A while back, I picked up a free VHS tape called “The Pastor’s Guide to Church Growth.” I still own a VCR, and so was able to watch it, not becuase I was all that interested in what was on the tape, but because I figured that if it was on a VHS tape, it must be about 10-20 years old, and I wanted to see what they were saying about church growth back then.
As it turns out, the tape was nothing more than an informercial for Kingdom Tapes. So I know the guy had an agenda, but still, what he said on the tape was amazing. The whole point of the tape was to tell pastors that if they wanted their church to grow, all they had to do was start a tape ministry!
According to him, if you can have a dozen duplicating machines in the back of your church, and a few volunteers to duplicate and label the tapes, then you can have the tapes ready for sale (or to give away) as the people leave the church service. This is when they are most likely to buy the tapes, not only for themselves, but also get one or two for a friend or neighbor.
Can’t you just hear it? “Pastor, what a great sermon today!” “Thanks. If you want to hear it again, it’s on sale at the tape table for only $3.”
This, according to the guy from Kingdom tapes, will lead to more people coming to your church.
First of all, I seriously doubt that there was ever a time in church history that a tape ministry contributed to any kind of substantial church growth. But even if there was, those days are long gone. If someone were to hand me a cassette tape and say, “After listenng to this, you’ll want to come to our church!” I would stay as far away as possible.
A church that still does a “tape ministry” only proves that they are operating about ten years behind the technology. Even CD’s are almost too archaic now. The current techonology requires MP3 Podcasting, but even that is almost totally unwieldy since audio files cannot be properly tagged or searched. (If somebody could figure out a way to couple search software with voice recognition software, they would become instantly rich.)
But the point in all this is that most church growth gimicks are nothing more than gimicks…someone trying to sell you something: Their book. Their consulting services. Their construction company. Their tapes. And none of it “works.” If we want true church growth, we’ve got to start by focusing on the church, which is the people that make up the church, and investing our time and energy with them.
So you want to grow your church? Years ago, when I began pastoral ministry, my father said: “Jeremy, there are three keys to pastoral ministry: Love God, Love His Word, and Love His people.” I still think that is good, timeless advice.
I like the comments, there are so many different beliefs about church growth and something new that will be the fix, I appreciate your straightforward response to the gimmicks.
I have experience in a congregation that does a similar thing, in their case, recording sermons and posting them on a web site.
I suppose that is more up to date technology than tapes, but sadly it is driven by the same idea ; that the main feature of the church gathering is the sermon and the drawcard is the star of the show, the performing “pastor “.
I think Jeremy is right about the focus on the people. The real church growth is what the Bible calls edification ( building up ) of the saints.
Wasn’t it the case that in the first years of the church that the pagans saw Christ being displayed in the behaviour of the believers and that was what drew them to the faith (along with evangelistic preaching.)
In other words Christ was the “drawcard” as He Himself said He would be.
I have the solemn suspicion that if people are not being drawn to the contemporary institution known as the church, then the “drawcard”, Christ, is not there.
If that is the case, all the recording and publishing technology in the world won’t accomplish a worthwhile thing.