Lutheran Vocational Evangelism

(How Does the Church Grow?)

How does the church grow or what grows the church? That is a question that has been answered in many and various ways. Perhaps that question may actually be two questions. The one question is how does the Church, notice the capital “C” grow? And the second question is how does the church, notice the small “c,” grow? These are two different questions, one dwelling on what is not seen, the heart of humanity, and one dwelling on what may be seen, the numbers of people in church at any given time.

Unfortunately, and perhaps for good reason from a human stand point, the questions more often than not refer to the second question, that of the number of persons that show up in church on Sunday morning. The human part of the question deals with such things as the correlation of attendees and offerings which support and carry on the visible functions of the local church, and in some cases, the ego of the church leaders and pastor.

In answer to this question of the visible church, many answers, mostly social answers, and programs have been offered. It is suggested that the church grows through a school or through a program. It has been suggested that the church grows best through the Sunday School or a revival. In recent times it has been suggested that the church grows through friendships which are touted as the means through which people are brought to faith.

Many Bible passages from the book of Acts speaking of the growth of the early church have been misconstrued to secularize or socialize the means of grace as people bringing other people to faith. While it may be true that people do bring the means of grace to other people, that people live lives of faith always being ready to give an answer for their hope in Jesus, indeed no one but the Holy Spirit, working through the true means of grace, the Word and the Sacraments, can give faith.

How does the Church grow? The Church grows as God gives her growth, and God gives her growth through the means He has given, His means of grace. And this growth may not always be seen by the human eye.

14 of 52    © Rev. Dr. Ronald A. Bogs (2018)