By Solomon Chimange
Text: Matthew 16:18-19
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
The church and its growth
One of the things we must know about church growth is that a church grows in accordance to God’s will and in His Will. We need to know and understand that the church belongs to God and He does what He wills. The setman is the instrument He uses to carry out His plans for His people. The flock does not belong to the setman, they belong to God. They are His people and not the people of the pastor.
Some wrong perceptions about Church growth:
1. That the church is owned by the set Man
Rom 9:16-17
‘So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
John 15:16,
‘You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.’
The church is the church of God, it is not owned by the pastor. The calling comes from the Throne of Grace as the Master sees fit to use us irrespective of our background, stature, status, education or family.
His love for his people draws him close to us, so it is not by competence, eloquence, prayers and fasting, educational background or family background but by his mercies. He chooses us to define His purpose and He refines us as we grow in Him to understand His purpose. Then those with the same passion of communion begin to gather to us, His church begins to grow, not by our prayers but by the passion to please Him.
Colossians 1: 18
‘And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.’
2. That the numeric increase of a church shows how anointed the set man is:- This has discouraged so many pastors, even some have closed down their churches due to this wrong mentality. For those who think along this line, when their churches are not growing, they believe something is wrong with them or that there is an attack against them or something or the other is happening. Dear Friends, nothing is wrong, the church is the Lord’s and because of this we do not determine how He will steer things.
This can be addressed in this way:
(a) The church not growing is due to the pastor’s mentality. The way one sees it from the mind’s eye (exposure) is very important, because what we see is what we become.
(b) Secondly, one has to sometimes be open to social exposure in order to know what is happening around. One has to be dynamic and not rigid. For example we cannot choose to remain analogue in our approach in a digital age. With this, you can carve out a pattern and programs to innovate, improve oneself especially in the areas of outreach and in reach to attract, gather and retain the people to JESUS
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
‘For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.
Views expressed in this column are solely his, and are not associated with the publication.
Solomon Chimange is the founding member and Senior Pastor of New Life Christian Fellowship. He is also The Director for Southern Africa Carmel Bible Institute. Solomon is a Distinguished Proffessor of Practical Theology at Carmel. He also holds a Doctor of Divinity Degree and a PhD in Systematic Theology. Solomon is a teacher par excellence and is a Chartered Christian Instructor.
