Refocus: More Than Numbers

“How many did you have Wednesday night?”

“Guess you won’t be doing that again. I saw that only a few signed up.”

“Wait. You went to student camp with two students"?”

No matter what size church you are serving in….I am sure that you have heard something about numbers. For some reason, in church ministry we often equate success to how many people showed up. Please hear me, success in ministry is not equivalent to the number of seat that you fill. Instead, success means Christ is glorified through the preaching of the Gospel and through individual obedience (that is brought about by the Gospel).

Jesus must be the center of our ministry. The Gospel proclaimed must be our measuring rod.

So, where is the balance?

1) Plan fun things…so that students come to hear the Gospel.

It’s easy to get caught up in planning fun events. Students love fun things. Adults love serving when it’s fun. However, fun should not be our end goal. Jesus should. Plan fun things, but don’t forget to keep Christ exalted at the center of everything you do.

2) Don’t cancel events when only a few show up.

I remember countless times in middle school that we skipped Bible study on Wednesday night when only a few people showed up. Study God’s Word and fellowship, no matter how many people come.

That situation mentioned above….going to camp with two students….we did that early in our ministry. We brought one girl and one boy. They both had a great time and grew closer to Jesus. Just one soul growing closer to Christ is worth your time and money.

3) Take your frustrations to Christ.

If you serve in a smaller church, you know how frustrating it is to hear from a church member or board about the lack of students. Stay focused. Make a list of Gospel-wins in your ministry. Exalt Christ by talking about what He is doing. And, when those frustrations come….take it to Him. Obedience to Christ and transformation in the heart’s of students in what we must be after. It’s ok if our seats aren’t filled.

Overall, there must be a balance. A growing student ministry is not always indicative that students are growing closer to Christ. However, if students are becoming devoted disciples…then they will bring their friends and there will be some numerical growth. Think briefly about the growth that occurred during the early church. Devoted disciples make disciples. Devoted students tend to bring their friends along in the journey.

Think:

Do you need to refocus your ministry?

Have you been focusing too much or too little on numerical growth?

Are your students growing in Christ?

Is your main goal to see Christ glorified or to see chairs filled?