John Hammett ends his book on the Church by asking this question in light of the tendency of some to measure a church's success simply by numerical growth or by how well it adapts to culture.
If God has given us instruction in his Word concerning his people, he is honored and a church is successful to the degree that it follows his instruction. Thus, the successful church is the faithful church . . .
The church is the body of Christ, but it need not follow the pattern of most Americans and grow obese; the goal is health. As the temple of the Spirit, the chief treasure of the church is not the size of its temple but that which dwells within . . .
In the end, the one we seek to please in our churches must not be the seekers, nor the postmoderns, nor the traditionalists, nor the members, but the Lord of the church, and we please him by honoring his design for the church.
Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches, p. 352.
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Ecclesiology
February 17, 2008
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