Question:

Quality and Quantity

I’m trying to find the balance in my ministry and church between pursuing quality and quantity. I want to reach a lot of people, but I don’t want to sacrifice quality of ministry in the process. Any tips on how I can establish a healthy balance in this area?

Responses:

Pastor Al Jennings – Fort Wayne, IN
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NET)
So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

I focus on doing all that God called me to do; spending time in prayer and the Word so that I can be clear about the will of God for my life and ministry. By doing what God called you to do, you position yourself to reach a larger harvest. Also, I encourage you to believe God for more people. You can ask Him to open doors for the Word (Colossians 4:3), then expect doors to be opened. Call people into your ministry from the north, south, east, and west (Isaiah 43:5,6; Mark 11:23). Then, expect them to come!

But don’t get caught up in the numbers. Focus on fulfilling your unique assignment and being the best minister that you can be. Be outstanding! And preach to one person the same as you would preach to thousands. God will honor your commitment and faithfulness to His work.

Rev. Matt Beemer – Nigeria
As a missionary I’ll comment from a Great Commission perspective. A study of church history shows the missionary zeal of the early church, if it had continued into the following 2-3 generations, would have certainly fulfilled the Great Commission. We read in Acts 19 how one man (Paul) runs a daily bible school for just two years and all of Asia hears the Gospel. We read in Romans 15 where Paul tells the church that even though his aim is to preach Christ where He is not named, at the time of his writing there was no where left for him to preach in that region; meaning that everywhere had been evangelized. He also tells the Thessalonians that they were to pray for him that the Word would have its fullest expression and be glorified in other places he is working, just as it had with the church in Thessaloniki. These are just three examples from just one man’s ministry of how the missionary zeal of the early church was ‘getting the job done’.

However, as the church ‘matured’ and its leadership graduated to glory, it began to take its eyes off the harvest fields and look more inward. This was especially true when false doctrine began to raise its ugly head. Using this as an example, the early church was fighting so hard to ‘get things right’, that they stopped ‘getting it done’. It is my feeling that ‘balance’ is found in how affective we are at ‘getting it done’. If we are no longer seeing people saved, or our church members reaching out to their unsaved friends and family, the pendulum may have swung too far ‘inward’ toward ‘getting things right’.

Jesus is another good example with this regard. He had the most motley of crews—but He finished his race with excellence and glory. Even when his team made mistakes along the way, He kept his eyes on the harvest fields and his goal of saving all mankind.

Jesus and Paul are both great examples of how to ensure the ministry leans toward completing the task that the Father has set before us even while we strive for continual improvement in an imperfect world. With nearly 3 billion people who have never heard the name of Jesus in today’s most unreached nations, in my opinion, there’s room for imperfection for the sake of reaching the unreached.

Pastor Phillip Curtis – Franklin, IN
Over the years I’ve been guilty of getting caught up with “quantity” because of competing with other pastors. By doing so, I found myself trying to accomplish “ministry” by human means, and over time I noticed that my fellowship with God had decreased and the anointing wasn’t as strong as it had been. Finally getting to the point that I wasn’t willing to continue on this path, I began to spend time with the Lord to find where my problem was. I discovered that when I kept God first, my family second, ministry third and listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit, preached the Word, and prayed, that God began to build the church and I didn’t have to struggle at all for “quantity.” I actually was content with “quality,” realizing that it’s God’s “quality” and “quantity” that was really important, not mine. Bob Yandian has a GREAT book for pastors called, “God’s Word to Pastors”. It really helped me in this area of “quality and quantity”.

I’ve also found that over the years of pastoring that I must guard against the competitiveness of ministry and trying to discover what God would want instead of what will “make me look good”. If I make quality of ministry a priority, then God will make sure that I have the quantity that He desires also. I try to live by Matt. 6:33 not only in my “Christian walk, but in my “Pastoral walk” also. Unless God builds the house.

