Church Growth Is Not Necessarily Effective Evangelism

A "tough love" article for congregations who claim a priority focus on evangelism.

(Note: This is a topic on which George has written before in his role as a consultant to congregations throughout North America over the last 45 years. From time-to-time he thinks about this subject again and writes a new article. Those thoughts arose again several weeks ago and brought forth this positive challenge to those who scream the loudest they are evangelistic. He recommends churches check out the facts about their church’s growth.)

Church Growth is Not Necessarily Effective Evangelism

Worship at Awaken Church on a recent Sunday included several baptisms. It was a great service of celebration. Lead pastor Stuart Hansberry spoke words of joy to the congregation as to what God was doing in and through their community of faith.

He asserted many people were reached for an eternal relationship with God because of the evangelism efforts of Awaken. He quoted the growth numbers over the past few years as something that showed the true blessing of God.

“God’s hand is on our congregation,” he declared. The congregation rose in applause. People left that day rejoicing about how glad they were to be part of Awaken.

Do the Facts Support This?

The mood was different at staff meeting the next day. Executive pastor Tom Powers presented an in-depth analysis of the people who joined the congregation during the past five years. Tom, a retired engineer, was familiar with the classic church growth categories of transfer, biological, and conversion growth.

He did his analysis based on these categories with one twist. Often biological growth is when children in a household come to faith. His twist was that if one adult in the household was already a Christian, if another adult in the household came to faith that was still biological growth.

Not conversion growth. Yes, the adult was a new believer. Yet he or she did not come from a non-Christian household.

This twist presents a greater challenge to the efforts of churches to experience conversion growth. It begs the question – why the strict definition of conversion growth?

Tom shared a chart of the new members using his modified church growth categories. It showed 27 percent of new members were the result of biological growth from households in which at least one adult was already a professing Christian. Most were children of church members.

Sixty-four percent represented transfer growth from other congregations. Only nine percent of new members were the result of conversion growth.

Thus, 91 percent of new members during the previous five years came from Christian households. For a congregation who claimed to focus significantly on evangelism this was embarrassing.

PreChristian households were not being reached in significant numbers.

It points to a churched culture congregation that competes with other congregations and gathers the faithful. Not to a missionary outpost focused on making disciples among those who do not have a Christ-centered faith relationship with God.

What About the Most Recent Baptisms?

The day before seven people were baptized. Three were children or teenagers of Awaken members. They became Christians through the spiritual cultivation of their parents, and the witness of Awaken staff and leaders.

One was a husband where his wife and children were already professing Christians. He was a military officer who during a recent deployment realized his need for a spiritual relationship with God.

A fifth was a teenager from a non-Christian household. He received Jesus as his Lord and Savior through the football ministry of Awaken at his high school. His non-Christian family was present and not sure how they felt about his baptism.

Finally, was an “empty nest” couple new to Awaken coming from a different denominational background that baptizes infants. They were both church members with an active Christian faith throughout their lives. They left their denomination when they could not agree with changes in its doctrinal standards.

Because they had never received “believers’ baptism,” Awaken insisted they be baptized by immersion. They struggled with this for almost a year, but finally accepted the need for rebaptism.

If you are following the numbers, how many people baptized fit the strictest definition of conversion growth?

One. The teenager.

The Impact of the Analysis

Stuart Hansberry – a lead pastor with a reputation for growing churches – struggled with this information. It did not fit what he felt or wanted. He could not ignore the analysis.

No one had ever shown him these facts. He was shocked. Rather than react defensively, he thanked Tom for his analysis.

The staff worked during the next several months to develop culture changing plans to empower their actions to fit their words and convictions about evangelism.

Call to Action

If you did this analysis in your congregation, what would it reveal? What are needed actions to match your words and convictions with the reality of your congregation?

ForthTelling Innovation Insight: George Bullard conducts this analysis with congregations. Of those with a major evangelism theme the percentage of new members resulting from a strict definition of conversion growth is between nine and 13 percent. Typically, these congregations are also 21 or more years old.