Chesterbrook Taiwanese Presbyterian Church

I just got back from a conference in D.C. called “Gospel Growth vs. Church Growth” cosponsored by 9Marks ministries and a ministry from Australia called Matthias Media (MM). Here’s their introductory statement of the program brochure:

“We can only think of a few areas in which Australia is ahead of the United States: rugby, cricket, and godlessness”

In other words, Australia has been ministering in a relativistic, biblically illiterate, and post-Christian context for many decades now. MM saw a lack of resources and tools to minister to such a context, so they sought to develop their own. They’ve been flying under the radar here in the States, so it was interesting to to learn from our neighbors from down under as we see our context head down that same road.

When the world changes, the church has always sought to keep up with the times. The question is how and at what expense? Ultimately, the question becomes too pragmatic. The end result of erring on pragmatism is to base a church’s practices on outcomes. This is when the church starts looking like a business with the pastor as CEO. The bait is Jesus and the switch is the church. No wonder it’s not working. So we look to the next big thing.

Honestly, as a pastor, it’s tempting to look to the next big thing. The next trend, methodology, and innovation. I’m not down on them, but if it becomes the driving force behind a ministry, then it just never ends. Thankfully this conference was not about a guru telling us all thing great and innovative ways he is impacting the culture. In fact, I never heard of these guys. Honestly, their teaching wasn’t all that dynamic presentation wise. No powerpoint. No bells and whistles. But one thing, perhaps the most important thing, is that they know the power of the gospel to change lives. Here’s their ministry philosophy:

In the end, the conference really challenged my warped perception of what success means in ministry. It’s not about how many people are in the pews, but how many are growing in the gospel. This was the distinction MM was trying to make all week. It’s not church growth, but gospel growth. The last talk by Phillip Jensen was my favorite and clearly defined for me what my life should be about, and what CTPC should be striving towards:

Sticking with Jesus
It’s all about Jesus. We cannot go beyond Christ. Get to know Him in the Word. Jesus is enough…

Gospel Growth is Long Term and Slow
There are no quick fixes. Growth is incremental which means we need to be patient with ourselves and others. When we think of each other, let’s consider partnering in a long-term journey.

Gather and Speak Words of Truth To Each Other
Growing together means we need to read scriptures and listen together what God is saying. In other words, we must learn how to minister to each other with the gospel.

Gospel Growth is a Work of God
We all have a role to play and we should do our part. But ultimately, gospel growth is God’s job not ours. We are called to be faithful and persevering in our work.

What does this mean for us? I’ve realized for a while now that our church will never win church growth awards. Our church looks like a school. There aren’t many people out there who would identify themselves as Taiwanese. Even if someone does, it doesn’t mean they would want to go to one. Yet, we are entrusted with the gospel. The thing that kept echoing in my mind for my personally is, how am I seeking gospel growth in my own life? How about my family. It all starts at home. But as I think about the people around us, this thought keeps coming to me. We are to point people to Jesus one person at a time. We are to seek gospel growth one person at a time. That’s really at the heart of MM and I hope in part that we can see that in my life and in our church.

peace,
Pastor Ken