Today, as the number of people in the world increases, the need for spiritual guidance also increases. However, the lack of a Spiritual Sanctuary where people can satisfy their Spirits and souls begins to decrease not only in quantity, but above all in quality. Declining growth in the ministry of the Church has resulted in spiritual stagnation causing more violence and crime in the population. It can be noted that countries that have not yet been fully reached by the Gospel are more subject to these violences and other heinous crimes. One way to solve this devastating problem is to plant a Church of God that can meet the spiritual needs of the people. But before church planting, church growth must first be established in emerging churches that began to decline in numbers and spiritual growth.
Church growth is one of the vital elements that a church ministry must have. It may be the central reason for a person’s individual spiritual growth. If a person belongs to a Church that does not impart growth in her faith, it will affect her way of thinking and her paradigm of life. Additionally, church ministries that place greater value on church growth than on other aspects, such as finances, are likely to have a positive impact on the entire congregation and on society at large.
Having identified the need for the growth of the Church, it will be prudent to think of ideas that can help the growth of the Church. There are five great ideas for church growth that can help a single church expand its mission. First, there must be a unanimous decision among members to experience church growth by expanding and strengthening their prayer life. Prayer is very vital in everyone’s life, therefore the most important part of helping a Church grow is surrendering to the Lord in prayer. Second, is planning.
Church leaders, such as pastors, elders, and church council members, must think deeply about a plan that can help the church grow. Plans can be made through a spiritual retreat. By doing this, Church leaders can devise plans guided by the Holy Ghost. The third is the constant companionship between the members. This idea is very effective among small churches. Every Church begins through fellowship and by maintaining regular fellowship among members, the spirituality of the members will continue to grow and spiritual burnout will be avoided. The fourth is to start having community programs. This idea can be one of the plans that occur to the leaders of the church. However, this idea must be put directly into action.
Through community programs, people can become aware of the existence of the church and the abundant life it can give people. They will also come to know that only in the family of God can they find a life fueled by love and purpose. Finally, it is to develop and promote youth ministry. Currently, the number of young people that can be seen in the church is declining. Therefore, the need to encourage them and bring them to the church is very vital because they will be the future leaders of the church. They must also receive training on how to help the church grow by initiating that growth in themselves.
By putting into practice the Church growth ideas mentioned above, the Church will not only experience the growth it longed for, but above all, it will be able to live out the mission that the Lord has given it since the beginning of time.