Church Growth has a great deal of appeal. After all, isn't that what everyone is supposed to want?

The good news is that church growth is achievable.

We can read in the Gospel of John, chapter 4:

34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Do you not say, "Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, "One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

There are people out there waiting to come in to find the Good News that we are preaching.

The bad news is that church growth, like everything else in this life, comes with a cost attached. We are often so focused on the idea that growth is a good thing that we do not stop to assess the costs... and decide whether or not we are really willing to pay the price.

That is what this exercise is about. We're going to look carefully at where those costs may lie and what they are tied to. I'm not talking about any direct monetary costs of promoting church growth, like the fees for ads in the paper. I'm talking about what will change if we grow...and how will that affect our life together?

To help us with this, I have a list of stressors for individuals (click here to see the list). You may notice if you look at the list that basically any change, good or bad, is a stressor. So what does that mean about church growth, which will involve change on many fronts? These are to get you thinking.

Next, we're going to count off by 5 to break into 5 small groups that will contain folks from more than one congregation - I don't want you to be with your buddies! Each group is going to be given a sheet of newsprint, a marker, and a focus question. I want the group to brainstorm the question. Now, you may recall that the rules for brainstorming are:
(1) no editing
(2) no evaluation - no frowns, or sighs or "not that"
(3) all ideas are to be written down
(4) you may "piggyback" on someone else's idea

The idea is to come up with as long a list of ideas as possible - conflicting ideas are ok

When time is up, the group will report on its conversation and share its list. Lists may overlap - same topic, different point of view.

Click here to go to the questions.