Planning for Growth

Readings

Romans 8:28-38
Matthew 5:13-16

Introduction

As I understand it, Conference has placed two alternatives before each and every chapel: we are to plan either for growth or for end of life.  That's quite a stark choice!  But I can understand why it's been done.  A church in decline needs to draw back and regroup and decide where to use its diminishing resources so that it can be more effective in its mission.

But taking a more positive view, perhaps we can ask, how can we best fulfil the calling God has placed on our lives?  How can we become all he's called us to be?  How can we best live out all the potential that he's placed in each one of us as individuals and collectively as his church?

To plan for growth is to commit ourselves deliberately and intentionally to our King and to his cause.

To my mind, there are two ways of growing:

1. Growing in maturity of faith, or growing deeper
2. Growing numerically, or growing wider.

We'll consider each of these, beginning with

Growing Deeper

A good guiding principle when making plans is to find out what God is doing, and to join in with that.  The passage we've just heard read shows us that God already has a plan for us—more than that, a destiny!

Long ago God foresaw that we would believe and follow, if only we had half a chance.  And so he set about making it possible for us.  Our first hymn recounted all that God has done through Christ to bring us into a personal relationship with himself.  He made sure we heard the gospel message, and lavished love and forgiveness on us.  He brought us into his family, and his goal for us now is to refine us so that we become more like Jesus.

Like brothers and sisters in an earthly family, we are all different but we all are to bear the family traits. Each one of us is to become “a chip off the old block.”  Our destiny is to be like Jesus—but, somehow, still uniquely ourselves.

God's plan is that we grow in maturity of faith until our lives fully portray Christ.  And this is here and now for this life.  We don't have to wait until we get to heaven!  In fact it's important that it happens in this life so the world can see the difference Christ makes!

That's what God is doing.  So how do we join in? 

Well, the first question is, have you found that personal relationship with God through Christ?  That's where it all starts.  God doesn't call us to be religious or church-goers—in fact, that doesn't really satisfy him at all; he calls us into personal relationship.

Do you know you're safe and secure in Jesus? 

If you do, then how do you cooperate with God to help him fulfil his longing for you?

There's nothing overly complicated about it.  We just need to keep ourselves where God can influence us, a place where we can listen to what he's saying, and follow his lead. 

Make use of the means of grace that we've talked about on previous occasions.  Read your Bible; study scripture and meditate on it.  Spend time in God's company in prayer.  Make his kingdom your priority.

Jesus promises that those who hunger and thirst for right relationship with God shall be filled.  Scripture promises us that if we draw near to God, he will draw near to us.  It's our own responsibility to draw near. 

In planning for our church to grow, we need to make sure that things are in place that build discipleship, things that encourage the life of Christ in us. 

We may find we need additional things—especially for those just beginning their walk with Christ—but already in our church we have the means to help us grow in the company of other people on the same journey.  We have house groups and other daytime groups that do the same sort of things as house groups.  We meet to worship and pray, to talk about scripture, and to share with and care for each other.

Are you in a study group?  If not, let me encourage you to join one.  If, for some reason, the times those groups meet just don't work for you, have a word with me or one of the other stewards and we'll see if we can start another group at a time that helps you.

Testimony  There are things we can do for ourselves to help us grow, and I've asked [someone] to share with us some ideas that have helped her grow in her faith.

[testimony]

We're on a journey.  Our destination is fully mature faith in the likeness of Christ.  But our starting point is right here, just where we are.  For some of us that may be a difficult place to be.  Perhaps we're struggling with life, struggling with faith itself…  We can help each other to face our issues and move forward.  And we can trust in God to come alongside us and lead us on. 

Growing Wider

You may have heard it said that faith is a private thing, something to keep to yourself.  But actually, that is a lie of Satan.

Our reading reveals to us another part of God's plan: that we should be a visible witness to the world.  We are the salt of the earth!  We are the light of the world!

We've all heard the metaphors for salt: salt preserves, salt gives flavour, and we can make useful sermon points out of those things.  But to the rabbis of Jesus' time on earth, salt was a metaphor for wisdom.  Our role is to show the wisdom of God, the message of the gospel, in a clear and untainted way.  What do we do with salt that's lost its saltiness?  We throw it out; it's good for nothing.  If we dilute the message, it's no message at all.  It's useless. 

The full gospel message is summarised quite nicely for us in the Four Alls of Methodism:

• All need to be saved.
• All can be saved.
• All can know they are saved.
• All can be saved to the uttermost.

If we're to grow numerically—and I believe God wants that because he wants his kingdom to be full—then, to a large extent, our success (if that's the right word) will depend on the visibility of our witness. 

When you drive down Holeyn Hall Road, you can't help but notice Prudhoe: there it is, on the hill opposite!  We're like a town built on a hill; we're here to demonstrate visibly the life of God, to reveal his kingdom. 

We're God's oil lamps.  We carry a flame that God himself has lit, so that we can give light to those in darkness. 

When people look at us, what do they see?  Are we nice people but not really any different?  Or do they see people with something worth living for, people who have something they need?

In planning for our church to grow, we need to make sure that things are in place to help us grow confident in witness, and that reach relevantly into the lives of those outside.

We may need new ideas but already we have things that help people across the threshold of our building; things like Messy Church which brings people in who would be put off as yet by our traditional Sunday morning services; things like Soft Play that bring families into contact with us and, hopefully, with the gospel.  And we're experimenting with Café Church as a way of being more relevant. 

But, for those who won't come in, perhaps we need to find ways of taking church out there to where the people are, and ways of blessing the community that demonstrate God's love and goodness.

But how do we get people actually to cross over into God's kingdom?  Coming into church is not the same thing.  Perhaps this is an area where we need those new ideas, but we need to carry on being faithful witnesses and relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Planning for Growth

As a healthy church, as a vibrant Christian community, we should be growing in maturity, and growing in number.  And as we look to the future and formulate plans to help us do those things, we need to build in things that help us mature, and that help us to take opportunities for sharing our faith.  Both approaches are needed.

2 Kings 19:30 says, 'Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.'  If we are to be fruitful as a church, then we need to grow good roots.  Growing wider, like a spreading tree, depends on our growing deeper.

But we don't have to wait until we are mature enough to begin looking outwards.  Trees don't grow all their roots and then all their branches; roots and branches  grow at the same time. 

By way of example, I have more qualifications in maths than any other subject but my understanding of maths grew by tutoring someone else. 

Discipleship and witness go hand-in-hand.  Our discipleship sharpens our witness and our witness hones our discipleship.  Often we learn more by stepping out in faith, by taking the risk of faith.  That way, we learn to rely on the Holy Spirit.

Growth, whether deeper or wider, begins with us.  It depends on our commitment.  Personal growth is really good for us personally, and it's vital to our witness.  Our witness helps others find the same joy in salvation that we know, and it helps us to grow personally.

As we look forward to preparing our plan for growth, it's important that we all pray specifically for God's guidance; pray that he'll show us what to build into the plan, what to leave out, what to change. Pray for yourselves, that he'll help you grow in maturity and the courage to share your faith.  Let's commit ourselves to growing the kingdom of God.

This probably all sounds a bit challenging, and perhaps daunting, but Rome wasn't built in a day; it doesn't all have to happen by next week.  And I'm confident of this, God is with us, and if we will do our part he will certainly do his. 

We can become a more vibrant Christian community with a richer, deeper and fuller experience of God; a community growing in maturity; a community that helps others find God's kingdom.