Gilbert Foster

I said that I would post some of the material from our sessions with Gilbert Foster.

One of the things that he spoke about on Saturday was the fear in some smaller churches that they would grow. There are a lot of myths around about larger churches. There are a lot of things that we sacrifice when others come into our fellowship. But that's why we exist - so that others will join us as disciples.

Some of the myths that he wanted to dispel included:
Large churches only care about attendance
Large churches grow at the expense of small churches
You must choose between quality and quantity in a church
If you are dedicated enough your church will grow (he contrasted this by speaking of two equal errors - practical humanism where we try and do it all ourselves, and pious irresponsibility where we stand back and forget that God wants to use us in his mission)
There is only one way to church growth
All God expects of us is faithfulness

This last myth may cause a bit of controversy. Yet I agree that it is a myth. God doesn't ask for just faithfulness - he wants fruitfulness. Any survey of the gospels shows us how many times Jesus spoke about his disciples bearing fruit.

More food for thought...