Church Growth

Church Growth explores how congregations can grow in healthy, gospel-centered ways—both spiritually and numerically. Find practical, Bible-based articles on outreach, evangelism, discipleship pathways, assimilation, small groups, leadership development, and building a strong church culture. You’ll also discover guidance on strengthening ministries, improving communication, engaging your community, and measuring progress with wisdom and humility. Whether you’re leading a church, serving on a ministry team, or helping a congregation move forward, these resources aim to support sustainable growth that honors Christ and forms disciples.

October 2, 2019

Christian Standard

Third City Going the Distance to Launch Broken Bow Site

By Jim Nieman The first venture into multisite ministry by Third City Christian Church, Grand Island, Neb., started with a request for help more than a year ago. First Christian Church in Broken Bow, Neb., about 80 miles away, had lost its minister, and the folks who remained thought the church “wasn’t going to make it,” said Third City senior minister Scott Jones, “[so] they reached out to us.” The folks at First Christian knew Third City was a healthy, growing church. TCCC averages about 1,500 on weekends and has a strong after-school program that sees about 350 students weekly.

October 1, 2019

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

The Mainstreaming of Online Church

By Kent Fillinger If Paul were still preaching, would he have an online church live-streaming from Jerusalem? It’s entirely possible. After all, Paul said, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22, 23). All that to say, Internet worship services are becoming more mainstream. In July, I provided an overview of how Christian churches and churches of Christ are using various social media platforms to communicate. I want to go

September 20, 2019

Christian Standard

Small Churches: Responding to Some Stereotypes

In this repost of a classic article that first appeared in Christian Standard on May 20, 2012, Tom Claibourne responds to some fairly typical stereotypes about small churches. Claibourne is in his 40th year serving with Bethlehem Church of Christ, Winchester, Ohio. He recently was inducted into the Christian Village Communities Hall of Faith; his induction video celebrating his life of ministry is available at the church’s Facebook page. (Read our October 2019 issue for articles about challenges facing rural and small churches . . . and possible solutions.) _ _ _ By Tom Claibourne Small church. What is the

September 11, 2019

Christian Standard

McGilvrey Retiring after Ministry with an Unexpected Twist

By Jim Nieman When Mark McGilvrey’s church provided seed money to help start 2|42 Community Church in 2005, he had no idea of the boomerang effect. McGilvrey, who retires this month after 47 years of ministry in Livonia, Mich., said the church he serves, Compass Christian Church, reached an agreement earlier this summer to be adopted by 2|42, and is slated to become an official 2|42 campus, probably in the fall of 2020. “It’s a beautiful thing,” McGilvrey said. “We started just this past Sunday with live video from [2|42].” Since being planted in Brighton, Mich., 2|42 has been one

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

The 2018 Charts: Small Churches and Very Small Churches

Our annual listing of churches is one of Christian Standard’s most popular features. This year scores of churches participated, including 78 small churches (average weekly worship attendance of 100 to 249 during 2018) and 47 very small churches (attendance of fewer than 100). In May we featured an article and statistics from 55 megachurches (2,000 or more in weekly attendance) and 70 emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999). In July we spotlighted 88 large churches (500 to 999 in weekly attendance) and 86 medium churches (250 to 499). Click here to view and download 2018 Charts3, with data from small churches and

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

2018 Fast Facts about Small and Very Small Churches

These statistics from 2018 are gleaned from small and very small church data collected by Kent Fillinger. Be sure to read Fillinger’s article, “2018 Special Church Report, Part 3: Small and Very Small Churches,” and look at the accompanying tables, “The 2018 Charts: Small and Very Small Churches.” _ _ _ AVERAGE ATTENDANCE Small churches: 163 Very Small churches: 54 Combined average weekly attendance (125 churches): 21,701 _ _ _ GROWTH RATES Small churches: 0.03 percent (up from -0.3 percent in 2017); overall, 38 percent of small churches grew (up from 36 percent in 2017) Very Small churches: 1.7 percent

