Church’s Physical Location Has Little to Do With Growth
OKAY, it’s no secret, we’re running out of space. Our church is growing, that's exciting. It gives us some new challanges to look into. One of those being, what do we do? One of those things is that we’re gathering a team together to begin to do some research. And “Re-location Task Force” so to speak. I came across this recent article that I want to share with you.
Did you know that the growth and health of your church has little to do with your physical location? Church health specialist Dr. Thom Rainer recently studied 13 mediocre congregations that grew to become vibrant, healthy churches without changing pastors. To his surprise, he discovered that there was little correlation between location and growth. “One of the surprises was that the location of a church had almost nothing to do with the struggles and subsequent breakout of these churches,” Rainer said. “Some of the churches have great locations demographically, but others have lousy locations.”
So what was the biggest break through then, for these churches? According to Dr. Rainer, they all had an outward focus. "If there is any one basic lesson, it is to lead the church to an outward focus. The great majority of churches in America
Dr. Rainer found that an external focus is fundamental for church health and church growth. He said his research continues to reinforce those sorts of essentials. "In essence, the research continues to remind the church to get back to basics," he said. "While we should seek to be cutting-edge in our ministries and methodologies, we should not neglect basic and biblical principles for church health. The biggest news is that God is not done with our churches. Through the stories of 13 remarkable churches, we see God?s possibilities for so many churches in our nation and our world."
What do you think? What is more important: location or focus; neighborhood or mission? I want to hear from you …..
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