Getting to Know Him

Over the past few days, I've found myself talking to more than a few people about "church growth" strategies. Everyone wants to talk about how to grow the church and how to bring more people to Christ. And it really is a wonderful thing, but I found myself time and again telling them that as I step back and look at the places that have had success, and as I look at the momentum that our South Hanover campus is gaining, I am more and more convinced that it is ALL about relationships. To my knowledge, there is only one family that came through our doors because of of a postcard or a banner that they saw on the roadside. The vast majority of people that have come through our doors are there because someone invited them. Someone they know and trust said, "hey, why don't you check out our church." And I am convinced that that is the only way that a church can grow.

Look at scripture. In Matthew 16:15-18, Jesus has an exchange with Peter:

¹⁵ "But what about you?" he [Jesus] asked. "Who do you say I am?"

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

¹⁷ Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of death will not overcome it.

In this passage, Jesus shows Peter that he doesn't care what other people think about him. He cares about what Peter thinks about him. He cares about the relationship he has established with one of his closest disciples. Jesus notes, "you are Peter [which means rock] and on this rock I will build my church..." In other words, on Peter, on my relationship with him, on my love for him, on his trust in me, I will build my church. And the key to building churches is just the same--relationships.

I've found over the past few weeks that relationships are key. As you get to know people and you learn their likes and dislikes, their strengths and weaknesses, the intimacy grows and they become more comfortable. The same is true of their faith. As a Christian matures, their relationship with Christ becomes more solid. They know his likes and dislikes, their intimacy grows and their spirit becomes more comfortable with God. So the answer to the question is simple. If you want to get to know HIM, get to know them.