I’ve been reflecting on what kind of church we are becoming. I often talk about church growth. But I need to be clear: size is not the same as health. A small church can be healthy. A large church can be unhealthy. And the reverse is also true. What matters is whether a church is faithful to God’s Word. And dependent on God’s Spirit. And committed to God’s mission.
Church health isn’t the same as church maturity. There’s a helpful way to think about church maturity. A mature church is self-governing, self-sustaining, and self-propagating.
A self-governing church would have a stable, connected, equipped, involved membership. With a critical mass. And be well led by a team of elders. And served by deacons.
A self-sustaining church would see the Lord’s provision through His people’s generosity. It would meet its budget. Staff its ministries. And support its gospel work.
A self-propagating church would see internal growth. Visitors, becoming members. And be reaching out through preaching, evangelism, planting, strengthening, and missions.
Benoni Baptist Church is a healthy church. And Benoni Baptist Church is a mature church. God has given us a good foundation. Solid DNA. We are self-governing. We are self-supporting. And now, it seems the Lord is giving us opportunities to move that DNA outward. To strengthen others. To partner for the glory of God. Andre will talk into this at our QGM this Sunday. I hope you’ll be there.