What makes a church “Blowin’ And Goin’?” (A.K.A: Successful). Here are a few options to choose from…
Mission minded; Evangelistic; Youthful; Size of congregation; Passionate worship; Hard working staff; Special events; New buildings; Community ministry focused; Weekly baptisms; Small group focused; Captivating preacher; Miracles; One that Loves and ministers to members, orphans, and widows.
None of those things prove a church is “Blowing and Going.” A church can be “successful” with one… a few… or none of those things. In fact, when it comes to success as a church, there are two things that if they are NOT present, the church is a failure. They are…
The Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed from the pulpit,
The people’s devotion to prayer.
Unless those two things are present, none of the others matter. The reason is Proclamation of The Gospel and People’s Devotion to Prayer are the foundation and provide fuel for everything else! Unless these two things are #1 and #2 in the church and among the people, everything they do is nothing more than window dressing or a dead work (Hebrews 6:1-2 and 9:14). In fact… it is possible that missions, evangelism, worship, and everything else listed above are damning as it is recorded that Jesus said in Matthrew 7:21-23…
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?‘ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Reality Check:
Does your pastor preach The Gospel (I’m assuming you know what The Gospel is)? Note: That is his #1 priority above everything else.
Is prayer a main focus of the church? Is prayer a high priority? Is prayer integral in every meeting… event… and service? Is prayer a high priority of the staff? Are the people taught to… and encouraged to pray often, together, and regularly?
Don’t let glitter, glitz, or the “Wow Factor” determine where you worship and serve God. Look for… and do not quit looking… until you find a place that puts primacy first on The Gospel Being Proclaimed and the people are dedicated to prayer.
I left a church because of the wow factor. The church is still growing in size but I don’t know about the depth of spiritual growth.