How many people do we need in our church?
This question, posed in different ways, inquires when we'll meet that certain threshold, that moment when the church is no longer considered "a plant" but planted . It's a question asked to divine that moment of critical mass, the necessary "material" when the church becomes both sustainable and influential in the community. In short, it's asking when we become a church . Here's your challenge and mine: Such is always is the wrong question to ask. I was reminded of this fact again in my sermon prep (yes, I do my own!). One commentary notes the following exchange and helpfully opines: A young preacher once complained to Charles Spurgeon, the famous British preacher of the 1800s, that he did not have as big a church as he deserved. “How many do you preach to?” Spurgeon asked. “Oh, about 100,” the man replied. Solemnly Spurgeon said, “That will be enough to give account for on the day of judgment.” We do not measure the fulfillment of a ministry only...