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The Six Growth Forces: Learning How Living Things Develop - Week 8

  Week 8 of the Small Church Guys series: Healthy Things Grow—A Biblical and Global Approach to Natural Church Development A church is not a machine. That may sound obvious, but much of modern ministry can unintentionally treat the church as though it were one. Machines are built. Machines are assembled. Machines are controlled. If a machine stops producing the desired result, we replace a part, adjust a setting, add power, or redesign the system. Living things are different. Living things grow. They develop. They reproduce. They adapt. They depend upon relationships with other living things. They use available resources. They experience seasons. They produce fruit. And perhaps most importantly, life cannot simply be manufactured from the outside . This distinction sits near the heart of Natural Church Development. During the first seven weeks of this series, we have repeatedly returned to one central conviction: Healthy things grow. We have explored the eight...

God Gives the Growth—but Pastors Still Plant and Water - Week 7

Week 7 of the Small Church Guys series: Healthy Things Grow—A Biblical and Global Approach to Natural Church Development Pastors live with a tension that can become exhausting.  On one hand, Scripture is clear: God alone produces spiritual life.  On the other hand, Scripture is equally clear: pastors and churches still have work to do. We are called to preach,  Teach,  Pray,  Disciple,  Equip,  Organize,  Serve,  Evangelize,  Develop leaders,  Care for people,  Evaluate fruit, a nd sometimes make difficult changes.  So which is it?  Do we trust God to grow His Church?  Or do we work intentionally to make the church healthier? The biblical answer is both . Paul captured this tension beautifully: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” —1 Corinthians 3:6 Paul did not say: “I planted, Apollos watered, and together we figured out how to make the church grow.” Neither did he say: “God gives ...