A healthy, growing church is one that, by the Word of truth and the medium of grace, realizes the peace of God in unity, and is always maturing as the Body of Christ in its community. We should measure the health of our churches, not by numbers of people, staff, programs, or budgets, but by the degree to which we realize unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto the discernment, witness, body life, and Christlikeness which are the fruit of truth, grace, and peace.

The Pattern for Church Growth (4)

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ… Ephesians 4.11, 12

Our true completeness and perfection consist in our being united in the one body of Christ. No language more highly commendatory of the ministry of the word could have been employed, than to ascribe to it this effect. What is more excellent than to produce the true and complete perfection of the church? And yet this work, so admirable and divine, is here declared by the apostle to be accomplished by the external ministry of the word. That those who neglect this instrument should hope to become perfect in Christ is utter madness.
– John Calvin, Commentary on Ephesians 4.12

Body-Building

A healthy, growing church is one that, by the Word of truth and the medium of grace, realizes the peace of God in unity, and is always maturing as the Body of Christ in its community. We should measure the health of our churches, not by numbers of people, staff, programs, or budgets, but by the degree to which we realize unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto the discernment, witness, body life, and Christlikeness which are the fruit of truth, grace, and peace.

Paul is clear on this, even though we are not. If you are still measuring the health of your church and your ministry by the numbers, then you are not in step with the apostle Paul. You may be keeping pace, and staying even a little ahead of the other churches in your community, but that has nothing to do with – and, indeed, is patently inimical to – realizing the kind of church growth the New Testament commends.

Jesus is into Body-building (Matt. 16.18; 1 Cor. 12.7-11). He calls us to join Him in His work, all of us doing our part, so that the Body of Christ in which we exercise our membership becomes built-up in unity and maturity, “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” In our personal discipleship, let us strive to be increasingly complete in Christ (Col. 1.27-29). And let the same be our goal for the building-up of the Body of Jesus Christ. We are not building with Christ and the apostles if we seek any other design or end for our churches than growth by the truth, grace, and peace of God in unity and maturity in the Lord.

Greater Works

We may be struggling to get our hands around this challenge. After all, we know what to do to increase the numbers in our churches. We’ve consulted all the latest books and authorities on positioning and marketing our churches, adjusting our worship to the image-and-entertainment mindset of the day, and making sure our facilities don’t look too churchy, especially around the coffee bar. All this we know, and all this we keep doing.

But our churches are not growing as Jesus, the Master Builder and Architect of our faith, intends.

Growing healthy churches depends on one crucial component being in place. If we want our churches to grow in unity and maturity, increasing as the Body of Christ and a holy community of beauty and joy within our larger community (Ps. 48.1-3), we need only focus on one crucial component.

Getting the saints to do the work of ministry, right where they are.

When the saints of God do the work of ministry that Jesus did, and greater works than these (Jn. 14.12), the result is a church that more consistently realizes unity and maturity in the Lord, thus fulfilling its calling as both sign and outpost of the Kingdom of God.

What is this work of ministry?

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