Is your church growing? Are people regularly coming to saving faith in Jesus as a result of the outreach of your church? If not, then why not? In the early days of the church it was common to see people come to Christ that resulted in growing churches. Look at Luke’s description of what took place:

⁴⁷….And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:47 (NKJV) 

It seems clear that the Lord wants the church to grow because the Lord loves people! Standing in the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus told the disciples, “I will build my Church”  (Matthew 16:18, NKJV) and the Apostle Paul reminded us that Christ is, in fact, “the head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23, ESV).

Instead of focusing on what I can do to help my church to grow, it may be better, in light of Scripture, to focus on what is keeping my church from growing. In other words, what barriers exist that are holding my church back from the natural growth God desires and intends?

Nelson Searcy says:

Your job is not to force growth. When you think growth is your responsibility, you will inevitably make bad decisions. Church growth is ultimately not about what we can do in our own power; it’s about God’s power and His choice to work through us. Refuse to settle for anything less than God’s vision for your church.

5 Barriers to Church Growth

1. The Gospel is not presented clearly. Every sermon and every church service is an opportunity to present the Gospel message to those in attendance. The Gospel is a beautiful reminder to believers of the grace of God and the only hope for those who are unsaved. We should present it clearly and consistently.

2. The Gospel is not presented passionately. The Gospel is not merely a business transaction between God and us–it is the “Good News”! We don’t need to fake an over-the-top presentation, but surely we can present the Gospel with a tender heart and sincerity.

3. The focus of the church is entirely inward. Having an inward focus is not wrong, but having an entirely inward focus is sinful! Yes, those of us who are believers also need the teaching and ministries of the church. We often refer to that as discipleship! But, a healthy church also focuses on evangelism and ministry. People need to be saved and we have the saving message.

4. The church does not pray earnestly. In Matthew 9:37-38 (ESV), Jesus says “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Jesus clearly connects prayer to a bountiful harvest. The church must pray earnestly!

5. The church is not friendly to guests. People are not merely looking for a friendly church; they’re looking to make friends at church. We should be very intentional about getting to know guests. We should invite them to lunch and invite them to attend again. Every church should have a systematic way of guest follow-up, but sometimes the most effective efforts are those that are organic.