Mike Puddicombe Church growth is one of those topics that can make leaders either lean in—or quietly tense up. We’ve all heard the debates:
Does God actually want churches to grow?
Is numerical growth the same thing as spiritual health?
If my church isn’t growing, am I failing?
These are honest questions, and they deserve thoughtful, grace-filled answers.
When we talk about growing versus dying churches, the issue is not about guilt, pressure, or comparison. Far too much damage has been done by measuring faithfulness solely by attendance charts.
Instead, the deeper issue is what kind of growth God desires—and what we are willing to do to participate in it.
What Do We Really Mean by “Church Growth”?
When people hear the phrase church growth, they often think immediately in numbers: attendance, giving, programs, and buildings. But growth can also be qualitative, not just quantitative.
Healthy churches grow in:
- Spiritual maturity
- Missional clarity
- Obedient discipleship
- Kingdom impact
That said, Scripture consistently points to a God whose kingdom expands. From Genesis to Revelation, God is always drawing more people into His redemptive story. Numerical growth is not everything—but it is something.
Importantly, not every pastor is called to lead a megachurch, and not every congregation will experience the same kind of growth. God assigns different fields of harvest. The question is not how big your church becomes, but whether you are faithfully cultivating the soil God has entrusted to you.
Growth Without Shortcuts
One of the most common temptations in ministry is to assume that somewhere else would be easier.
A new location.
A new demographic.
A new congregation.
But the grass is rarely greener on the other side. More often, God calls leaders to stay planted—deeply rooted—in the place where they already are. Growth does not usually come through relocation or reinvention alone, but through obedient persistence.
There are no spiritual shortcuts. Waiting on God, listening carefully, and responding faithfully tends to produce the kind of growth that fits your context—not someone else’s success story.
The Hidden Cost of Growth
Here’s the hard truth many leaders discover too late:
As churches grow, resistance to growth often increases.
Barriers emerge—structural, emotional, relational, and spiritual. One well-known example is the “100 barrier.” In North America, only a small percentage of churches ever move beyond it. Why?
Because growth comes at a cost.
- The pastor can no longer be available to everyone at all times
- Leadership must shift from solo ministry to shared leadership
- Long-standing patterns and expectations must change
- Comfort gives way to complexity
This transition is painful—not just for pastors, but for congregations. Growth forces a move away from the familiar “shepherd-only” model toward equipping others for ministry. While this shift is necessary for long-term health, it often feels disruptive in the short term.
Why Many Churches Stall
Most churches say they want to grow. Far fewer are willing to pay the price required for growth.
Growth requires:
- Letting go of control
- Embracing change
- Developing new leaders
- Releasing ministry to others
When these costs feel too high, churches often settle into maintenance mode. The result isn’t neutrality—it’s decline.
Jesus’ words in the Great Commission are not optional suggestions. They are a call to movement, multiplication, and obedience:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19–20)
Growth, in some form, is embedded in the mission itself.
Key Characteristics of Growing Churches
Growing churches are not perfect churches—but they tend to share several observable traits:
- Consistent numerical growth, even if gradual
- Low dropout rates, with people staying engaged
- New and younger people becoming involved
- Intentional efforts to remove barriers to growth
These churches recognize obstacles early and address them rather than ignoring them.
Signs of Stagnant or Dying Churches
By contrast, declining churches often show a different pattern:
- No measurable numerical growth
- High dropout rates
- Members quietly disengaging or drifting away
- Resistance to change framed as faithfulness
These signs rarely appear overnight. Decline is usually slow, subtle, and normalized—until it becomes undeniable.
A Final Word of Hope
The difference between growing and dying churches is not talent, luck, or location. More often, it comes down to vision, obedience, and willingness to change.
God’s desire is not to shame struggling congregations—but to renew them. Growth begins when leaders and churches honestly assess where they are, trust God where they’ve been planted, and courageously remove the barriers standing in the way of new life.
The question is not “Why aren’t we growing?”
It’s “What is God asking us to change so growth can occur?”