By DAVID EPPS
Pastor

"How many are you running in worship attendance these days?"

From the beginning of my ministry, nearly three decades ago, that question must have been asked thousands of times. I have probably asked that question a few hundred times myself. It's one of the signs of success for a pastor in these modern times. In fact, it may the single most important indicator of success in normal religious circles.

The people featured on the covers of religious magazines? Pastors of growing churches. The keynote speakers at denominational gathering? In all likelihood, pastors of growing churches. People asked to serve on important committees or interviewed on Christian television? You guessed it pastors of growing churches.

There's nothing wrong with growth of course, I regularly pray for it myself. But, like thousands of others, I, too, have fallen into the, "How many are you running?" trap. Somewhere along the line, a growing church came to mean much more to me that any other sign of success.

I recall a time not so long ago when my resume proudly proclaimed that, in one year, a church I once pastored grew 623 percent! Of course, the resume neglected to mention that the church grew from six people on a Sunday to around 75 twelve months later. It sounded much more successful to say "623 percent." It was the truth but it wasn't entirely truthful, if you know what I mean.

Part of the danger in playing the numbers game is the possibility that the people filling the pews cease to be people and become statistics, instead. Their importance lies, not in their having intrinsic value, but in simply being present to be counted. The all-controlling factor becomes the annual growth chart.

I sorrowfully recall one particular winter when the snow fell heavily one Saturday night. People could have made it to church, but I knew that most would simply stay home. The thought of a low Sunday that might dent our stats terrified me. I recoiled at the thought of seeing a dip in our upwardly mobile attendance chart. I canceled the services that Sunday rather than risk having only half the congregation present. It was much more attractive to me to figure the statistics on an average of 51 good Sundays, rather than on 52 weeks with a bad Sunday.

I also noticed that, when attendance was up, I was up. When attendance was down, then so was I. In one church I served, we grew, in less than 10 years, from a small, barely viable church to a congregation that ranked seventh in the state out of 215 churches of that denomination. But it wasn't enough. That left six churches ahead of us. Numbers are cruel taskmasters. One never has enough of them.

When we began our current congregation with 19 people a few years ago, I counted attendance for the first four months then quit. We were probably averaging 30 or 40 people at the end of that time and I stayed continually anxious. I made a conscious decision that, no longer, would I, or the leadership, be ruled by the Sunday worship attendance. I was weary of being up and down at the mercy of the statistics. So, we didn't count the attendance for over a year.

Then we discovered that banks and other lending institutions like those kinds of statistics when they consider making a loan. So, in deference to our potential future lenders, I appointed someone to count and record the weekly attendance. I forbade them, however, to tell me how many we had in church unless I specifically requested that information. So, free of the tyranny of the stats, I have been mostly "up" regardless of the numbers.

I regularly ignore the monthly statistics sheet that I am supposed to mail in and just pastor the church, much more conscious of the people than I am of the numbers. It's been quite liberating and I have more joy in the work than I have ever had. And, somehow, the church has steadily grown. In fact, we had 171 in church last Sunday but who's counting?

[David Epps is rector of Christ the King Church in Peachtree City. He may be contacted at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at www.ChristTheKingCEC.com.]

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