Fast Church Growth Can be a Cancer

(Cancun - a pelican being a pelican)

From Rick Warren, "Rick Warren warns pastors that fast church growth 'can be a cancer,' shares antidote to discouragement."

FOCUS ON OBEDIENCE

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California urged church leaders to focus on obedience to God’s mission rather than boosting congregation numbers, as “fast growth can be cancer.”

FOCUS ON THE LONG HAUL

“I’m not really impressed with ministries that grow fast. Fast growth can be a cancer,. What I am interested in is the long haul — people who consistently serve Jesus Christ year after year after year.

FOCUS ON FINISHING WELL

“I’m interested in finishing well, and I want you to finish well. Your ministry matters to God. It matters to the Kingdom. We need you to stay in the race. We need you to not get tired. We need you to not quit. We need you to not give up. We need you to finish your race."

FOCUS ON YOUR FIRST PURPOSE IN LIFE

“Everything in your ministry flows out of God’s love, God’s mercy, God’s grace. The problem is we can get so busy working for God, we forget how much God loves us. Your first purpose in life is not to love God. Your first purpose in life is to let God love you. The Bible says you were created as an object of God’s love.”

FOCUS ON BEING REAL

Avoid the temptation to “fake it,” adding: “If you’re going to be used by God, if you’re going to be effective for God, if you’re going to last in ministry, you’ve got to be authentic, you’ve got to be genuine, you’ve got to be yourself. You’ve got to keep it real.”

FOCUS ON PLEASING GOD, NOT PLEASING PEOPLE

God “did not create you to be somebody else” — and those who focus on pleasing everyone end up experiencing ministry burnout.

“When you get to Heaven, God isn’t going to say, ‘Why weren’t you more like Billy Graham?’ The reason we try to fake it is because we try to please everybody. Only a fool would try to do what even God can’t do. Even God can’t please everybody.”

FOCUS ON WHY YOU DO WHAT YOU DO

God is more interested in “why you do what you do than He is what you do.”

“A lot of people start off as servants and end up as celebrities. They forget why they do what they do, and all of a sudden it is all about them,” he said.

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My two books are:

Praying: Reflections on 40 Years of Solitary Conversations with God

Leading the Presence-Driven Church 

I am currently writing:

Encounters with the Holy Spirit (editing, should be out in June)

How God Changes the Human Heart

Technology and Spiritual Formation

After that, God willing, Linda and I will write our book on Relationships.