Growth

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

1 Corinthians 3:7 ESV

Often we hear from 'experts' about church growth. We have to be 'seeker sensitive', some say. We need smoke machines, coffee machines and slick bands, say others.

A friend of mine half jokily said the size of churches he visited in America grew in proportion to the snacks provided. The biggest had donuts and barista coffee as it were. The smallest had watery fruit juice and a biscuit as it were.

Church planting was trending a few years back, although I don't seem to hear as much about it any more. Maybe the emphasis nowadays is about watering what we've already got than planting new fellowships. The Apostle Paul suggest such debates are somewhat of a distraction.

I'm reminded of the Psalm of Solomon who says that unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it. Without God, we can do nothing. Only with his help can we see a harvest of souls getting saved.

'God, please help your church to grow, not just numerically, but also spiritually and in likeness to Christ, in whose name we pray, amen'.