Why Numbers Are Deceptive

For those who know me well, you know I am a numbers guy.

In the world of education, I have always believed numbers tell a story about a classroom, a building, and even an entire school district.  Sometimes test scores tell the story;  other times it is attrition, attendance, or something else.  Numbers always tell a story.

As is customary with the Lord now, He seems to enjoy taking what I believe and turning it on its head.  I am still coming to grips with the fact that in the church world as a follower of Jesus, numbers don't always mean anything, and sometimes they can be used to draw the wrong conclusions.

Let's look at one of those for a minute.  How do you measure the health of a church?  How do you measure the "success" of a church plant or of the church planter themselves?  What are the indicators of success?  Many churches out there would first point to their attendance as evidence that they have a strong church, and attendance is important.  But how well are those churches actually following Jesus' command to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20)?  It is unfortunate, but if you live in the Bible Belt where I used to live, there are tons of people who attend church each week just because that's what you do on Sunday.  But in examining their lives throughout the rest of the week, listening to what they say and observing how they behave, they don't appear to be any different from the rest of the world.  Their language is just as coarse, their actions just as vindictive and selfish, and their activities just as depraved as the entire rest of the world.  Jesus never said church attendance would get you to heaven, yet multitudes of people out there act like He did.

What about growth?  Many people out there can point to statistics that say over the last year the church body has grown by such and such percent.  That's a great thing!  However, we go back to the person's life to examine it, and what do we see?  Is there a change?  Is there a difference?  Is the person shining any of the light of Jesus into this dark world, or are they like everyone else, easily fitting in with the shadows?

Another thing we could look to is salvations, or the number of people who have decided to follow Jesus.  Unfortunately that also can be a deceptive statistic due to what church culture has turned it into.  The Bible speaks of a person turning from their wicked ways and choosing to follow Jesus, which day to day looks like a deepening prayer life and life change.  Church culture has turned it into a one-time decision or event where we "accept Jesus" and nothing beyond that is expected.  That is not the Biblical view of salvation.  Instead it is a life-long process where a person, still imperfect, walks down that skinny trail that leads to the Lord.  Gradually they shed the things of this world and set their sights on the things of the Lord, so that over years the new creation looks different from the old self.  No wonder Jesus describes a time when many come to him proclaiming all of the good things that they did and yet He still states that "I never knew you."  (Matthew 7:21-23)  These people are regular churchgoers that Jesus is turning away, which should make us shudder. 

In this place we are in, none of those statistics are very meaningful.  Starting a new church here doesn't look like it does in Texas because church life isn't part of the culture here.  New churches here may struggle for 5-8 years just to get to 100 people, whereas in Texas you should probably be to that level in 18 months to 2 years.  Things just don't work the same way in the Northwest.

This is where I have found that often I am my own worst enemy.  I have a certain expectation of myself and of the way in which the Lord will start and build this church.  But the Lord doesn't look at the same things that I look at.  Instead, He looks at the heart.  He looks for life change, for the fruit that accompanies the work of His spirit within a person.  In fact, when you read the New Testament you will see Him over and over and over again refer to the fruit produced in the life of a person (Galatians 5:22-23;  Matthew 7:15-16;  Matthew 12:33).  Life change.  His spirit can't help but cause it in a person, and that's why we call it being reborn.

Nobody has ever come to me with an expectation that we will grow to a certain number by a certain year, that we will have baptized X number of people, or that we'll be meeting in a building by a certain date.  That pressure is all internal to me.  Also internal is this feeling that, since the Lord bothered to move our family here and we've been here for 18 months, lots of people should be showing up by now and committing to Jesus.  I have found that when I pause to seek the Lord, He continues to be relentless on the one thing He has been relentless about the entire time.  Me.

There are three things that our family is supposed to do while in Everett, the things that the Lord has tasked us with.  The first is to point to Him in what we say and in what we do.  Knowing me you should know that I know and follow Jesus, whether you believe in Him or not.  Second, we are to make disciples of other people so that they can go make some disciples as well.  Third, we need to invite as much as possible our friends and neighbors to come to the wedding banquet of the Lord.

It is not our job to seek first the attendance of people, nor is it our job to "save" people.  I am unable to save anyone, so getting out of that business is important.  I am also unable to make anyone out there interested in following Jesus.  Yes, you did read that right.  I can speak of what Jesus has done in my life, talk about what He said and did, and explain why He went to the cross for us.  But I am unable to capture another person's interest to the level that they want to make a decision to follow Him (John 6:44).  Only He can do that, and scripture specifically says that it is the Holy Spirit that draws people to Himself.

I sincerely hope that Purpose Church continues to grow from the 4 families that currently make it up, but there is not any guarantee of that over the next year.  We will continue to meet, disciple, and struggle on the road to becoming more like the Savior.  What we should be looking at is life change within those four families.  It seems that my success as a leader is defined by how well I submit to and follow my Leader, Jesus Christ.  I am not measured by how well I organize or by how many events I put on.

The qualifications for you and I receiving the highest praise of the Savior, "well done, good and faithful servant," don't rely on 100% growth in a year, or on a certain number of salvations, or on baptisms.  The weight of that statement lies in how well we obeyed what He told us to do.  Let that sink in for a moment, and consider what it is that He has told you to do.

I have thought much in the last year about what the Lord has asked our family to do here in Everett.  I believe we are doing it right now, although not perfectly.  He has asked us to adopt kids and to parent them well, has asked us to pick up everything we own and move, and He has asked us to start a church and disciple people.  But if you believe I have a mission and you don't, you are mistaken.

What about you?

We have all been asked to do something by the Savior if in fact we are true followers of Him.  What is it that He wants you to be doing?  Have you asked?  Do you want to know, or like Jonah will you ignore the command you were given and walk the other direction?  While the Savior won't place burdens on us that we are unable to bear, He also will not tolerate we as believers turning from Him and walking the other way.  The Father has a long track record of pursuing those who turn away from His purposes.  See Elijah, Moses, and Saul as examples of that, to name a few.

What is Jesus asking you to do right now?  Are you doing those things?