There are many books out in the market place that deal with how to grow a church, some good and others bad. The best place to begin to study such an idea as to how to grow a church should be the Word of God. The Scriptures teach that all men are lost and are in need of a Savior (Matt. 1:21). There is only one Savior and that is Jesus the Christ. The church was purchased by His blood and He claims the ownership thereby (Acts 20:28). It is described as being “His body” (Eph. 1:22,23). Any discussion about the growth of said body must be laid upon the foundation truth of who it belongs to.
If the church is a product of man, then man has every right to construct it as he sees fit. Once you move it from man to God, then construction as far as materials and maintenance must come from what God has revealed. It is still the same question raised by Jesus, “the baptism of John: from heaven or men?” (Matt. 21:25). Every group that claims to follow Jesus must do so under the conditions of doing what He commanded (Luke 6:46). The writer of Hebrews explains to us that the church is the house that Christ has built (Hebrews 3:6). The promise made by Jesus was that He would build His church (Matt. 16:18). The church is called the household of God (I Tim. 3:15).
The work of Christians may vary as to the role they fill both by ability and application of the Word through their talents (Eph. 4:16). Paul said that he planted and Apollos watered (I Cor. 3:6). What was planted? Jesus explained in the parable of the sower that the seed was the Word of God (Luke 8:11). Since men are saved by obeying the truth, we conclude then that what was planted was the truth in men’s hearts. Jesus declares that His Word would be written in men’s hearts and minds (Heb. 8:10). Any attempt to grow a church without the Word of God will not produce the church of Christ.
Once a group of believers accept the fact that they are the body of Christ it affects their thinking and action. Each person making up the body should know what the cost of discipleship is all about. We move from selfish interest to doing what is best for the body of Christ (Matt. 16:24). The church in some areas and even in terms of the brotherhood have been injured by selfish men who forgot it is not about them but about Jesus the Christ and showing Him to the world (Eph. 5:25; I Peter 2:17). Why would any person elevate themselves above the body of Christ?
The eyes of that “body” should become open to see every person around us as someone who needs a Savior. The house of God can be built in any community where people desire to work together for His cause (Nehemiah 4:6). They must create a desire in their own hearts to find ways to reach as many as we can with the truth of God. When success comes because of the effort put forth and the blessing by God, a danger would arise regarding pride. The way the scriptures show us to avoid thinking too highly of what we accomplish when success takes place is to remember who the Owner is. Paul shows us that we are God’s garden and God’s building (I Corinthians 3:6). What makes the garden grow or the building to be built is knowing that we are workers together with God. We have no power to make the hearts of men accept the truth against their will.
Jesus taught us there are different kinds of hearts. He lists four in Luke 8:12-15. Each heart came in contact with the truth and each heart received it in different ways. Of the four only one was productive throughout. One never accepted it (verse 12), while the other two accepted and later gave up (verses 13,14). Only the good and honest heart remained productive. Do we want to build a church? Then get the “blueprints (the Word of God) and put it in men’s hearts and growth will occur.