I suppose a season of numerical growth and facility expansion at NEHBC is a good time to discuss this issue. What is the measure of a church? How do you know if your church is “successful” or “on the right track”? As westerners and people trained to be corporate types, we tend to measure the local church in the same way we measure our secular businesses: numbers. How many buns are in the seats? How much money is coming in? How many square feet is the facility? People raised in a church who end up at NEHBC, frequently point out that we talk very little, in fact almost rarely about these things. The reason is quite simply because…who cares!
Since the New Testament church was launched by the Holy Spirit of God in the Middle East in the 1st Century, we can rest assured that the western, corporate mindset is not God’s measure of a local church. The local church has no geopolitical nationality, but is rather “homeless”, as she has as her Head, Jesus Christ, who has no nationality in His deity, and as her home this place called Heaven. Since we can establish that the concept of the local church is not tied to a particular country or region of the world, but is rather temporarily here from another world, we can confidently conclude that every local church in every part of the world should be able to be measured by the same measures. The measure of a local church in America must also be the measure of a local church in Indonesia as well as in Tanzania. Clearly, a western, corporate mindset is not the measure of a local church.
So, if the measure of a church is not western, corporate numbers, then what is the measure of a church? Check out 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: “I (Paul) planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” Thomas White, Vice President of Student Services at Southwestern Seminary, once wrote that, “changed lives are the mission of the church, not the measure of the church.” Our mission is to make disciples, but the number of disciples we make is the not the measure of a church. If it is, then we have some big biblical problems we can’t solve. Let me point out just one:
Since the New Testament church was launched by the Holy Spirit of God in the Middle East in the 1st Century, we can rest assured that the western, corporate mindset is not God’s measure of a local church. The local church has no geopolitical nationality, but is rather “homeless”, as she has as her Head, Jesus Christ, who has no nationality in His deity, and as her home this place called Heaven. Since we can establish that the concept of the local church is not tied to a particular country or region of the world, but is rather temporarily here from another world, we can confidently conclude that every local church in every part of the world should be able to be measured by the same measures. The measure of a local church in America must also be the measure of a local church in Indonesia as well as in Tanzania. Clearly, a western, corporate mindset is not the measure of a local church.
So, if the measure of a church is not western, corporate numbers, then what is the measure of a church? Check out 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: “I (Paul) planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” Thomas White, Vice President of Student Services at Southwestern Seminary, once wrote that, “changed lives are the mission of the church, not the measure of the church.” Our mission is to make disciples, but the number of disciples we make is the not the measure of a church. If it is, then we have some big biblical problems we can’t solve. Let me point out just one:
- “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” With all due respect to my reformed friends, God’s mission is to save as many people as possible; ideally, everyone. Yet, what did Jesus say in Matthew 7:13-14? Narrow is the gate that leads to life AND FEW FIND IT. Another time, Jesus said, “In that day, many will say, “Lord, Lord”, but I will say get away from Me you evil doer, I never knew you.” God’s mission is to save as many as possible, but only a few people relative to the potential number are actually going to be saved. If numbers are the measure of a ministry, then God’s ministry is a failure. Do you really want to go there?
So then, what are the measurables of a local church? Look back at 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: we sow seeds and water them, but ONLY God brings the growth—spiritually and numerically. In the local church, spiritual and numerical growth is God’s department. That is what the verse says, unfortunately, not many believe it to be true. We are not responsible for numerical or spiritual growth. Can you believe that? Such a statement is completely foreign to our western, corporate mindset, but there it is in black and white. Growth is not our department.
So then, what are we responsible for? Well, if God is responsible for the growth in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, all that leaves for us is the planting and watering. We must work hard to create the environment in which God can grow things. We set the table for God to do His part of the equation. Thus, the true measure of a local church is not numbers, but how well we are setting the table for God to work. How well are we doing the things that create an environment in which life change can happen? How healthy is our church? How New Testament is our church? How much does our church look like the church we see in the New Testament? The true measure of a church is her biblical health, not her size. I mean it when I say I’d rather pastor a healthy church of 80 than a non-New Testament church of 1,000. I would rather be a member of a healthy church of 80 than an unhealthy church of 1000 or 3000 or 5000. I admire pastors who are building healthy churches, not pastors who are building bigger churches. I hope I’m numbered among the former and not the latter.
So, if the true measure of a church is her health and not her size, then one must ask, “what are the New Testament indicators of a healthy church?”. To be sure, there are numerous indicators of a healthy local church, but some flow out of others and some are secondary to others. There are a few choice New Testament indicators of church health. Mark Dever does a good job numbering nine big signs of a health church: 1. Expositional preaching. 2. Biblical theology. 3. The correct gospel. 4. A biblical understanding of conversion. 5. A biblical understanding of evangelism. 6. A biblical understanding of church membership. 7. Biblical church discipline. 8. Discipleship. 9. Biblical church leadership. In fact he has written an outstanding book on the matter of measuring the health of a church called, 9Marks of a Healthy Church. I’d highly recommend it to everyone. I don’t agree with all of his application of these nine marks, but I do agree that these are nine big indicators of a healthy church.
When they are done biblically, seeds are planted and watered, and the table is set for God to bring spiritual and numerical growth as He desires. Many at NEHBC who have been raised in the church know we are very different from what they are used to, some can’t quite put their finger on it. This is it. This is what sets NEHBC apart from what some are used to. We are much more interested in the health of our church than the size. I am more interested in this flock doing things biblically than I am in weekly attendance. There are a rapidly growing number of churches who are coming to understand that health must be the focus of the local church. I pray one day there are churches in every city who do things biblically. To pastors leading long established, program driven churches, entrenched in western, corporate mindset, the challenges are great. Practicing church discipline can split the church because afterall, that is definitely NOT going to draw a crowd. Expository preaching might not be embraced because that is not viewed as seeker sensitive and appealing to the unchurched who are looking for emotional and cathartic spiritual experiences. For a nine year old church like NEHBC that was birthed into this mindset, the path forward is much easier. Nonetheless, I’d appeal to pastors everywhere to chase after the biblical health of a local church rather than her size. The Lord will handle His department just fine.
I hope you can see how while the western, corporate measure of a local church cannot be applied to every local church in every part of the world, these biblical indicators of health can be applied. Every local church regardless of her context should be preaching biblically, practicing meaningful membership, practicing biblical discipleship, have a proper understanding of the gospel, etc. Restoring biblical integrity to the practices of our local churches would go a long way toward spiritual awakening in our churches which in turn would lead to revival in our countries. Simply put, when the focus is on church health, it is church done God’s way.
(By the way, on Wednesday nights, in midweek worship, I’m teaching a series on the local church called, Church Life. I’m using this series to teach our church family about a proper perspective of the local church. We are examining the biblical indicators of church health so we can know the measurable of our church. We just wrapped up a miniseries on church membership and next week we start a two part series on church discipline. Glory to God.)
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