Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, the natural man’s ideology of “the bigger the better,” whether it is with regards to one’s bank account, car, house, etc., is ordinary even within the church. It reminds me of a young woman’s emphasis on her externality and consequent pursuit to alter her body via surgical procedures all in order to get noticed more; a young man’s likewise emphasis on his externality and consequent pursuit to consume hormone elevating drugs all in order to attain the biggest muscles that his body can possibly hold. The church, and I am using that word loosely (as loosely as the term “evangelical” has become), deems such lifestyle as arising out misdirected goals that only proves to be futile. Ironically, the church is not guiltless of similar misdirection and futility. Just as a young woman or man’s new look does not equate to true health, or true beauty for that matter, many in the church fail to recognize that their bigness (numerically) does not necessarily equate to Christ-honoring healthiness. Yet, that seems to be the focus of many (I don’t know how many times people have asked me about how many people we have in our church, but I don’t ever recall being asked if we preach Christ and Him crucified). Perhaps, if we focus more on the healthiness of the church, God will see fit to bless it with health and beyond, even numerically. After all, does not God always bless abundantly? Does not God always give more than what we can ask, think, or receive? Did Jesus Christ not promise to build His church (Matthew 16:18)? Here is what Pastor Mark Dever has to say, to which I agree wholeheartedly:
"It is tempting to think that we should just pray that God would make our churches bigger. But what we’re really after is health, not just size. Churches can be incredibly unhealthy even when they’re big. A small, healthy church is better than a big, unhealthy church. That’s right. A bigger church isn’t always a better church. It may make us look better as leaders, but size doesn’t always indicate health (as so many of our bodies attest!). So it makes sense to stop and ask yourself: What are your motives for praying as you do for your church? When we gather as a group of elders, we need to be praying not just that God would make our church bodies bigger, but that He would make them healthier."
-Mark Dever, The Deliberate Church, p.177
We have enough numerically gigantic churches, but as always are lacking in healthy churches. This is not to imply that churches shouldn’t grow in size, but simply that we ought to constantly keep our emphasis in check and pray accordingly!
Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, the natural man’s ideology of “the bigger the better,” whether it is with regards to one’s bank account, car, house, etc., is ordinary even within the church. It reminds me of a young woman’s emphasis on her externality and consequent pursuit to alter her body via surgical procedures all in order to get noticed more; a young man’s likewise emphasis on his externality and consequent pursuit to consume hormone elevating drugs all in order to attain the biggest muscles that his body can possibly hold. The church, and I am using that word loosely (as loosely as the term “evangelical” has become), deems such lifestyle as arising out misdirected goals that only proves to be futile. Ironically, the church is not guiltless of similar misdirection and futility. Just as a young woman or man’s new look does not equate to true health, or true beauty for that matter, many in the church fail to recognize that their bigness (numerically) does not necessarily equate to Christ-honoring healthiness. Yet, that seems to be the focus of many (I don’t know how many times people have asked me about how many people we have in our church, but I don’t ever recall being asked if we preach Christ and Him crucified). Perhaps, if we focus more on the healthiness of the church, God will see fit to bless it with health and beyond, even numerically. After all, does not God always bless abundantly? Does not God always give more than what we can ask, think, or receive? Did Jesus Christ not promise to build His church (Matthew 16:18)? Here is what Pastor Mark Dever has to say, to which I agree wholeheartedly:
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