3. Churches usually grow by being more attractive to Christians than surrounding churches, rather than by converting unbelievers.
You have heard the one about the two guys out hiking who disturb a bear.
One guy starts to unbuckle his rucksack and shed his coat.
The other guy says, "What are you doing? You can’t outrun a bear!"
He replies, "Sure, but I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you."
People in our city - some parts specially so - are quite mobile. Christians are no different.
This mobility means increased ability to change churches. So being the church that is picking up the "transfer growth" is pretty handy.
How do you do that? Simple: be better than the churches around in the things that Christians are looking for.
Generally, Christians are pretty fussy about most aspects of church. They can afford to be. Just a few minutes in the car can get them to a dozen or more churches.
So if one church isn't working for them, they'll go to another that does. Sometimes that is fair enough. There are good reasons to prayerfully change church. Other times, it is just consumerism, self-centredness and even plain ungodliness: "I didn't like it that the minister challenged me about." or, "I am not fully appreciated here". I know people who have been members of 4 churches in 3 years - without moving house!
Usually the receiving church is only too happy to receive. "Tisk, tisk. I have heard that kind of thing about St. Up-the-road's. Don't you worry, you won't find it like that here!"
Likewise the church plant. The savvy planter will pick a place that is under-represented with churches (of that particular flavour), or a suburb that is set to grow gang-busters, and so on. Yes, of course these are places where Bible-based churches are needed; places where there will be lots of people down the track, and establishing new churches just makes sense.
However, in these prime locations, either through the prevailing growth in population, or due to the deficit of churches (or both!) there will be surplus Christians (or church-goers) who will want to find a "good" church. Just be the best one (or only one!) and Bingo!
When it comes to "church growth" Christians are the low-hanging fruit we spend a great deal of time and energy wooing (and trying to hang onto). Before you object, consider for a moment not what you say, but what you do (how your week is spent).
I just can't help wondering if we (ministers and church members alike) spent as much time and energy connecting with the thousands who don't know a believer let alone Jesus, as we do competing for the Christian family that just moved in, there would be more rejoicing of angels all round. (And yes, I have been way guilty on that count!)
Building a ladder and getting to the harder-to-reach fruit is never easy. And it will inevitably involve cultural change and pain for the whole church. A bit of a worry when anyone disaffected can so easily go up the road. (You can almost hear their explanation/complaint to the minister there as they discuss it over Sunday lunch.)
More to the point, how do you begin to make such changes when the few who carry the load are already exhausted just trying to maintain the status quo? Who would bother?
That's easy. Hardly anyone. After all, you don't need to outrun the bear.
