Just Say No

by Tom Johnston

During the 1980’s there was the now-famous “Just Say No” campaign to teach teens and children that they could refuse the temptation of illicit drug use when such an opportunity was presented to them. The push for awareness did much to bring to the forefront the major issue we face with drug addiction in our country. Today, the Church in the West faces a similar scourge – we have an addiction of our own – and most of the pastors I know are enslaved to this poison.

What are we addicted to? Transfer growth. Yup, that’s it. We are driven by the need to see our churches “grow,” our “ministry expand” and our “community impact increase” (not to mention the desire to increase the church budget). We need the validation of more people attending our gatherings and services. Attendance at a service is the core metric of the church in our country, the one by which we measure success. This is how we “get high” as pastors. We get a “buzz” off our numbers, and we are addicted.

Rather than make our own disciples, which we validly do want more of, we are very content to let the wandering sheep from another flock nestle in with us. Think I’m crazy? With the hundreds of billions of dollars we are spending on ministry each year in the US, the evangelism growth rate of the Church is still at only about 5-7%, meaning that 93-95% of our growth comes from people who are already Christians!

Still think I’m crazy? Then ask yourself this question: When was the last time you sent someone packing? I mean, not some problem folks you are dealing with in church discipline, but rather, say, a healthy, spiritually mature, financially well-off couple with 2.5 kids who have been long-term members at the church down the street. These folks show up at your doorstep as “visitors” for a few weeks – and you’re hoping that they are going to make your church their new spiritual home – you need the “workers” and the cash. And this “hit” makes you feel good because they are coming to your place!

Ever stop to think why they are visiting? What happened at the last place? Was there a problem which needs to be resolved? Is their motive consumer-oriented, and they are “shopping” for a new church? Your place is nicer, better worship, more programs? Or are they “cruise-imatics” always moving from church to church?

Whatever the reason, if you receive them into fellowship, you have the potential of doing several (negative) things: first, you may enable their dysfunctional behavior – the root of the reason for transition; second, you receive that dysfunction into your church by receiving them, and third; you could mar the Body of Christ, leaving issues unresolved, and mostly, you allow attendance to be your core metric, displacing a call to devotion to Christ, His Church and His mission. The focus switches from disciple-making to vending spiritual goods and services so people attend, and you feed the transfer cycle of the consumer-driven church.

Please do not believe the lies, either. What lies? The ones the Enemy whispers in the ears of the addicted pastor: “Their last pastor didn’t really understand them.” “I can help them in a way he couldn’t.” “They need our church to take the next step in their spiritual growth” “Our church is better.” Now, none of us would admit to the last one, yet most of us believe it. The fact is that you – and the church you pastor – are probably no better than the last ones, and any potential issues will remain unresolved.

Granted, there are valid reasons for people coming to your church who are already Christians. Maybe they have moved into the area and are looking for a church. Fine and dandy, no problem here – folks need a church family to be part of. Maybe they have had a valid issue with the last church leadership which wasn’t able to be resolved. Not an issue either, once you check it out in order to determine the validity. Or maybe they are truly called alongside you and your church to work together. No problem – simply have them go back to their pastor and get their pastor’s blessing and release, and receive them in as gifts from God. The problem is, most of the times we don’t follow through like this. We are so glad simply to have someone come that we see no evil and hear no evil. We praise God that our core metric has increased and the budget too. (Yesssssss, my precioussss, we mustn’t forgetsss the budget!)

The problem with the pattern of transfer growth is that it puts our focus on the wrong thing – attendance - and keeps us from engaging the lost, making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ. If the church is growing by transfer, there is less of a motivation for evangelism. All the resources (time, energy, money) then turn inward to care for those already attending. This pattern also weakens the discipleship of the individual and the church as a whole, as no challenges are issued to the individual to address relational conflicts or issues with past pastoral leaders, and on the corporate level, there is not cost of discipleship – one only needs to attend to fulfill their obligation.

As pastors, we can address this temptation we face, and subvert the cycle of transfer growth, seeing healthy disciples made for Jesus. We can be freed from our addiction. By simply building relationship with other pastors in our areas and opening communication with them when someone from their church comes, we can strengthen the Body of Christ as a whole. In one area I pastored in, fourteen churches were networked together for prayer and ministry, and the relational bonds established allowed us to successfully address this exact issue. From there, all you need to do is engage those visiting Christians around receiving a blessing. If they are willing to pursue such a blessing, then they can come, if they are not, then you need to “just say no.”