The Key to Significant Increase

Acts 16:5

And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

Every person should want to see a significant increase in their church attendance. I would hope that every pastor wants their church to grow significantly. If a pastor does not want their church to grow significantly, that pastor has no vision and likely should either get right with God or get out of the ministry. You must understand that the more you increase, the more people that are being saved and influenced by God’s Word. To criticize church growth only shows a lack of concern and an apathetic heart of the critic toward the lost.

Just to want church growth is a small vision; you ought to desire significant growth. Church growth does not come easily or by accident. Any church that has grown significantly worked hard to see that growth. I am not saying that churches that struggle in growth are not working hard, but I am saying that it takes hard work to see significant church growth.

One thing we know about the churches mentioned in the Book of Acts is that they grew significantly. Regularly, multitudes were saved so much that the religious leaders persecuted believers. These religious leaders would not have cared about the Christians if they only had a few people who were being saved, but the significant growth and influence of God’s Word caused these people to leave their false religions to go to the churches led by the Apostles. Let me show several things that caused this significant growth.

First, they daily went soul winning. You cannot increase daily if you are not seeing people saved daily. The daily increase was because people were being saved daily. Nobody can get saved daily if the church is not soul winning daily. Soul winning is where it all starts; if you are not soul winning, you are contributing to your church in reaching the lost. Everyone is to be a soul winner.

Second, they taught the faith to these new believers. You will notice the churches were established in the faith. There is only one way to be established in the faith, and that is by being taught the faith. These people spent much time teaching their new converts God’s Word and how to reach the lost. People cannot grow in the Lord if they are not taught how to grow. This means you need Sunday school classes to teach God’s Word, and you need people to take new believers and personally train them by taking them with you as you go soul winning. Nobody can be established in something they do not know; established believers must train new believers in the faith.

Third, the new believers had to be willing to be taught. You can't teach someone who does not show up. The need for reaching the multitudes is found when new believers get a willingness to be taught and they show up at the times they are to be taught.

Fourth, there must be a significant amount of people training and being trained. The more you train, the more your church will increase. Everyone must be involved in training and being trained.

Fifth, this must be a daily action to increase. Increase never happens by following this model once a week, but it must be done daily to see the significant increase needed to reach a city for Christ. Let me challenge you to get involved in this model, for this will help every church to increase significantly.