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

The Inescapable Church

By Daniel Schantz A farmer came up to me after a church service and asked, “Which do you think is better, a big church or a small church?” I pondered a moment and then answered with a question of my own: “Well, which is better, a big truck or a small truck?” He grinned. “It depends. If you have a thousand acres of soybeans to harvest, you’ll need an 18-wheeler, but for most farm jobs a pickup truck is about right.” In other words, there is no one-size-fits-all truck. Likewise, there is no one-size-fits-all institution or church. Do all convenience

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

THE BIG CHALLENGE FACING SMALL CHURCHES (8): The Future

By Jerran Jackson Rural churches have faced many challenges, and they will face many more. We have highlighted possible solutions in these articles. While your church may be doing well right now, it’s not inconceivable it could be forced to close its doors within the next 20 years. The best mind-set is a willingness to join Jesus in new adventures. The future for your church might include part-time ministers, mergers, and hiring from within. It’s important to openly discuss and pray about what might be necessary and best for the kingdom. It’s also important to try new approaches. If the

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

THE BIG CHALLENGE FACING SMALL CHURCHES (7): Build a Legacy

By Barney Wells “In this part of the country, there’s a Christian church every five miles, and three in between,” quipped the minister, who had served small-town congregations in the Midwest for decades. Though an overstatement, it does point to a challenge for the rural church. Many rural churches were planted in the days before automobiles and good roads, when the population density of the rural countryside was much greater and you could travel only a few miles in 30 minutes. Back then, more schools, stores, and churches were needed. Over the years, schools have consolidated and stores have closed,

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

THE BIG CHALLENGE FACING SMALL CHURCHES (6): Elders Wanted

By Matt Johnson If many people with leadership gifts and experience attend your church, then your pool of potential leaders is deep. If your church is comprised of people who have little leadership experience or skill, you’re facing a completely different situation. You may have great workers with great hearts, but you may not have competent leaders. It is possible this dynamic contributes to the size of the church. How can the small church cope with a dearth of potential leaders? My response is mostly anecdotal. The church I served until recently, Levittown Christian Church, is in a lower-middle-class, blue-collar

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

THE BIG CHALLENGE FACING SMALL CHURCHES (5): Hope from History

By Jerran Jackson Down through the ages, Jesus has used crises and challenges to renew his church. When Christians by the thousands were leaving their churches to pray alone in the desert, Basil of Caesarea redefined devotion to God by gathering Christians in cities and organizing them both for prayer and for service to their neighbors. When the church became corrupt and Christianity became a superstition, Martin Luther reemphasized the guidance of God’s Word. When dry formalism replaced living faith, Philipp Jakob Spener introduced home Bible studies. Jesus can renew the American church today in similar ways. Before there were

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

THE BIG CHALLENGE FACING SMALL CHURCHES (4): 10 Ways to Develop Ministers

By Jerran Jackson Carlos Fields just wanted to play baseball. So he joined some friends who were playing on a church team. The church’s minister was on the team, and during the season they had several conversations. Carlos was a Christ follower by the time the season ended. The minister continued to work with Carlos, and two years later, the young man was in Bible college. Carlos was familiar with only small and rural churches, so he was not put off by serving those kinds of congregations. Carlos ultimately planted 12 small congregations and led hundreds of people to faith

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

THE BIG CHALLENGE FACING SMALL CHURCHES (3): Hiring a Pastor

By Richard Creek An objective for this article is to determine how many 2019 graduates from Bible colleges will be entering the pastoral/pulpit ministry. The Pastor’s Project contacted nine Bible colleges associated with independent Christian churches and churches of Christ in the United States and Canada. (That’s about one-third of our colleges and universities.) The total number of students from these nine schools entering the pastoral ministry was 17, which is considerably lower than in previous decades. Yet the need for pastors has been increasing. Without a pastor, many rural and small churches go on life support and eventually die.

