Perhaps you saw Outreach magazine’s annual report of the 100 fastest growing and 100 largest churches in America (October/November 2007 issue). We are all indebted to Outreach for the effort they make to provide us with this amazing information on an annual basis.

We must continue to work, as Christians, to come to the day when we will not only report generic membership statistics, but will redefine real growth by subtracting growth from those who join the church by transfer or through biological growth (kids growing up in the church who already belong to families who attend the church). The majority of Americans are self-declared non-Christians. If we’re going to set a bar for achievement, by size or by amount of growth, it ought to be tied to unchurched people who become churched.  Those are the churches that should become our models.  What do you think? 

~ Kent Hunter, church consultant, Church Doctor Ministries