Good Intentions Aren’t Enough - November 5th, 2008

Growing up in the church and serving as a minister on staff in several local churches, most of the people I have encountered along the way have had good intentions.  They mean well.  They really care.  They love God and do their best to love others.  They read their Bible.  They pray.  They show up at church each week ready to worship.  They volunteer their time to serve.  They give—sometimes even sacrificially.  They want to see people follow God. 

All of these good intentions can be demonstrated regularly and consistently by faithful followers, but in spite of all of these good intentions, 80-85 percent of American churches are missing the mark because they are not growing numerically.

I just drew a conclusion.  I concluded that churches should grow numerically.  Recently, I read a job description for a church looking to hire a new senior minister and the job listing said, “We believe in church growth.  We believe a growing church is one where the Christians in the church are growing.”

When I read that statement I laughed out loud and thought, “Wow, they have good intentions, they mean well, but they have seriously missed the point of what Jesus Christ has called the church to do!”

Jesus didn’t come to serve the saved.  He came to “seek and save the lost.”  It’s a simple reality, but too many churches and Christ followers have missed the point. 

In Matthew 28, when Jesus shared the Great Commission, his focus was on both evangelism and discipleship.  Unfortunately, many churches have opted for an either/or approach rather than the necessary both/and approach that Jesus called us to.

Don’t settle for having good intentions about evangelism and discipleship, but rather be intentional and proactive and plan today how your church can grow and improve in both areas.