I have written about this before. Nothing grows forever. At least, nothing in this life. People are born, they grow, they level off, and then they decline. Trees start out, they grow, and they maintain their size until they die. No matter how much we try, we cannot add one inch to our height or one inch to the height of a ponderosa pine tree.
It is hard to realize and to face the fact of our terminal size. No amount of fasting and prayer can change that.
Churches are similar. It seems that churches should continue to grow. We build bigger buildings so that they can grow. The key to church growth is not bigger buildings, but bigger men as pastors.
We waste a lot of time trying to recapture the exciting days of early church growth. Meanwhile, it seems that for every 10 people who come in through the front door, 2 people slip out the back door to never come back again. The past is in the record books. The future is still before us.
What is the future for us or our church? First, maintain what we have now. Second, minister to people where they are to help them grow in faith. We helped them grow up. Now, let's help them grow old.
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