8 church-growth myths (and the reality)

Bob Whitesel Nov. 20, 2022

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When it comes to church growth, here are eight myths you may have heard.

Myth 1: Church growth is about attendance numbers.

Donald McGavran, the father of church growth, saw this as a myth immediately. Thus he deemphasized the term church growth and instead emphasized that the goal of the Great Commission is "effective discipleship." He did this to move away from the concept of counting attendees and towards measuring if people become disciples. The Greek word for disciples means "active learners." So measuring active learners, whether by measuring people involved in small groups, discipleship programs, etc., is the measurement tool the father of church growth had in mind (Effective Evangelism: A Theological Mandate).

Myth 2: Church growth is about making the church more attractive.

Church growth was not about creating an attractional church, but rather equipping pastors with knowledge and measurement tools to discover what's working and what's not working. McGavran said it this way, "Let's put diagnostic tools into the hands of pastors, people … so they will see, clearly and scientifically the real situation." (10 Steps for Church Growth with Winfield Arn).

As such, church growth encourages leaders to learn how to reach out in indigenous ways to people groups which are growing in your community. Diagnostic tools can help leaders see who God is sending into their community and then help leaders discern the most effective methods of sharing the Good News with them.

Myth 3: Church growth is about pushing out status quo members and embracing newcomers.

In the name of church growth, pastors have told me, "We have to dismiss or disempower the older members in order to reach younger generations." But never was this in the mind of the fathers of the Church Growth Movement. In fact, Fuller's C. P. Wagner explained that churches are made up of multiple constituencies or audiences. He called these constituencies "celebration groups" because they prefer to celebrate worship in their own indigenous worship styles. He saw the need for a "traditional worship celebration," as well as a need for a "contemporary worship celebration," a Spanish language worship celebration along with worship celebrations in other indigenous vernaculars (Your Church Can Grow: Seven Vital Signs of a Healthy Church).

Myth 4: Church growth is for big churches.

Church growth is for any church that wants to survive modern, cultural changes. Wagner emphasized that cultural changes must not be allowed to change our theology, but culture can change our methodology. For this, Wagner believed we must study how the Holy Spirit is moving today (Churchquake). Today the average church has only 65 attendees (Faith Communities Today, Hartford Seminary). Yet my research has led me to believe that a church needs to have about 175 attendees to have the level of financial giving to do the things most people expect a church to do. So the average church is less than half the size they need to be healthy today.

Myth 5: Church growth is artificial growth.

The aim of church growth is not about fabricating growth. Instead it is about making healthy churches, that in turn grow. That's why Rick Warren, a disciple of Wagner, states, "Church health is the key to church growth. All living things grow if they're healthy. You don't have to make them grow – it's just natural for living organisms… the same principle is true for the church. Since the church is a living organism, it's natural for it to grow if it's healthy. The church is a Body, not a business – an organism, not an organization. It's alive. If a church is not growing, it is dying" (Forget Church Growth, Aim for Church Health)

Myth 6: Church growth is no longer relevant.

I've studied how churches grow for over 30 years, all the while being a seminary professor reading papers and coaching church leaders. My conclusion is that pastors everywhere still want churches to grow, even though the term church growth may be out of vogue.

Myth 7: For church growth, bigger is better.

As we saw above, church growth has always emphasized the importance of "discipleship." And it has always stressed that such discipleship best takes place in smaller groupings rather than big gatherings. Roger Greenway, McGavran's friend, said McGavran saw three things that small groups do: 1) spiritual seekers will come to a small group sooner than to a church, 2) older members can mentor younger disciples in a smaller environment, 3) and outreach to unchurched neighbors can more easily become part of a small group's DNA (Donald A. McGavran's Advice to Urban Church Planters).

Myth 8: Church growth ignores good deeds to the needy.

Before he was known as the father of church growth, Donald McGavran had a long history in philanthropy, education, medicine and family relief through his denomination, The Christian Church. In India where he primarily served, he oversaw schools and hospitals, including a leprosy hospital which he personally supervised.

But, according to biographer Gary McIntosh, "McGavran had become deeply concerned that after several decades of work his mission had only about thirty small churches, all of which were experiencing no growth" (The Life and Ministry of Donald McGavran). McGavran felt his denomination was doing "good deeds" well enough, but they were not seeing people come to know Christ too. McGavran came to summarize his new perspective this way: "These good deeds must, of course, be done, and Christians will do them. I myself was doing many of them. But they must never replace the essential task of mission, discipling the peoples of earth (McGavran, My Pilgrimage in Mission)."

Today non-churchgoers are an increasing percentage of the population (Barna). Whether one uses the term church growth, effective discipleship, missional church, fresh expressions, etc. it's more important than ever that we embrace Donald McGavran's words: "Let's break through to the real reasons for growth or non-growth… Let's put diagnostic tools into the hands of pastors, people … so they will see, clearly and scientifically the real situation."

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Bob Whitesel (D.Min., Ph.D.) is a foresight coach, professor, and award-winning author of 14 books. For over 30 years, he has guided leaders and churches to pivot and engage what’s next. He holds two earned doctorates from Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches on leadership foresight, church health, and organizational change. His website is www.ChurchForesight.com. Learn More »

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