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.

June 19, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Discovery Christian Church, Broomfield, CO

By Justin Horey Discovery Christian Church already has one slightly unconventional building, but its plans for future development are far more progressive and ambitious. Broomfield, Colorado, is a high-tech city with rural roots, so Discovery”s existing building””a 20,000-square-foot, multipurpose structure designed to resemble a barn””is a tribute to the city”s history. With that facility in place, lead pastor Steve Cuss said Discovery plans to use the rest of its 18 acres in radical ways “to meet the needs of our city.” Discovery”s motto is “Loving God and Serving Others,” and the master plan for the church”s site emphasizes those two

June 19, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” True North Church, Perth, Australia

By Jennifer Johnson Perth, Australia, is one of the most isolated major urban centers in the world, more than a thousand miles from another large city and closer to Indonesia than to Sydney. Tens of thousands of aboriginal Australians still live in the region, and their myths and legends continue to influence the area”s cultural values. More than a religion, this indigenous worldview of “the dreamtime” shapes their perspective on the creation of the world and how to live in it. True North Church includes these parts of their story in every aspect of their two campuses, which include a

June 19, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” 2|42 Community Church, Brighton, MI

By Justin Horey and Jennifer Johnson 2|42 Community Church (pronounced “Two Forty-Two”) didn”t mind being a portable church in its early years. In fact, lead pastor David Dummitt liked being portable. He found that the weekly set-up and tear-down made it easy to involve men, who sometimes struggle to find their place in a new church. Moreover, the lack of a building allowed 2|42 to invest more money into ministry and community outreach. During that time, Dummitt said, the number one question he heard from other pastors was, “When are you going to build?” Dummitt and his team didn”t want

June 19, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Grace Place, Berthoud, CO

By Jennifer Johnson Sometimes it”s not about the church building, but how buildings can point to the grandeur of God. When Grace Place was able to get its current property fronting U.S. 287 in Berthoud, Colorado, the design team realized the buildings were less significant than the unhindered view of sunrises and sunsets over the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Today the highly-visible church property is not only the gateway to the town but also a community space with glass roll-up doors, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, and an upper deck that provides “bleacher seating” for the beauty of creation.

June 18, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” New City Church, Phoenix, AZ

By Justin Horey Downtown Phoenix, Arizona, is home to a burgeoning art scene. In the center of it all””on Central Avenue, in fact””is New City Church. Lead pastor Brian Kruckenberg describes New City as “a church in the middle of the city, for the city.” In Phoenix, being “for the city” means reaching the local artists” community. New City”s first building was a house that doubled as an art gallery. New City Church worshipped in the house on Sundays, but it was also used by local artists who stored supplies on site and even taught classes in the building. Kruckenberg

June 17, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” The Crossroads Church, Anthem, AZ

By Jennifer Johnson The developers behind Anthem, Arizona, envisioned a community that would be “heaven on earth” for its residents. Waterfalls surround the entrance and a huge park offers fishing, skating, walking trails, and train rides. In 2001, the National Association of Home Builders named this city in the rolling foothills of Gavilan Peak the “Best Master Planned Community” in the country. While Anthem”s 30,000 residents enjoy an abundance of schools, recreation centers, and greenbelts, The Crossroads Church invites its community to experience true abundant life at a “crossroads” where they can engage in a faith journey. The design concept

June 16, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Restore Church, Silver Spring, MD

By Justin Horey In the fall of 2016, Restore Church of Silver Spring, Maryland, opened “The Living Room,” a coworking space where individuals have access to open office space, a kitchen, Wi-Fi, printing, scanning, coffee, and tea for a small monthly membership fee. The Living Room is one of a growing number of shared office environments around the country tailored to freelancers and telecommuters who don”t need a full-time office but prefer not to work out of their home. “The Living Room gives us a space where we can connect in relationships,” said pastor and church planter Aaron Thomas. “By

June 15, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Crosspointe Church of Cary, Cary, NC

By Jennifer Johnson A hundred years ago, churches were commonly known for building hospitals, schools, universities, and community centers that served their surrounding neighbors instead of constructing buildings that served solely their own purposes. In that spirit, Crosspointe Church of Cary partnered with the YMCA to create a multipurpose facility that provides opportunities for work and recreation as well as worship. The church built the facility on its property and the Y leases space from the church and operates independently. The YMCA doesn”t offer programming on Sunday mornings or evenings, so Crosspointe uses portions of the extended campus as needed

June 14, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” CrossWinds Church, Pleasanton, CA

By Jennifer Johnson The land surrounding CrossWinds Church in central California was once used to nurture cattle and provide dairy products to the surrounding area. When the church acquired the Friesman Brothers farm, the property included a house more than a century old, crumbling barns, and bridges originally used to cross the river that divides the property into three sections. Today, boards from the barn, metal roofs from the outbuildings, and other reclaimed material has been upcycled to preserve the character of this historic land while creating the new home of CrossWinds Church. The buildings are set back from busy

June 12, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Journey Church, Three Way, TN

By Justin Horey At Journey Church in Three Way, Tennessee (near Jackson), lead pastor and church planter Jeremy Brown likes to ask, “What would we do if we didn”t have to do anything?” That approach led to Journey meeting at the Fun Zone””West Tennessee”s premier indoor inflatable party center””in the early years of its existence. Every Sunday morning, a team of volunteers from the church would deflate and roll up 13 large jumpers before setting up for worship. Afterward, volunteers would unroll and reinflate the jumpers. Brown liked the message the Fun Zone location conveyed to outsiders. “No one who

June 11, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Bayside Church, Roseville, CA