Pastor Tommy FiGart – Vinton, VA
I just addressed maintaining quality while pursuing quantity with my church leaders as a focus for the coming year. Sometimes we can get so focused on growth that we don’t take care of the people and the business at hand. In this case we are seeing the forest but not the trees. To be effective as a leader and as a ministry, we have to see both. I and my leaders are focusing on evaluating all that we do with one simple question this year: “Will what we do convey that we care for and love those that our ministry touches both inside and outside of our four walls?” If the answer to that question is “no”, then we simply will not take on the project, program or initiative. When we focus on loving those that we’ve been called to reach, whether they are a member or a potential member, to the very best of our ability, quality becomes much easier and much more natural as we pursue a growing vision. We can never go wrong when our focus is loving all that our lives and ministries touch.

Pastor Ron McKey – Midwest City, OK
I don’t believe it is an either or question; you have to have both. I think the idea of having to choose sets you up for failure. Somehow we have the notion that to have quantity you have to compromise the gospel, yet Jesus drew huge crowds and never compromised. You will never have quantity unless you have quality. It is probably more about being excellent than anything else.

Rev. Dave Williams – Lansing, MI 
Quantity and quality are not on a balanced scale where one weighs more than the other. Quality and quantity are NOT mutually exclusive. They never compete with one another, but compliment and support one another.

I heard similar “holy talk” about balancing quality and quantity in my early years when our church was growing exponentially. Other pastors in town were murmuring, “He has quantity but not quality,” as if their small, struggling churches were blustering with supreme quality.

The truth is, if you really have quality, you’ll also eventually have quantity. It proved true to me over the years in Lansing, Michigan and hundreds of other pastors I have trained.

You never sacrifice one for the other. When you are committed to excellence and committed to the Great Commission, both quality and quantity will run parallel. You don’t have to worry about either. “Herein is my Father glorified,” Jesus said, “That you bear much fruit.” Do you want to glorify the Father with your church and ministry? If your answer is yes, simply follow the mandate from the lips of the master. Go for the fruit, commit to excellence, and you’ll never again have to ask about balancing quality with quantity.

Pastor John White –  Decatur, AL
I think we all start out in the ministry thinking we will reach the world for the Lord. I know I did. As we started in a small store front I thought that it would be just a matter of time before we had to rent the high school football stadium to accommodate all the people that we would be reaching in our city. It’s good that we have that kind of expectations, but if you let it, it can be depressing when you realize that it is not going to happen.

Sometimes maybe it does happen, but realistically it will not. We all want to grow our churches and ministries and there is nothing wrong with that, but you have to do what God has called you to do and many times when you do that, people are not always on board with you. You can’t compromise what God has revealed and instructed you to do just to grow numbers. If God wanted another church like every other church in town I don’t think that he would have sent you there.

Find out what God wants you to do and do it with all your heart. It’s alright to change your methods but not your message. However, don’t make the method the primary vehicle. Never sacrifice quality for quantity. We will have to give account to God some day for the way we handled the ministry he gave us and I don’t think that he will judge us for the size of our church and ministry. Noah preached a hundred years and only had 7 converts. If he would have built a bigger ark would he have had more? Or if he had been a better preacher, would more have been saved? How about if he changed his message? No, I don’t think so…or rather know so. Noah was faithful fulfilling the call upon his life and that is all that is important to any of us. Be faithful to your call and God will give you the methods and tools necessary to accomplish it. Trust him with your ministry and the peace and assurance will be overwhelming.

Pastor Brad Allen – San Mateo, CA 
We pastor a smaller church with a big heart. We go for quality ministry in smaller groups and classes and reach out for quantity by supporting missionaries that are involved in crusade ministries.

We have a Bible Study on Wed. nights for most people and another one on Thursdays at lunch primarily for seniors.

Twice a year, we’ll teach an intensive class on a topic like spiritual gifts, faith, righteousness, etc. We’ve found that classes provide the strong content, but small groups are where people learn to apply it.

We set a goal last year to bring 2,500 people to Christ. Through our own efforts we got to 500 salvations with one on one evangelism, a church mission trip to Mexico, and some evangelistic meetings led by two church members. Then we partnered with a Rhema missionary doing a crusade in India. If a crusade results in 5000 salvations and costs $15000, then the cost per soul is $3. If we contribute $6K toward this crusade, we feel like we can count 2000 souls for our church.

