Society's celebrity obsession extends even unto churches. Warren, Osteen, Jakes -- the list is long of churches and movements and beliefs represented by individuals rather than by flocks. The success of those churches, however, aren't what we may think them to be. They are not successes because of who represents the flock.
Congregations don't multiply in size via the force of a pastor's personality, charisma, or book-writing skills. In many cases, these personalities have been selected after a church has reached a particular size. What seems as a pastoral effect in those cases where a leader enters a church and the flock grows is merely coincidence.
Churches are not top-down organizations. A person's force of will cannot drive growth in a church the same way it does in a Fortune 500 company. Only the movement at the grass-roots -- the Spirit working simultaneously in individual hearts, the Spirit using individuals powerfully -- can grow a church from zero to several thousand in a few years; can cause a revival in a local community. Churches should think about that when they implement programs designed to grow a flock. They'd be better served focusing on the Spirit of God.
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