By Jennifer Johnson Lots of churches want to save money on their facilities, but Bayside Church is finding new ways to strategically finance its buildings without sacrificing form or function. At its original campus in Granite Bay, the church has developed a 10-year plan to anchor an area of retail, entertainment, and hotels. The church occupies one parcel of the development and recently sold another section to Top Golf, a multilevel entertainment area and driving range. Their director of real estate development manages the plan, ensuring that funds for property improvement and parking lots come from new businesses and not

June 10, 2017

Christian Standard

From House Churches to Church Houses

Where early Christians worshipped and why By Pat Magness and Lee Magness How have believers through the centuries used church buildings to express and extend the gospel? A simple survey can lend insight to those making church building decisions today. Where have believers worshipped God over the centuries? The Psalms picture ancient Israelites giving praise to God as individuals in a variety of settings. But the construction of the tabernacle, the building of the temple, and the development and spread of synagogues demonstrate that the use of buildings for corporate worship was also a high priority among God”s chosen people.

June 9, 2017

Christian Standard

Church Building the New Testament Way

By Doug Lucas Suppose the Restoration Movement churches (Christian churches and churches of Christ) want to restore the New Testament practice of constructing or buying church buildings. What would it look like? Easy answer. To my knowledge, throughout all the New Testament, there”s not a single example of constructing or buying a building. The book of Acts records exponential church growth without buildings. And, according to Matthew 28:19, 20, our core mandate is to make disciples who will make disciples””not build buildings. Making disciples always needs to be at the center of everything we do, whether it be going, baptizing,

June 7, 2017

Christian Standard

The REAL Cost of Facility Ownership

By Tim Cool I come from a background of planning and building ministry facilities. I have been blessed to invest 30 years of my life into developing new and renovating existing ministry facilities. That phase of my life brought me great joy and fulfillment.  But now I am very burdened by the millions . . . and billions . . . of dollars spent each year on religious construction without a clear understanding of the real cost of ownership. Most ministry leaders, I think, do not understand that the ongoing costs of a building eclipse the initial costs, and do

June 5, 2017

Christian Standard

Urban Churches, Creative Solutions

By Brent Storms Where to meet presents special challenges for new congregations in expensive, congested cities. Urban churches are finding solutions that offer lessons for anyone”s church building decisions. One of the biggest challenges of starting a church in a city center or urban context is finding the right facility for Sunday gatherings. Space is limited. Landlords are skeptical. Prices are (often) outrageous. One example of the challenges: hotly contested lawsuits have bounced from court to court over whether churches should be allowed to rent New York City public schools for religious services. Some churches have been in public schools,

June 4, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Should We Build It? Will They Come?

By Mark A. Taylor We wanted experience from church leaders who have led their congregations to build. We were able to spend an hour with four who brought insight and a couple of warnings for any congregation considering a building campaign:  Gene Appel, senior pastor with Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, California;  Gary Johnson, lead servant with The Creek in Indianapolis, Indiana;  Darrel Land, senior minister with Redemption Christian Church in Jasper, Indiana; and  David Vaughan, senior minister with Whitewater Crossing Christian Church in Cleves, Ohio. Here are excerpts from that conversation. Tell us about your last building project. Appel:

May 5, 2017

Christian Standard

Questions Worth Asking (2016 Megachurch & Statistics Report)

By Kent E. Fillinger Leading a church is a complex undertaking. The challenges can seem to mount more quickly than answers or resources become available. However, asking good questions is helpful. And asking the right questions as a leader is a game changer. One question I always ask is, “What can we learn from our annual survey data to apply to life and ministry?” Here are some important findings from key survey questions, and I”ve included some application questions for you and your team to discuss. One of this year”s survey questions was, “What questions or issues is your church

May 4, 2017

Christian Standard

Statistical Snippets from Our Survey of Churches

By Kent E. Fillinger AVERAGE SIZE Megachurches: 4,898. Emerging Megachurches: 1,358. Combined average weekly attendance: 375,324.   GROWTH RATES Megachurches: 3.4 percent (up from 1.3 percent in 2015); overall, 61 percent of megachurches grew (up from 54 percent in 2015). Emerging Megachurches: 2 percent (the same as 2015); overall, 61 percent of emerging megachurches grew (up from 57 percent in 2015). Large churches: 4.3 percent (up from 4.1 percent in 2015); overall, 69 percent of large churches grew last year. Medium churches: 2.1 percent (down from 3.3 percent in 2015); overall, 62 percent of medium churches grew last year.  

May 3, 2017

Christian Standard

Megachurches and More: The 2016 Charts

Our annual megachurch listing is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s most popular features. This year hundreds of churches participated, including 55 megachurches (those with 2,000 or more in weekly attendance) and 78 emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999). This chart also includes listings for scores of large churches (with average attendance of 500 to 999) and medium churches (250-499) Click here to view and download the 2016 Charts, or click on them individually. “¢ 2016 Megachurches “¢ 2016 Emerging Megachurches “¢ 2016 Large Churches “¢ 2016 Medium Churches  

March 29, 2017

Christian Standard

The Church Every Generation Needs

By Jim Tune I keep coming across articles about millennials. Most of them are written by millennials (those aged 20″“35) about why they”re done with church. A recent article advised churches to start listening to millennials, to ditch vision and mission statements, to stop preaching at people, to disclose on the church”s website how every dollar is spent, and more. “Decide if millennials actually matter to you and let us know,” it concluded. “In the meantime, we”ll be over here in our sweatpants listening to podcasts.” Articles like these make some valid points. Many millennials aren”t part of a church.

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