In that way, we have found a balance between quality and quantity.

Pastor Monte Knudsen – Mount Pleasant, IA
I am not sure the question makes sense to me. Quality is the best of what you have. By giving quality sermons, quality services, and quality organization and quality ministry, you automatically grow. People shop churches for quality. They search for ministries that give their children quality care and information. They look for ministers who have quality integrity, communicate with quality and give quality care for their needs. There is nothing about cheapness that is attractive, whether it’s in your music, your building, you’re speaking or care giving. Cheapness has within it selfishness. It’s not giving or generous, nor is it thoughtful. Quality on the other hand is selfless. It thinks of others, it sacrifices; it is the generous spirit of giving your best. It is not trying to give what you do not have or possess.

Neither is quality materialistic. You can have the most expensive technology and letterhead but if it’s only done to impress, it rings shallow and focused on self.
God’s love is the highest quality of love. It is completely non-focused on self. Instead it gives of self. That quality always grows ministry in every way.

We often criticize ministries that have quantity—meaning numbers—but we assume they have no quality because they preach, in our minds, a watered down message. But maybe, and I do emphasize maybe, they communicate that watered down message with greater clarity and skill than we communicate some great deep message. And it is getting through. They give quality training to volunteers; they give quality care to the sick, the poor or the brokenhearted. In other words: they give and give and give always giving their best and growing in their giving. There is nothing cheap about that.

Pastor Jim Blanchard – Virginia Beach, VA
I think that an unbiased assessment of the quality of ministry going forth will help the ministry in reaching a greater quantity of people. I would conduct this assessment at least once or twice per year.

Some suggested sample questions may include:

1. How friendly is my church? Are there naturally cheerful people in my church willing to serve as greeters?
2. How good is the worship ministry? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the worship experience and how can I improve the worship with the resources I have?
3. Do we offer a good children’s/youth ministry?
4. How substantive is the teaching/preaching ministry?
5. How do we attract, train and retain the ministry talent and leadership in order to build teams to facilitate a greater quality of ministry in these areas?
6. Do I currently have some people serving in an area that is not well suited to their gifts, talents, abilities and demeanor? Are they mature enough to consider being reassigned to another area better suited to them without taking offense? (Handle with care, very touchy subject at times). Perhaps 6 month commitments to the various areas of ministry would be an idea to consider.
7. Do I have a visitor follow-up program in place?

I think that planning incremental improvements in quality of ministry will naturally lead to reaching a greater quantity of people with the Gospel message. Planning may include training in helps ministry through guest ministry, seminars, webinars, training videos, etc. Also I believe that continuing education for the pastor in the area of leadership may prove invaluable in increasing the quality of ministry going forth by structuring the various areas of responsibility for optimal efficiency.

May the Lord bless your efforts and grant you His wisdom and grace in reaching your goals.

Pastor John Brady – McAllen, TX
I think a church can have both Quality and Quantity. I think for too long we have created church services for only the Christian. Brother Hagin always said that we need to know the purpose of each service. I believe that a church can gear services that are more outreach oriented and services that are more discipleship oriented. I believe a church should have a well balanced approach to reaching people. Here are a couple of things that have helped us:

1. Sunday morning is when most unbelievers will come to church. Sunday morning does not need to be a full blown evangelistic meeting, but it should be created with the un-churched in mind. We try to minister through worship and the Word of God so a believer can be fed, but an unbeliever can relate and come to Jesus. This simply means making the Word very relate-able. A minister can use stories, humor, video, or object lessons to make the Word of God stick. On Sunday morning we serve a little more milk. Paul said the Corinthians weren’t ready for meat and he had to preach the milk of the Word. I find in our area that most Christians aren’t ready for meat yet!
2. Mid-Week service is really geared for believers. We, at times, will have extended worship sets. We also have classes on stewardship, baptism of the Holy Spirit and anything you can imagine to grow people up to the maturity of Christ.
3. Recognize church seasons. We have found that September, Jan – Mar, and Easter are times when our church attendance will increase. We plan sermon series that are geared to reach more people. We make cards for people to pass out to their friends, co-workers, and even their enemies. We find that many new church attendees come to Christ and start the process of discipleship.

