Number and success...

Numbers in a room, as encouraging as they are, ultimately mean very little. There are a great number of ways to get people into a room… and many of those would be for reasons not befitting of Christ’s Bride or Christ’s Mission. In fact, without trying to be to contrary, a number of churches have people in the seats week in and week out and yet are missing the mark when it comes to Gospel-centrality evidenced in the lives of her people. As Chester and Timmis say in chapter 13 of the book Total Church, “... we must not confuse large with successful. Nor for that matter should we equate small with successful!” (pp. 192) We are not necessarily more “successful” if we have 70 people in the room… on the other hand, we are not necessarily more “successful” if we only have 10!

Our desire and measure of success is that we are being shaped by the Gospel and proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed to those around us in need of Jesus. If we can find ways to challenge, assess and encourage the people of River City Church to THAT end… then we will have been faithful to God’s calling and Christ’s mission make disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus… 2 Timothy 2:2.