On Numbers

In know some of you out there are going to get a little trippy because you've been taught that it is somehow ungodly to celebrate numerical growth in churches. Tangent -- where did that stupid line of reasoning come from? Are we supposed to strive to stay small? Are we supposed to berate ourselves if God blesses a ministry with growth? I've NEVER heard a large church pastor say that the number of people in the church is the sole indicator of success or failure. Anyway...back to the reason for this post. My first four years of ministry were spent in a church that was in steady decline. Every year the number of people attending was down, the offering was down, and yet I remember sitting in many a board meeting and no one even talked about the declining numbers and the fact that the church was slowly but steadily dying. (Praise God, they've apparently turned things around now). At Northwoods I get a weekly report of attendance and giving (as well as monthly reports on baptisms and other indicators) and it's so exciting to look at our reports and see that compared to last year, we're averaging about 500 more people per weekend. Over the course of 2005 so far, that translates to a 12% increase year-t0-date. It's just exciting to see and be a part of!