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.

September 19, 2018

Christian Standard

3 Imperatives for Healthy, Effective Rural Church Planters

By David Dummitt The U.S. Department of Agriculture quantifies rural areas as the 14 percent of the U.S. population that lives on 72 percent of the land. That 14 percent sounds deceptively small, but in reality it’s 46 million people . . . real people with real lives, real joys, real problems . . . and a real need for the gospel. It’s fanciful to think rural areas are saturated with picturesque, steeple-laden churches where everyone in town gathers for potlucks, prayers, and tight-knit biblical community—Mayberry, if you will. But the realities of modern, rural America are more sinister than such stereotypes.

September 19, 2018

Jerry Harris

Rural and Small-Church Best Practices: Pastoral Networking

How several smaller churches and congregations in rural or small-town areas are overcoming isolation through intentional interaction and working together with other area ministers By Rick Lowry Pastors who minister in rural areas or smaller towns can sometimes feel isolated. Most have good friends who are members of their church, but it often takes a pastor to understand a pastor. Interaction with other ministers can be a source of encouragement, a place to discuss problems, and a great way to hear new ideas. Many pastors of smaller churches have found creative ways to get together with one another for support

August 2, 2018

Christian Standard

A Fall Kickoff to Keep People Coming Back

By David Dummitt Back-to-school season is a natural time for people to create new routines and rhythms, which makes fall a strategic time to not only attract new people to your church, but also to encourage them to come back week after week. As we plan for fall, we should consider how to maximize our opportunity to connect with people in relevant ways that make them want to call our churches their churches. Although there’s no formula for introducing people to the church and weaving them into community, we can create enticing environments that meet felt needs, provide opportunities that

July 14, 2018

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

Knowing Where You’re Going Pays Off

By Kent Fillinger I love quotes and short sayings. A favorite of mine is, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there,” from Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger adapted it slightly as, “If you don’t know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.” But the best mutation of the saying comes from baseball icon (and celebrated linguist) Yogi Berra: “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” Regardless of which version you prefer, here’s the point:

July 6, 2018

Christian Standard

2017 Fast Facts about Small Churches and Very Small Churches

AVERAGE SIZE Small churches: 174 Very Small churches: 60 Combined average weekly attendance (128 churches): 16,469   GROWTH RATES Small churches: -0.3 percent; overall, 36 percent of the small churches grew. Very Small churches: 5.5 percent; overall, 44 percent of very small churches grew.   FASTEST-GROWING SMALL CHURCHES Cornerstone Christian Church, Springfield, KY, 65.5 percent Westside Christian Church, Bradenton, FL, 15.5 percent Ridgeview Christian Church, Rolla, MO, 14.6 percent   FASTEST-GROWING VERY SMALL CHURCHES Creekside Community Church, Hot Springs, AR, 51.7 percent New Hope Christian Church, Belton, MO, 51.1 percent Restoration Christian Church, Rogersville, MO, 40 percent   BAPTISMS Small churches baptized 800 people (an average

July 6, 2018

Christian Standard

The 2017 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 77 small churches (average weekly worship attendance of 100 to 249 during 2017) and 51 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 72 emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999). In June we spotlighted 91 large churches (500 to 999 in weekly attendance) and 83 medium churches (250 to 499). Click here to view and download 2017 Charts3, with data from small churches and

July 5, 2018

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

Special Church Report Part 3: Small and Very Small Churches

By Kent Fillinger This is the final installment in a trilogy of articles from our annual church survey. If you missed the updates on megachurches and emerging megachurches from May and large and medium churches from June, I suggest you backtrack and read those articles—and view those charts—as well. For the first time, our survey included churches with attendances of fewer than 250. We received responses from 77 small churches (average weekly worship attendance of 100 to 249) and 51 very small churches (attendance of fewer than 100).   Click here to access “The 2017 Charts: Small and Very Small

June 22, 2018

Christian Standard

Restoring God’s Dream for Our World

By Jon Ferguson  I first heard the phrase “helping people find their way back to God” at a small-group training conference. Author and small-group training guru Lyman Coleman would retell the story of the prodigal son at these conferences. With great conviction, he would remind us that every one of us is a prodigal, and that countless prodigals in all of our neighborhoods desperately want to “find their way back to God.” Those words resonated deep in our souls. Through the years, Community Christian Church’s mission statement has remained the same: “Helping people find their way back to God.” And

June 21, 2018

Jerry Harris

Is the Independent Christian Church Taking Ground?

By Jerry Harris Is the independent Christian church taking ground? That depends on how you measure it. One could measure it by the weekly attendance of affiliated churches, because numerical growth is probably the most common measurement of “taking ground.” By this type of measurement, independent Christian churches are advancing like never before. Our churches fill the lists of Outreach magazine’s largest and fastest-growing churches. Kent Fillinger’s study in our May issue (“Special Church Report Part 1: Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches”) indicates we are building, baptizing, and boldly dreaming like never before. Our mission efforts are also gaining ground as we

June 10, 2018

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

Monthly Attendance: The New Norm?