Final note – We can’t get upset at people for not going for the deeper things. We must meet people were they are at and give them an opportunity to be discipled. It is their decision if they choose to go or not.

Pastor Larry Millender – Tallahassee, FL
I think that all of us in ministry have dealt with this issue from time to time. Way too often, the world system places an emphasis on QUANTITY and not QUALITY, and ministers get pulled into the trap of doing the same.

I believe that God desires QUALITY from us much more than he does QUANTITY. I believe that some key steps in keeping things in a proper perspective are simple yet profound.

1. Keep a pure heart towards God regarding what you do in ministry. You are serving HIM.
2. Do things with a right motive; to be effective and not to be seen or recognized by others.
3. Maintain a focus on people and their needs and not on numbers.
4. Do what you do with a spirit of excellence.
5. Understand that little is much when God is in it.
6. Refuse to allow people to pull you into the snare of seeing success measured by volume or numbers.
7. Always ask God what He wants you to do and not be moved by what others are doing or achieving.

Pastor Virgil Stokes – Tucson, AZ
We are in our fourth church, and I have gleaned a few things over time. Just like Napoleon in Russia, we have outrun our resources a few times. In ministry, the resource most often lacking is the human one. Jesus said to pray for laborers, not pray for harvest. In the early stages of any ministry, we begin with things that must be done, and we look for anyone willing to do them. Children must be attended to, someone has to lead worship, the chairs must be aligned and the toilet paper replenished. We make the best choices we can and hope these individuals will be skilled, prove to be faithful, and grow into long-term leaders. Experience indicates that some will and some won’t. As we grow, we are able to be a bit more discerning in our choices and intentional in our training.

My rule of thumb for implementing a new endeavor is to evaluate the 4 M’s: Man, Message, Mission, and Method.

• The Right Man: The key to success in any endeavor is having the right person to oversee the job. When starting a new ministry, I search diligently for a person on whom I can depend. He (or she) must be of sound character, he must be teachable, and he must have a genuine desire for the job. Talent and training are useless if the individual we train is unfaithful, disloyal, rebellious, or just plain lazy. I have found that whether it is in the local church or on the mission field, once I have the right person in place, the rest of the job gets much easier.

Finding the right man (Ladies, please bear with me. Alliteration is very important.) means having a way to evaluate character and teachability (intelligence and submissiveness). I like to give people small projects and see how they perform. If they flounder, I have a teaching opportunity. If they perform well, then I can add responsibility until I am comfortable with their reliability. Failures due to lack of knowledge or skills are easily rectified and provide opportunities for growth. The person I am looking for will be the one who goes out and finds ways to obtain knowledge and training in order to perform the task. Failures due to rebellion or unfaithfulness are red flags indicating I have the wrong person.

• The Right Message: Having found the right person, I try to make sure he is knowledgeable enough in what we believe to do the job without causing me problems. The guy who cleans the bathrooms doesn’t need the same doctrinal sophistication as the guy who oversees the men’s ministry. He does need to be on the same page with us in our basic beliefs. He will be perceived as a representative of leadership by others. What he says will carry weight. He can foment discord without any evil intent. Ignorant leaders can do as much damage as malevolent ones. As the ministry expands, hidden differences on non-negotiables will invariably be used by the enemy to create division at just the wrong moment. Again, this demands that we have contact with an individual in a setting that allows us to evaluate his basic beliefs. It makes no difference whether this is a small group setting, a Bible class of some kind, or a one on one interaction. I like to ask about folks before I promote them. I ask my Elders, their home group leaders, their bible class instructors, and anyone else who has had direct personal contact.
• The Right Mission: Did God really say to do this, or am I moving under pressure from other sources? There are lots of good things to do, but only the God things are worth the trouble. The God things will spring from the God-given vision. Every ministry that proceeds from the local church should reflect and further the mission of that local church. The leadership of any particular ministry needs to be pickled in the vision of the church and the specific part the new ministry plays. Ownership of the vision breeds big-picture thinking in those who oversee parts of the ministry. It provides motivation to do things well because it impacts the success of the whole church. It breeds empathy for other departments when resources must be shared, because we are all on the same team with the same overall goals.
• The Right Method: The first three M’s are really unchanging. Without any one of them you can almost count on problems. The method, however, can be fluid. Methods change with circumstances. Cultural norms and available resources will often dictate how we do things. Methods can change from year to year, or even week to week, but if we have the first 3 M’s in place, methods will fall into godly alignment. The right man with the right message who understands and values the mission will find the right method more often than not.

