Once again, this is misguided and reckless at best and heretical at worst. Once again, Jesus and His Word are not taking a secondary role in today’s growing churches.
Because of today’s desperate need for God, churches with spiritually growing pastors and staff, who elevate Jesus and the Scriptures, and are aggressively focused on evangelism and discipleship, are seeing tremendous growth even during the summer.
9. Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Are Led By Leaders Who Are Out In Front
You can no longer lead with full effectiveness from the green room. In fact, the lobby or parking lot is the new green room. Celebrity pastors no longer satisfy. Growing churches are led by authentic leaders and the more access people have to those individuals, the more attractive they and their churches become.
10. Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Are Conservative
Today’s growing churches have great clarity and are mostly conservative on hot-button social issues.
Once again, they are not leading with these topics as primary and are aware people with different perspectives are in their congregations. But if you visit their websites or force them into a corner, their conservative views become apparent.
BTW—one of the fastest growing segments of churches I am seeing in America is disaffiliated United Methodist congregations.
***BONUS*** Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Are Humble
When I ask the question, “What are you doing to cause the growth?”, the number one response is get is, “Brian, we’re doing all we can do. We’re trying to have good systems, serve our community well, put on relevant services, and do everything with excellence. But the bottom-line is we don’t know. In fact, we were in a staff meeting just last week and we were asking ourselves where all of these people are coming from.”
You would think today’s growing churches and their leaders would have a certain level of pride. In fact, it is quite the opposite. When I talk to leaders of growing churches they are some of the most humble, grounded, and kind people I have ever met. They “are simply trying not to mess it up.”
COVID negated the rock star pastor. COVID reminded us that despite our giftedness, talent, platform, resume, financial resources, location, and charismatic personality, we can all be brought to knees and be forced to cry out to Jesus for His help.
Growing churches are doing all they can do but realize that without God’s divine intervention, we do not stand a chance.
In closing, who you are is more important than what you do to have a growing church in today’s world.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
