Today we’re finishing up our study of Acts chapter 2. Can you believe it took us 5 weeks to get through this chapter? This won’t happen for every chapter throughout our study. In fact next week we’re going to cover all of chapter 3 in 1 week. but today we finished the chapter with a glimpse into what the early church was like. In particular, we get to see the secret sauce for church growth. We’re going to answer this question: How do you grow a church?
Church growth statistics:
As of 2020, there were approximately 2.3 billion Christians worldwide, making up about 31% of the global population.
Pentecostalism and Charismatic movements are among the fastest-growing Christian denominations globally.
Africa and Asia are experiencing significant growth. Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to have the largest number of Christians by 2060.
In the United States, weekly church attendance dropped from about 39% in 2013 to around 29% in recent years.
Headed in Europe’s direction?
In the Netherlands, regular church attendance fell from approximately 50% in the 1950s to below 10% by the early 2000s.
United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark: regular church attendance at or below 5%.
Note: “church attendance” doesn’t capture the whole picture, but it gives us an idea. Truth is, many attendees aren’t even Christians! (stats don’t include house churches or nature Christians)
Today we’re going to try to learn from the early church to see what they did to grow…. I see 7 marks of healthy church growth; if you’re a pastor, leader, attender, consider how you do in each of these areas.
Seven Marks of Healthy Church Growth:
Baptisms
Acts 2:41 (NLT) 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
(Pillar New Testament Commentary) The population of Jerusalem at the time is estimated to have been between 180,000 and 200,000. Even 3,000 converts in the temple precincts would have been ‘a distinct minority of the crowd.’
Principle: Healthy church growth is conversion growth, not transfer growth.
Jesus: “Go make disciples…” meant something different than what it means in most churches today. (Pursuit)
Biblical Teaching
(NLT) 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching,
(Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) “The apostles’ teaching ” refers to a body of material considered authoritative because it was the message about Jesus of Nazareth proclaimed by accredited apostles. It undoubtedly included a compilation of the words of Jesus (cf. 20:35), some account of his earthly ministry, passion, and resurrection (cf. 2:22-24), and a declaration of what all this meant for humanity’s redemption (cf. 1Co 15:3-5)–all of which was thought of in terms of a Christian “tradition” that could be passed on to others (cf. 1Co 11:2; 1Th 2:13; 2Th 2:15; 3:6).
1 Corinthians 15:3-5 (NLT) 3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 (NLT) 15 With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.
Authentic Community
42 (NLT) and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper)
(Pillar New Testament Commentary) to the fellowship (tē koinōnia). The koinōn- words in Greek normally mean ‘to share with someone in something’ above and beyond the relationship itself, or ‘to give someone a share in something.’ The sharing in this case could simply refer to material blessings, as described in vv. 44-5, where we are told that the believers had everything in common (koina).
This is key for our church. (expand)
Small groups
Mens/women’s groups
Student groups
Friend groups
Commitment to Prayer
42 (NLT) and to prayer.
(Pillar New Testament Commentary) Finally, they devoted themselves ‘to the prayers’ (tais proseuchais). The plural form with the article in Greek suggests that the reference is to specific ‘prayers’ (KJV, NRSV, ESV), rather than to prayer in general (TNIV, to prayer). In the context, this most obviously points to their continuing participation in the set times of prayer at the temple (cf. 3:1 note).
Morning Prayer (Shacharit): around 9 am. It included recitations of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) and the Amidah (the central prayer of Jewish liturgy).
The disciples were likely at morning prayer on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit was given.
Afternoon Prayer (Minchah): around 3 pm.
Evening Prayer (Ma’ariv): after sunset.
At our church:
Corporate prayer at services, small groups
Praying for the body throughout the week
Personal prayer lives of individuals
Financial Generosity
Acts 2:44-45 (NLT) 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.
Sounds extreme, but consider the example of the couple who literally gave their home away.
The Giving Pledge: Initiated by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, it encourages billionaires to pledge at least half of their wealth to philanthropy. Over 200 individuals and families have signed on. Buffett committed to giving away 99% of his wealth.
Mackenzie Scott: Following her divorce from Jeff Bezos, donated billions to various organizations, including LGBTQ+ rights.
Christians: don’t let the secular world outgive you! Let’s be generous givers.
Reverse-tithers
R.G. LeTourneau practiced reverse tithing, giving away 90% of his income to charitable causes and living on the remaining 10%.
Rick Warren, author of the best-selling book “The Purpose Driven Life” and pastor of Saddleback Church, has practiced reverse tithing for many years. After the success of his book, he and his wife decided to give away 90% of their income and live on the remaining 10%. He also returned 25 years of salary to his church and stopped taking a salary from the church thereafter.
John Wesley, the 18th-century founder of Methodism, practiced and preached the principle of living simply to give more generously. Despite earning a significant income from his writings, he lived on a modest amount and gave away the majority of his earnings.
David Green, the founder of Hobby Lobby
Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A
Shoeshiner example: Albert Lexie, though not a millionaire, was a shoe shiner who practiced extraordinary generosity. Over 30 years, he donated over $200,000 in tips to the Free Care Fund at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, living on a minimal income himself.
V45 comes from Jesus himself: Luke 12:33-34 (NLT) 33 “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. 34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
Friendly to Outsiders
47 (NLT) all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.
(Pillar New Testament Commentary) it is possible to translate the Greek ‘having goodwill towards all the people’, which would be appropriate to the context.
Either way the point is the same: healthy churches are friendly to outsiders, so outsiders are hungry for what the church has to offer.
“Seeker-friendly” is criticized by some today, but that’s a good description of the early church!
User-Friendly Services
Avoiding Church Jargon
Casual Atmosphere
Seeker-friendly isn’t the problem; watering down the Bible is.
Christ-dependent
47 (NLT) And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Church growth is Jesus’ work!
We make disciples. Jesus builds the church. (Steve Murrell)
Mt 16:18 (NLT) I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
Close
Healthy things grow, and a healthy church is marked by disciple-makers.
Talking Points:
In today’s lesson we’ll look to the early church’s example to answer the question: How do you grow a church?
The seven marks of a healthy, growing church are: baptisms, biblical teaching, authentic community, commitment to prayer, financial generosity, friendliness to outsiders, and dependency on Christ. Acts 2:42-47
Healthy things grow, and a healthy church is marked by disciple-makers. We make disciples; Jesus builds the church. Matthew 16:18
Discussion:
Read the talking points above as a group, including scripture references. What are your initial thoughts about these points or about the podcast lesson (see audio above)?
Have you ever seen growth in numbers at a church? What about decrease? What are some reasons for this that you might have observed?
The podcast talks about seven marks of healthy church growth. Which of these would you say your church is best at? Are there any that your church needs to grow in?
Read Acts 2:42. Why is authentic community important to church growth? Name a few ways you can have authentic community in your church body.
How often do you pray? What are some reasons commitment to prayer is not only important for your own walk with God, but the growth of the church as well?
Would you consider yourself “financially generous”? Do you tithe to your church? Why or why not?
Read Matthew 16:18. How does being a “disciple maker” in your church support all of these markers?
The official faith and life podcast for the discipleship resources at pursueGOD.org. Great for families, small groups, and one-on-one mentoring. New sermonlink topics every Friday.
