Stop asking God for a big vision

I noticed the other day that another book about church growth had been released. Thank goodness, too, because there aren’t enough books out there about that topic. In fact, when I searched online for a book about church growth, Google was only able to find 65,600,000 of them for me to choose from.

Out of curiosity, I also searched for books on church health, and I was surprised to find that there are almost 3.5 times as many books on that subject (215 million according to Google). Apparently, we haven’t been reading these books because if churches were healthy, we probably wouldn’t need all those books on how to grow, since healthy things tend to grow naturally. I mean, when’s the last time you had to read a book about how to get your kids to grow, right?

My point isn’t really to knock the fact that another book has been released about church growth, but to challenge the leaders who, like me, could be tempted to fall for the shiny object that is fast church growth.

We’re fascinated by it, obsessed with it, and celebrated for it.

But if we’re all about having the big thing, we won’t be able to survive it when – or if – we get it.

I would go so far as to tell every pastor and church leader to stop asking God for a big vision until you’re willing to pray for one more thing: the willingness to play a small part in its fulfillment.

Let me say that again. Stop asking God for a big vision if you aren’t also willing to play the smallest part in seeing it come to pass.

Having a big vision doesn’t necessarily guarantee that we’ll have a big role in it. I fear that celebrity culture has tempted too many pastors and ministry leaders to bypass the foundational need for humility and contentment as we race for the spotlight and the platform.

Jesus didn’t seem too worried about growth not happening when he talked to his followers about the kingdom:

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭31‬-‭32‬, emphasis mine)

When, not if. Jesus knew how His kingdom would grow. He knew that He would build His church no matter how poorly we swing the hammer, and that given enough time, what starts small in one season would certainly look quite a bit bigger in another.

I would argue that Jesus was a lot more concerned about the hearts of His followers than the size of their potential ministries. It’s probably because He remembered what He had said to Zerubbabel:

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” (‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭4‬:‭10, emphasis mine)

The Lord rejoices in small beginnings, but He also rejoices in the people who begin small. He was happy to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand, but was also challenging the plumb line of Zerubbabel’s heart.

The Lord isn’t concerned about the building being built. He knows that will happen. But what He is concerned about is the builder. He challenges the heart of the builders by telling us not to despise the small thing for being small, and not to grow disillusioned if the small thing takes longer than expected to get bigger.

Friend, you are chosen by God to do the work you’re doing, and when you see the big picture of what the King is building, you’ll find yourself honored to have been given any part in the process.

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