The other day I was reading a blog post by Perry Noble, and it served as a good reminder of why we do what we do. Why, as Christians, we want to see the numbers grow in our churches. And that reason is because, “Every number has a name, every name has a story, and every story matters to God."
In his post, Perry shares about a note he received from the family of a parishioner, Wilson, who had recently passed away. This note expressed gratitude and love for the ways in which the church had come around the family to support them in their loss, and how the church had been where Wilson had grown to understand the truth of the gospel. Perry expresses such joy for having the privilege of being part of what God is doing in lives. “After reading it I thanked Jesus that He has allowed me to be a part of a church that cares about people far from God.”
But we want the numbers to go up because those numbers are people, and we want people to meet Jesus.
Stories like this are a reminder that growth in the church is not just about getting people in the seats. Yes, we want the numbers to go up. But we want the numbers to go up because those numbers are people, and we want people to meet Jesus. By reaching out to our communities, inviting people to church, engaging in life with others, we get to play an amazing role in the work of redemption God is doing in the world.
So bring on the numbers.
