Week 1: Is Your Church Growing in the Ways That Matter Most?

A pastor can finish a full week of ministry and still wonder whether anything is changing.

The message was prepared. The gathering happened. Someone needed a visit. Another problem needed attention. You worked hard, and much of that work mattered. Yet the question remains: Are people becoming more like Jesus?

That question can be uncomfortable. It can also bring relief. It invites us to look beyond everything we are trying to maintain and remember the people God has entrusted to our care.

Looking beyond the weekly count

In Future Church: Seven Laws of Real Church Growth, Will Mancini and Cory Hartman challenge church leaders to move beyond treating attendance and participation as sufficient evidence of disciple making. Their concern invites an honest examination of what our ministries actually produce.

Attendance matters because people matter. Welcoming a new believer matters. Noticing that someone has stopped gathering matters. Financial records also help us steward resources responsibly.

But those numbers cannot tell the whole story.

A person can attend regularly while remaining unwilling to forgive. A volunteer can serve faithfully while treating family members harshly. A congregation can offer sound teaching without helping people practice what they hear.

The same is true of small churches. Being small does not automatically make us relationally healthy or spiritually mature. It does, however, give many of us opportunities to know people closely enough to notice their growth and walk beside them.

Remember what Jesus commissioned

In Matthew 28:18–20, Jesus commissions His followers to make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything He commanded. Teaching matters deeply. So does the movement from understanding to obedience.

James 1:22 similarly connects hearing God's Word with doing it.

This does not mean we earn God's love through better performance. God's grace meets us in Christ and teaches us a new way of living. Our ministry helps people respond to that grace in ordinary life.

What might that look like?

• A husband begins listening before defending himself.
• A business owner chooses honesty when dishonesty would be profitable.
• Two church members begin repairing a broken relationship.
• A new believer learns to pray in their own words.
• Someone who once avoided neighbors starts showing patient, practical care.

These moments may never appear in an attendance report. They deserve a place in our prayers and leadership conversations.

Notice the fruit without creating another burden

Pastor, you do not need a complicated assessment system this week.

At your next conversation with a trusted leader, ask: Where have we seen someone take a step of obedience to Jesus recently?

Listen carefully. Celebrate what God is doing. If examples are difficult to name, respond with curiosity rather than shame. Perhaps growth is happening quietly. Perhaps your people need more help connecting Sunday's teaching with Monday's decisions.

Then ask: What could we do to support one next step?

You might follow a sermon with a conversation about applying it. You might invite someone to pray alongside you during a visit. You might ask a small group to return the following week ready to discuss what they practiced.

Seek people's permission before sharing their stories. Some of the most meaningful growth involves private struggles that should remain private.

Your setting matters

Church life looks different across the world. Some congregations own buildings; others meet in homes or borrowed spaces. Some leaders serve full time; others lead alongside demanding employment. Some churches can gather publicly; others must exercise great caution.

The authors write primarily about North American church life. We should consider their questions thoughtfully in our own settings rather than assume every diagnosis fits every congregation.

Christlike love, growing obedience, and faithful witness matter in every setting. Their expression will reflect the people and circumstances around you.

And visible numerical growth is never a guaranteed timetable for faithful ministry. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:6–7 that God gives the growth. We plant and water faithfully while trusting Him with what we cannot control.

One step this week

Write down one example of growth you have noticed and one person you could encourage. Thank God for that person. Let them know what you see.

Your church's future can begin with learning to notice the work God is already doing.

Let's talk about your church. What is one sign of spiritual growth you are seeing—or hoping to see? Visit SmallChurchGuys.com and send us a short message beginning, “In our church, we are hoping to see…” A sentence is enough. If you would rather talk, let us know you would like to arrange a conversation. You do not need to have everything figured out to begin.

Next week: How can a busy pastor help people grow without adding another program?

Reading credit: This reflection engages themes from Will Mancini and Cory Hartman's Future Church: Seven Laws of Real Church Growth (Baker Books, 2020). The biblical reflections, examples, and weekly exercise are Small Church Guys applications. Learn about the book.