Luke 14:23 “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.”

A matter of great perplexity is the speed at which the contemporary church has evolved (or maybe de-evolved?). Most will acknowledge that she is not nearly as culturally relevant as she once was. And, it goes without saying that the church is not nearly as evangelistically effective as she was only a half-generation ago. 

Why is that?  What changes have taken place that render Christ’s church less effective than she once was? How did it happen in such a brief period of time?  Did those changes occur primarily in our secular culture or is the evolving ‘worldview’ within the church to blame?

Having been out of the ‘Real Ministry’ (pastoring) for some time now, provides a perspective I might not otherwise have developed. As a ‘minister-at-large’, I can observe churches that are growing in attendance and in community influence with a more objective assessment.

That multi-year assessment has led to a couple of obvious conclusions.   First, those churches that are growing in attendance and in community influence are doing things that ‘compel’ the folk to come in.  They are constantly evaluating and adjusting everything they do. They ask, “Why do we do what we do?” “Does how we do what we do help or hinder our ability to ‘compel’ them to come in?   Does our ‘reputation’ in the community actually reflect the church we are now, and, if not, how do we change that?”

Second, the churches that are growing in attendance and in community influence have discovered effective ways to ‘compel them to come in’ without any theological compromise.  In fact, the preaching and teaching ministries are often much more bible-centric than they are given credit for.  The message is way more “Thus sayeth the Lord” than it is, “So my challenge for you this week is…” and the people like it.

Third, The worship is authentic and the preaching is primary.  Churches that are growing in attendance and in community influence fit the worship style to the community they are trying to reach and don’t mind making adjustments when necessary.  The leadership also makes sure the music points to the message and, ultimately the subject of the message, Christ Jesus.

There are other observations to be made for sure but here are a couple more for you to chew on.

· Declining community population doesn’t have as much impact as one would think. – Churches that are growing in attendance and in community influence compel folks from nearby locations to fill the house. (A church alive really is worth the drive!)

· Targeting one specific age group for outreach or ministry focus (i.e. – children, youth) rarely results in sustained kingdom growth. – It takes an unrelenting determination to reach all age groups with as many compelling events/activities/emphases as is humanly possible.

Remember, the admonishment is to COMPEL them to come in.  In other words, create (with the Holy Spirit’s guidance) an environment so inviting, joyous, ministering, and uplifting that the folks can’t resist the invitation to ‘check us out’!