When Churches Compete
The majority of us would love to see our churches grow. People coming to faith. Salvations. Baptisms. Larger crowds at church.
Side note: sadly, there are some churches out there that don’t want to grow. I’m not fussing about their pastors. In fact, it’s the pastors I hear from who have had church members—leaders in the church!—say the church is getting too large. Too many people. And some pastors, because they wouldn’t quit with the missions and evangelism, get fired.
But that’s not your attitude, is it? Of course not. We want to reach more people. We want to see our church grow and prosper. Yet we also get sad when a family leaves our church to join another one.
Why? Why are we sad? It they’re attending a church that lifts up Jesus and is discipling them to live like Jesus and live biblically, why are we sad? If they’ve built a connection with a body of believers that is encouraging their walk with Christ, we should be glad, right?
We’re too spiritual to ever say this aloud, but what we really want is for OUR church to grow. Sure, it’s fine if the church down the street grows, so long as it doesn’t interfere with our own church’s growth. This can be a greater concern for pastors and staff members, because their perceived “success” in ministry (and their paycheck) is tied to the church’s numerical growth.
I am reminded of a conversation Jesus had with one of His disciples.
“John responded, ‘Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he does not follow us.’
“’Don’t stop him,’ Jesus told him, ‘because whoever is not against you is for you’” (Luke 9:49-50).
Friends, the kingdom of God is big enough for all our churches. There is more than enough work and ministry to go around. I’m grieved how we are so often in subtle competition with one another. I learned of two local churches holding VBS the same week, yet one church was “bribing” kids to attend theirs with the potential of winning a TV. We want our youth event—or marriage retreat—to be bigger and better than the one so-and-so’s church did last year. Yes, I know such things can be a draw to the lost, but more often than not, we’re just “swapping sheep” between the local flocks.
There are two caveats to what I’m addressing.
- A church with a “we refuse to compete” attitude sounds super-spiritual, but it can also be a church that digs in its heals and never changes anything. Last week’s service looks the same as it did in 1973. It’s wise to evaluate and prayerfully consider ways to improve and strengthen the ministry of the church. It’s a competition with yourself.
- There are some “churches” with which we should be in competition. Just because they have “church” on their logo doesn’t mean they are a biblical or Christ-centered church. Unfortunately, we have once-good churches going theologically rogue. We need to “contend for the faith” (Jude 3). If we see Christians gravitating that direction, we need to do all we can to pull them back to the truth.
Don’t just seek the growth of your church; seek the growth of the kingdom of God—and that’s includes the two churches down the street from yours. If you want to see revival in your church, it won’t happen unless you’re willing to share it.
Pastors and church leaders, let’s strive to work together with the other churches in the community. Pray for them. Support them. In the end, it’s not about you. It’s not about your church.
It’s about the kingdom of God.
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