This article was originally published in the Center for Church and City Engagement Substack
“Your church will never grow if you don’t stop visiting the homeless camps.”
I swallowed hard.
Could this be right?
My wife, Lori, and I were trying to plant and grow a new church in our city. For help, we sought out coaching from a national church planting expert.
Now this man—who surely knew church growth better than we did—said our frequent visits to our homeless neighbors held back the church.
At that time, his advice matched what many popular church growth books said. Their authors wrote that ministers should focus on staff, systems, and worship experiences (including sermons) that “hit the ball out of the park.”
That meant setting aside distractions like too much community involvement…read more