The Measure of Success for a Church

When I measure our success as a church I do so more by the leaders we raise up and the people we send out more than I do the size of the audiences we create. As I've heard it recently, it's sending capacity, not seating capacity, that is the measure of a church.

(Of course, the ultimate measure of success for a church is faithfulness to the will of God. All other things, no matter how impressive and important, are secondary to being able to say we obeyed God in all that we knew and sought Him diligently. That said... when I want to "count" success, I will do so more by the leaders we raise up than the warm bodies we sit down.)

Summit, my desire is not for you just to come and hear me preach each week. My desire is for you to discover the gifts and ministry that God has given to each of you. Have you discovered your gift yet? Are you involved in a fulfilling ministry? Are you living a life of purpose and sacrifice?

If not, the best way to begin that process is to be a part of a Summit Life Group. That is the first stage of our leadership pipeline.

My desire for many of you is for you to leave our church... of course, not to go and sit in audience somewhere else, but to go and plant your life in one of our church plants, whether here or overseas. It's a radical idea, yes... but it's who we are. Our God is a sending God. If we follow Him, we will be a sending people

Comments

[spence]

Encouraging and Challenging post from our pastor. Gets me all excited about our upcoming year in the Summit Small Groups world. don't miss out.

[serveHimdaily]

I like this approach. Seating capacity has nothing to do with the success of a church. Seating capacity, raw numbers, depends on external community variables that are often out of our control.

At the risk of nit-picking, I'll take what you heard recently a step further and say, technically, it is not the "sending capacity" either. It is the "sending quality." IOW, I'd rather support sending one man of God who's eyes are open then send 10,000 blind guides who will turn themselves into 20,000.

[Stacy]

¨My desire for many of you is for you to leave our church... of course, not to go and sit in audience somewhere else, but to go and plant your life in one of our church plants, whether here or overseas. It's a radical idea, yes... but it's who we are. Our God is a sending God. If we follow Him, we will be a sending people¨

Someone please explain this in more detail please!!!!!

[Matt C.]

JD
Thank you so much for your heart and desire to see people radically transformed by the gospel. For so many years, church growth was determined by the size of our congregations. A dangerous thing happens when we focus on numbers, we become inward focus. Church planting dies because we think "why would I want to break up my comfort zone, we are doing ok here". Your focus to not just keep people in thier church but instead training them up as leaders, and as leaders are raised, sending them out into the field to impact the lost world with the gospel.
As a student who is 3 weeks away from helping plant his first church, I am thankful for your vision, heart and ministry JD!
Matt

[Matt Rice]

JD -

I love this. Great post from a grateful Church Planter.

Matt