By Kent E. Fillinger “Is monthly attendance the new norm?” asked the headline of a recent article by Warren Bird, director of research at Leadership Network. The trend for several years is that regular churchgoers attend less frequently. Bird said his research shows the typical church reaches 1.8 times its average weekly attendance in a month. He said the average doesn’t change much regardless of the size of the church, age of the church, or age of the lead pastor. Therefore, a typical church can determine how many different people attend each month by multiplying the average weekend worship attendance

May 22, 2018

Christian Standard

2017 Fast Facts about Large Churches and Medium Churches

AVERAGE SIZE Large churches: 724 Medium churches: 363 Combined average weekly attendance for these 174 churches: 96,012   GROWTH RATES Large churches: 2.9 percent (down from 4.3 percent in 2016); overall, 56 percent of the large churches grew (down from 69 percent in 2016). Medium churches: 1.3 percent (down from 2.1 percent in 2016); overall, 49 percent of medium churches grew (down from 62 percent in 2016).   FASTEST-GROWING LARGE CHURCHES Hope City Church, Joplin, MO, 32.5 percent The Crossing Church, Batavia, OH, 28.9 percent Restoration Park Church, Medway, OH, 26.9 percent   FASTEST-GROWING MEDIUM CHURCHES CrossPointe Christian Church, Valparaiso, IN, 23.6 percent The Journey

May 18, 2018

Christian Standard

The 2017 Charts: Large Churches and Medium Churches

Our annual listing of churches is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s most popular features. This year scores of churches participated, including 91 large churches (those with 500 to 999 in weekly attendance during 2017) and 83 medium churches (250 to 499). In May we featured an article and statistics from 55 megachurches (2,000 or more in weekly attendance) and 72 emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999). Come back next month for articles and charts from small (100–249) and very small churches (less than 100). Click here to view and download 2017 Charts2, with data from large churches and medium churches . . .

May 17, 2018

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

Special Church Report Part 2: Large and Medium Churches

By Kent Fillinger This month, the focus is on large churches (average worship attendance of 500 to 999) and medium churches (250 to 499 weekly) from our annual church survey. If you missed the May issue on megachurches and emerging megachurches, you can read it online to get caught up. Next month, I’ll conclude this series with a report on small churches (averaging 100 to 249 weekly) and very small churches (fewer than 100) and share the first-ever recorded data on these two church sizes. Here are some stats and stories that show the major themes that emerged for large

May 16, 2018

Christian Standard

Beyond Building Concepts and Renovations

LifePointe Christian Church in Elk Grove, California, develops a new space to reflect what they already have—deep relationships.   By Mel McGowan “Imagine the church being the community of people that it’s supposed to be, where we are choosing to connect in deep, meaningful ways with others through relationship so we can pursue life to the fullest in Jesus,” says Chris Delfs, senior pastor of LifePointe Christian Church in Elk Grove, California. Delfs is talking about something that goes beyond building concepts and renovations. He desires to re-create his congregation’s current space into something that is warm and welcoming—a beautiful

April 28, 2018

Christian Standard

Finding Hope in the Numbers

By Emily Drayne In the six-plus years I’ve served with the International Conference on Missions (ICOM), I’ve learned that determining the total number of active missionaries is like trying to hold water in your hands. Both are difficult, slippery, and elusive, but I’ve found it’s possible to count missionaries if you do your research and find credible sources. The biggest challenges we face as we count missionaries include these: some serve in sensitive areas and closed countries (and the sponsoring groups are less apt to publicize information about them); some are transitioning to a new location; some are leaving the

April 26, 2018

Jerry Harris

Seven Reasons Why Reporting Numbers Is Important

By Jerry Harris I’ve asked a few fellow megachurch pastors why they no longer submit numbers to Christian Standard’s annual report. The most common reason I have heard is a concern that either pride or a spirit of competition is connected with reporting average attendance and baptisms. I can understand that, but I would like to share some reasons why I think it’s extremely important for all churches to submit their statistics. 1. No matter our location or size, we are all on the same team. When our numbers go up, the kingdom is growing, and that is worth celebrating.

April 21, 2018

Christian Standard

Pastors Include Drive-Bys in Weekend Attendance Figures

By Caleb Kaltenbach PARKER, CO—Independent Christian church pastors were thrilled to learn they can now count people who drive past their church during a service as part of their weekend attendance. The decision—part of an effort to boost numbers—was made at a meeting of the NACC Board of Stewards and other leaders. The decision included two stipulations: (1) Those driving by may be counted only during the first 30 minutes of the service, and (2) If not everyone in the passing vehicle can be counted, the vehicle counts as only 1 person. Many excited ministers have already acted on the

April 15, 2018

Christian Standard

2017 Fast Facts about Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches

These statistics from 2017 are gleaned from megachurch and emerging megachurch data collected by Kent Fillinger. Be sure to read Fillinger’s article, “Special Church Report Part 1: Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches,” and look at the accompanying tables (“The 2017 Charts: Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches”).   Compiled by Kent Fillinger AVERAGE SIZE Megachurches: 5,307 Emerging Megachurches: 1,366 Combined average weekly attendance: 390,218 GROWTH RATES Megachurches: 5.7% (up from 3.4% in 2016); overall, 71% of megachurches grew (up from 61% in 2016). Emerging Megachurches: 4.1% (up from 2 percent in 2016); overall, 57% of emerging megachurches grew (down from 61% in 2016).

April 14, 2018

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

Special Church Report Part 1: Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches

By Kent E. Fillinger This marks my 14th consecutive year of staying up late for weeks on end crunching numbers, looking for trends, and jotting down insights about our Restoration Movement churches to share with you. This year is special because it’s the first time Christian Standard opened up the annual survey to churches of every size. More than 400 churches from 39 states ranging in size from 12 to 28,216 responded to the survey, and I’m grateful for each one! I’m going to share in-depth results from the survey and analyze the data in my next few monthly articles.

April 13, 2018

Christian Standard

The 2017 Charts: Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches

Our annual megachurch listing is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s most popular features. This year scores of churches participated, including 55 megachurches (those with 2,000 or more in weekly attendance during 2017) and 72 emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999). Come back next month for articles and charts from large churches (those that averaged 500—999) and medium churches (250—499). In two months, we will post data and have feature articles from small (100—249) and very small churches (less than 100). Click here to view and download the 2017 Charts, or click on them individually. 2017 Megachurches 2017 Emerging Megachurches

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