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

THE BIG CHALLENGE FACING SMALL CHURCHES (2): Rural Churches

By Clark Bates We received a friendly welcome when we entered the Christian church in Beaver City, a small town in rural Nebraska. The service that morning was upbeat, the prayers sincere, and the preaching biblical . . . but where were the people? The sanctuary was large enough to accommodate 150, but that morning only 25 people huddled into one section of pews. After the service, my wife and I spoke with Treg and Beth about the challenges facing the congregation. They shared about the decreasing population of the area, explaining that young people move away for college and

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

THE BIG CHALLENGE FACING SMALL CHURCHES (1): Small Churches

Why do many small and rural churches struggle to find and retain leaders and even to survive? More importantly, what are some solutions? Christian Standard asked Jerran Jackson to lead and manage a project to study these issues. He teamed with four other seasoned leaders who have expertise in the small church to develop this topic. _ _ _ By Jerran Jackson and Barney Wells Many rural and small-town churches are struggling. LifeWay Research found that 60 percent of Protestant churches are plateaued or declining in attendance. And 46 percent say their giving decreased or stayed the same from 2017

August 22, 2019

Michael C. Mack

The Challenges and Hope of Small Rural Churches

By Michael C. Mack It’s no secret that many small churches, especially small rural churches, face numerous challenges. How will the church respond? I asked Jerran Jackson—who for 40 years has served Clarksburg (Indiana) Christian Church, a small, rural congregation—to lead a team of writers to provide analysis, stories, and recommendations. As Jerran and I planned the package of articles, “The Challenges Facing Small Churches,” we discussed a list of issues leaders in struggling churches may be facing. You might use the following questions based on those issues as discussion starters with your team; each is addressed in the articles:

August 22, 2019

Jerry Harris

New Leases on Life in Rural Churches

By Jerry Harris I love rural churches and communities; I have devoted virtually my entire ministry life to them. The bulk of Restoration Movement churches have been rural over our more than 200-year history. The church I serve operates in 11 rural and micropolitan communities, but the stories of two of them—Lima and Mount Sterling, Illinois—can provide hope for many others across the country. The Federated Church of Lima, located in a town of 125 about a half hour north of Quincy, Illinois, was the beneficiary of a literal windfall. After a tornado struck the church on May 10, 2003,

August 22, 2019

Jim Estep

Leading through Rural Church Challenges

By Jim Estep When I hear the word rural, I have flashbacks to my childhood. Not because I was raised on a farm, but because I watched Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, and The Beverly Hillbillies while growing up. I found those shows humorous, but they weren’t documentaries of life in rural America. Elders in rural congregations face many challenges their counterparts in urban and suburban churches do not, but country churches can be very vibrant and successful. Declining Population The rural population has declined over several generations. It’s common for once lively rural communities to now be half their previous

August 22, 2019

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

2018 SPECIAL CHURCH REPORT, PART 3: Small and Very Small Churches

By Kent E. Fillinger This is the final installment of a three-part series sharing the research findings from our annual church survey. The May issue focused on 2018 data from megachurches and emerging megachurches. The August issue covered large and medium churches, and now we conclude the series with statistics from 78 small churches and 47 very small churches. This was the second year of surveying small and very small churches, so I will include some year-to-year comparisons, while acknowledging more data is necessary before identifying trends. Statistical Snapshot Small and very small churches had the slowest growth rates of

August 21, 2019

Christian Standard

Southeast Christian Launching Campus for Senior Adults (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., will open its eighth campus this fall. The new Chapel in the Woods Campus will be near the main Blankenbaker Campus of the megachurch, one of the largest in the Restoration Movement. Chapel in the Woods will be geared for reaching senior adults. “We’ve built a beautiful facility across the street from our Blankenbaker Campus, and everything from the architecture to the parking lot makes this an incredible facility for our senior adults to connect and worship through hymns and classic worship,” said senior pastor Kyle Idleman.

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