The kingdom of God is forcefully advancing and we're seeing churches growing large. News will want to tell you that Christianity is dwindling, but it's undeniable that we are seeing massive revival and I believe that this is just the beginning.
One looks at the great harvests and breakthroughs churches experience and think that this is probably the vibrant church that Jesus was talking about in Matthew 16:18, and then you realise that big doesn't always mean perfect. In fact, the bigger churches become, the more problems they are likely to face. Some of them will be good problems, but they're problems nonetheless.
I've interacted with some leaders of megachurches and have been part of a relatively large church for over five years now. Here are five prevalent problems big churches face today.
A lack of leaders. When churches are growing, there will never be enough leaders. It seems that just when we've trained and launched a new batch of leaders, another wave of harvest happens and all of a sudden, we're back to over-utilising small group leaders, volunteers and lay ministers. But leadership development has always been an important theme in church growth since the beginning.
Protection for the overseer. It's no coincidence that most of the pastors in the news being stripped of leadership roles because of moral failure or burn-out are pastors of large congregations. The pressure can be real for senior leadership when the revival happens, which is why churches should also double-time in protecting, praying for and supporting their leaders.
Unwanted attention. We want all attention to go to Jesus Christ, but media would rather talk about other things in the church: conspiracy theories, rumors and controversial personalities are just a few of their favorites. The world has never been fond of talking about Jesus and His finished work, which is probably why God wants us to pound the gospel over and over again.
Overwhelming financial pressure. When the church grows, so does its financial need. Not a lot of people get it, but while the gospel is free for all, sending it out to the nations and to the mission field costs money. Bigger churches will always face bigger financial obligations, but we know that from the very beginning God is and will always be our source.
A disinterested next generation. So your church is hitting the thousands. Will it maintain that growth twenty to thirty years from now? God's business does not shoot for movements that last five to ten years and then die off or split. God wants churches that will last through generations, and for that to happen, we must get the next generation involved in ministry. That's why youth ministry and children's ministry are vital.
