Knowing and Doing

Okay, some of you that know me well may get mad, confused, or you may just "Amen" as I write about this interesting subject of church growth. There is so much pressure on the pastor today to grow the church. As a matter of fact, most search committees want to know how a pastor plans to grow the church. There are tons of books written by pastors who have been successful in growing the mega church. Unfortunately we see pastors who use churches as stepping stones to reach the next "better and bigger" church where he will make more money and end up retiring in a mega church at a ripe old age. That is success!! (I hope you know I am being sarcastic in that last line) In this grand land where we live, we are measured by success and why shouldnt it be the same in the church. Church Growth now means physical growth. We are very unconcerned with the spiritual growth of churches. I mentioned Sunday in my sermon on Romans 1:16-17 that someone sent me a forwarded email ...

House church leader Hua Huiqi hoped to attend service with President Bush. DUBLIN, August 11 (Compass Direct News) – Security agents yesterday seized Christian activist and house church pastor Hua Huiqi on his way to a service at the government-approved Kuanjie Protestant Church in Beijing, where U.S. President George Bush was scheduled to appear. Bush later attended the service before meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao to discuss human rights concerns, including religious freedom. “I told him not to go because it’s during the Olympic Games, and this period is sensitive,” Hua’s brother Hua Huilin told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. AP reporters said the line was disconnected three times during the conversation, suggesting that authorities were monitoring the phone call. When Hua insisted on going, however, his brother agreed to travel with him. As the men cycled towards the church, two black cars approached them. Police seized both men and took them away in sepa...