Okay, this is something a lot of pastors are dealing with right now. And many pastors don’t really like to talk about it because they don’t want to appear desperate, or vulnerable, or maybe they don’t want people to think, “Ah, this church is not growing.” But secretly, they are looking for answers.
That’s why you see pastors attending different conferences and ministers’ meetings, looking for formulas. “What did this pastor do? What did that pastor do? What strategy did he use?” And sometimes we are looking for a formula when we haven’t really looked at what is happening in our own church.
And social media has made this worse.
You see somebody who is your contemporary, maybe somebody you started ministry around the same time with, and suddenly you are seeing thousands of people in his church. You are seeing cameras, beautiful services, big programmes, everything looks excellent… and then you look at your own church and say, “God, what is happening? Are we even doing anything? Are You really with us?”
But you have to be careful with that.
Because a church can be small and still be growing. If you have five people and those five people are consistent, they are being discipled, they are growing in Christ, they are serving, and their lives are changing, something is happening there.
And even the word “small” can be relative. A pastor with 2,000 members may call his church small because he’s looking at somebody with 20,000 members. So let’s leave all of that and talk about a church that genuinely has very few people and the pastor is concerned that there is little or no growth.
The first question I would ask is… are new people coming at all?
Are first-timers coming? Are your members inviting their friends? Are your workers inviting people? Is anybody talking about the church outside the church?
Because if an average member cannot comfortably invite his friend to your church, and even your workers cannot invite their friends, then you need to stop and ask yourself why.
When people find something meaningful, something that is helping them, something they enjoy and believe in, they naturally talk about it. So if nobody wants to invite anybody, there may be something happening that you need to understand.
Then ask yourself, are people being cared for?
Do you actually understand the people sitting in front of you? Do you know what they are going through? Do you know what kind of people they are? What are their needs? What are they looking for? What are their struggles?
Sometimes we are so focused on preaching to people that we forget to know the people we are preaching to.
Then look at the atmosphere of the church.
Is it welcoming? When a new person walks in, what does he experience? Does he feel like, “I can come here again,” or does he feel like, “Let me just go and try somewhere else”?
And then you need to ask another important question… who are you trying to reach?
You cannot reach everybody.
Your church may naturally connect more with young people. Another church may connect more with families. Another may attract working professionals. Another may be known for prayer. Another may have a strong emphasis on teaching the Word.
This doesn’t mean you deliberately exclude people. It means you understand the people your ministry is particularly equipped to reach.
Your message also matters.
Is what you are preaching understandable? Is it relevant to the people listening to you? Can they take what you are teaching and apply it to their lives?
You don’t have to dilute the Word of God to make it relevant. But you have to learn how to communicate the Word in a way people can understand and live out.
And Pastor, look at yourself too.
Are you praying for the growth of the church, or are you only looking for formulas?
Are you praying? Are you fasting? Are you asking God for direction? Are you studying? Are you improving yourself? Are you becoming the kind of pastor that people can listen to, learn from and trust?
Because sometimes we are asking God to send more people, but we haven’t asked God, “Lord, help me become better at leading the people You have already given me.”
And please, talk to your members.
Even if you have two members. Talk to them.
If you have five, talk to them. If you have ten, talk to them.
Ask them what they think. Ask them what they are experiencing. Ask them what they think the church is doing well and what they think needs to improve.
Don’t see yourself as the only anointed vessel in the church.
Yes, God has called you and there is an assignment upon your life, but the people sitting there have brains too. They can think. They can see things you may not be seeing. They may not be as anointed as you are, in quote, but they can still help you understand what is happening.
So don’t only pray, “Lord, grow my church.”
Also ask, “Lord, show me what is stopping the growth.”
Maybe people are coming but not staying.
Maybe members aren’t inviting people.
Maybe the church is difficult for new people to connect with.
Maybe the preaching needs improvement.
Maybe there is no follow-up.
Maybe the church is reaching the wrong audience.
Maybe people don’t feel cared for.
Maybe you need to develop more leaders.
Maybe there is nothing fundamentally wrong, and you simply need to remain faithful and keep building.
You have to find out what the actual problem is.
Because sometimes the answer to a struggling church is not another conference, another formula or another pastor’s strategy.
Sometimes you need to sit down with the few people God has already given you, look at the church honestly, pray, listen, make the necessary changes and continue building.
Don’t let somebody else’s church on social media make you despise what God is doing in your own church.
Build the people you have. Reach more people. Improve where you need to improve. Pray for growth. And keep your eyes on what God has actually called you to build.
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