Church Success

What do most people think determines success in a church? Obviously number one would be numbers. I suppose others would include finances, optimistic outlook, happiness, etc.

How about a group of people making progress on a spiritual journey to become like Christ? Mind you, progress is often two steps forward and one step back and there may be times when you go one step forward and two back. But there is a general direction and progress is made toward that point over the years.

Another metaphor I like, beside the "journey", is farm land. Increasing the quality of the soil is a hard task that takes years to accomplish. Work to improve the soil never stops. There are fallow periods interspersed between years great production. Weeds are a fact of life. New seed thrives in fertile soil. Etc.

One difficulty I have is getting my church to see success in the same way I do. I hear a lot about numbers, facilities, programs, etc. I think so much of it has to do with watching other churches and not really seeking what God wants for us.