Brandon Queen

Good morning, podcast world, and welcome back to the Ear podcast. This is another great segment of Pew Talk on the small church. I'm your host, Brandon Queen. And before we dive into today's topic, I want to kind of get some. good news off my chest, if you will. So Pastor Bill will not be joining me. That's not good news. He is actually preparing for the Lord's Day and also Christmas Eve service.

Good morning, podcast world, and welcome back to the Ear podcast. This is another great segment of Pew Talk on the small church. I'm your host, Brandon Queen. And before we dive into today's topic, I want to kind of get some. good news off my chest, if you will. So Pastor Bill will not be joining me. That's not good news. He is actually preparing for the Lord's Day and also Christmas Eve service.

So he needs a break away from the podcast for a minute. But most of you may know this or you may not know this, but I recently got engaged and I am still excited about that and still basking in that precious moment, if you will. But moving on from that, Today's topic touches on a question that many pastors, church leaders and Christians wrestle with. How do we measure the growth of the church?

So he needs a break away from the podcast for a minute. But most of you may know this or you may not know this, but I recently got engaged and I am still excited about that and still basking in that precious moment, if you will. But moving on from that, Today's topic touches on a question that many pastors, church leaders and Christians wrestle with. How do we measure the growth of the church?

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 16, verse 18, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This promise reassures us that Christ's authority and commitment is to the church. But does that mean we shouldn't focus on numbers at all? Or should we look at numbers to gauge growth and effectiveness in our ministries?

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 16, verse 18, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This promise reassures us that Christ's authority and commitment is to the church. But does that mean we shouldn't focus on numbers at all? Or should we look at numbers to gauge growth and effectiveness in our ministries?

I don't know, but let's go ahead and explore what the scripture says and how we can balance trust in Jesus with our responsibility to steward the resources he has already given us. So Jesus will build his church. So first let's start with the foundation. Jesus declared that he will build his church.

I don't know, but let's go ahead and explore what the scripture says and how we can balance trust in Jesus with our responsibility to steward the resources he has already given us. So Jesus will build his church. So first let's start with the foundation. Jesus declared that he will build his church.

This means the ultimate responsibility for growth, both spiritually and numerically, rests in Christ alone. You see, as believers, our job is to remain faithful to the Great Commission, making disciples of all nations, as stated in Matthew 28, verses 19 and 20. We sow seeds, water them, and trust God to provide the increase, as stated in 1 Corinthians 3, verses six to seven.

This means the ultimate responsibility for growth, both spiritually and numerically, rests in Christ alone. You see, as believers, our job is to remain faithful to the Great Commission, making disciples of all nations, as stated in Matthew 28, verses 19 and 20. We sow seeds, water them, and trust God to provide the increase, as stated in 1 Corinthians 3, verses six to seven.

So this should give us great comfort, right? If growth seems slow or stagnant, it doesn't mean that we've failed, provided we're being faithful to the mission. It also means that we shouldn't panic or compromise the gospel for the sake of numbers. Why? Because the church belongs to Christ and he will sustain it.

So this should give us great comfort, right? If growth seems slow or stagnant, it doesn't mean that we've failed, provided we're being faithful to the mission. It also means that we shouldn't panic or compromise the gospel for the sake of numbers. Why? Because the church belongs to Christ and he will sustain it.

Now, when we talk about, you know, compromising the gospel, you know, there's a lot of churches and pastors that will isogeet the text instead of exogeet the text. It becomes I, or if you do this, your problems are David and are Goliath in life and you're David. And, you know, that's not the gospel.

Now, when we talk about, you know, compromising the gospel, you know, there's a lot of churches and pastors that will isogeet the text instead of exogeet the text. It becomes I, or if you do this, your problems are David and are Goliath in life and you're David. And, you know, that's not the gospel.

Okay, David's story was part of God's plan and a reminder to us, but our job as good stewards and preachers and teachers of God's word is to exerge the text. So remember, the church belongs to Christ and he will be the one to sustain it. So let me ask you this question. Are numbers important? So does that mean numbers don't matter at all? Not necessarily.

Okay, David's story was part of God's plan and a reminder to us, but our job as good stewards and preachers and teachers of God's word is to exerge the text. So remember, the church belongs to Christ and he will be the one to sustain it. So let me ask you this question. Are numbers important? So does that mean numbers don't matter at all? Not necessarily.

Numbers can tell a story, but they're not the whole story. You see, in Acts 2, verse 21, Luke records that about 3,000 people were added to the church in one day. This numerical growth was a sign of God's blessing and the effectiveness of the apostles' spirit-filled preaching. Brothers, I urge you to get back to spirit-filled preaching.

Numbers can tell a story, but they're not the whole story. You see, in Acts 2, verse 21, Luke records that about 3,000 people were added to the church in one day. This numerical growth was a sign of God's blessing and the effectiveness of the apostles' spirit-filled preaching. Brothers, I urge you to get back to spirit-filled preaching.

You see, numbers or amounts of people in the Bible often reflect moments of significance, like the feeding of the 5,000 or the 120 believers gathered in the upper room. However, the danger definitely lies in defining success solely by numbers. You see a church with a large attendance, but a shallow discipleship may look healthy on the outside, but be spiritually malnourished on the inside.

You see, numbers or amounts of people in the Bible often reflect moments of significance, like the feeding of the 5,000 or the 120 believers gathered in the upper room. However, the danger definitely lies in defining success solely by numbers. You see a church with a large attendance, but a shallow discipleship may look healthy on the outside, but be spiritually malnourished on the inside.