Myth, 47

~ Additional Programs Will Bring Church Growth ~

The Myth  ~  The more varied and numerous programs our church offers the greater our church growth will be. 

Reality  ~  A sage has remarked “programs are great servants but lousy masters.”  One of the inherent dangers is that often more programs add more workload to servants in the church but have little lasting spiritual impact.  Often we find that there is a huge difference between activity and desired results.  In business smart leaders know the difference between efficiency and effectiveness (your organization can be very efficient in doing the wrong thing).  If not well thought out additional programs can accomplish nothing other than burn-out of good Christian servants.  Sometimes they can produce damaging results—opposite of their intention.

Solution   ~  “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”  Additional programs can be beneficial.  An absolute key before adding programs is to be in earnest prayer about the potential plans.  Remember all spiritual growth always comes from the working of the Holy Spirit. 

Key Scripture  ~  “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.  So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.  Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor” (1 Corinthians 3:5-8).

The Bottom Line  ~  The Christian is responsible before God for faithfulness in what God has given him/her to do where God has placed them.  They are not responsible for the results—that is God’s sovereign role!  Our problem is that our pride (a root of all sin) wants to feel that “I” accomplished something good. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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