What Does the Church Need?

Here’s my bulletin article from this week:

What does North Broad need to grow? What do we need to grow spiritually? What do we need to grow closer together as a community of believers? What do we need to grow numerically?

I’m sure when these questions are asked you begin thinking of youth programs, men’s classes, ladies’ luncheons, and retreats. You might think, “We need more lessons on ______”. Or “he needs to do more” or “she needs to do less.”

I know these are among some of the things that I thought of and that are usually suggested.

But when I asked my friend what the church really needs, she first said, “A lot of things.” But then she paused and said, “What the church needs is a whole lot of Jesus.”

Folks, that’s the answer! We can have programs, dynamic speakers, a new church building, or a whole orchestra, but none of these things bring about real transformation.

They might attract people, and they help keep us engaged in the worship service, but these are all tools to help us plant and water.

How do we grow in all these different ways?
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6–7).

If we want to grow as a church, we need to look beyond gimmicks, sales techniques, and even ourselves! If we want to grow, we have to turn it over to the One who gives the increase! If we really trust in Him to lead us, then positive change can and will take place.

Let’s stop putting our trust in what “they” are doing or not doing and begin trusting in the only One who can bring life from death and can turn Sauls into Pauls.

We need a whole lot of Jesus.