increasing the outreach effectiveness of any congregation, regardless of size or any other demographic, I learned something surprising. The presenter shared this uncomplicated, yet deep statement, and it has changed the way I look at outreach. He said, simply, “The church cannot sustain growth beyond its ability to care for people.” Wow. This statement reverberates what we see in the early Christian church as recorded in Acts chapter 2. Even though they were adding thousands of believers at a time, they did not forget to love and care for them. No, instead, they met together, had fellowship, got to know each other and shared each other’s burdens… and yes, they went to church together too.

I’d like to challenge us at Saving Grace to make 2006 a year where we return to this very basic fundamental of CARING for the folks who are part of our ministry – those who have just walked through the doors, and those who were here when the doors opened almost five years ago. Yes, we should be asking the question, “How do we grow the church?” It is, after all God’s great commission to us. However, we must also give serious attention and effort to how we care for the people we serve. So if you ask me, “How can we grow our church?” I’ll ask you … “Who Cares?” That’s where the answer is to be found. May you be blessed by giving and receiving great spiritual care at Saving Grace!

See you in ministry,

Pastor Augie