Quality is defined by what God told you to do. Quantity is only meaningful if it measures what God has asked you to produce. Success is always obedience with excellence. If I know what God has asked me to do and I am doing it with a commitment to learn and to get progressively better at it, then I am successful. Finding the right person and preparing him for the mission is the surest predictor of sustainable success.

Pastor Terry Roberts – Warrenton, MO
As a pastor, I want to do things well. Most churches and Christians do. The problem with that is when you reach people it is always messy. Proverbs 14:4 says, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.” (NIV)  We like it when the stall is spotless and clean, but if you want a harvest you must put a messy ox in it. He will make it dirty but he will bring in the harvest. Wisdom can be defined as knowing and doing what is most important. We need to know what really matters and what doesn’t.

Someone said that if we aren’t careful, we can make “excellence” a god. At the very least it is an unattainable goal. You must decide what your standards are and then reach as many people as possible. This plays out in many areas. One area is volunteers. If people aren’t involved in the church, they don’t feel part of it. Some churches make new people go to classes for 6 months before they can even work in the church anywhere. My answer would be to give them a behind the scenes job as soon as possible. Never compromise the truth or principles of the Word of God, but reevaluate the standards you use for quality.

I have said many times to the church that I am thrilled to see cigarette butts and liquor bottles in our parking lot because it means the people are inside listening to the gospel. Like someone said about fishing; don’t try to clean them before you catch them!

Pastor Tim Kutz – Bartlesville, OK
Please allow myself to interject a thought here that MUST be considered when truly pondering this very same issue. One of the most important things that any believer, but especially ministers, should do is learn how to be led by the Spirit of God. There are tens of thousands of towns and counties that have a very small insignificant population compared to the total population of the USA. But every one of those persons is loved by God with a love that we can’t understand. But what young minister with fire and vision wants to go to a small town and shepherd a few people?  Even if everyone in town and a couple surrounding towns came to our church we may still have less than 500.

My point is this: First and foremost, go where God has called you to go. Settle in for the long haul, and love the people individually. Being overly concerned with numbers will cause you to not see God’s overall calling and purpose, and will make your care for those who are with you less effective.

That said, this is the dilemma of the day we live in. Not many people have the answer, and those who do, it’s the answer for them and not everybody. One of my mentors used to say how there was a certain service every week that was an evangelistic service. Paul told Timothy to do the work of an evangelist. But you have to then disciple those who respond and are born again. The quality is not necessarily in any single message; it is in your leadership track in developing people, making the disciples!

Some people will only come on that particular time slot that you have deemed an evangelistic service. Those people will not grow, and will not be the quality fruit that you are looking for. Know your congregation. Have three messages ready every Sunday: Always have an evangelistic message, always have a doctrinal message, and always have one that is both. In other words, learn to preach or teach salvation from every doctrinal stance. Know which message to teach in any given service. Yes it is more work, but that is what we signed up for!  If you can teach that and teach it in a short period of time, more and more people in your church will desire discipleship and your quality will grow.

BUT, be patient with people…and be patient with yourself. If you focus on loving God with all of your heart, and you have a passionate love for people, YOU WILL PRODUCE QUALITY. The quantity will come. Let the Lord build His church!  Remember, most of those whom were following Him left Him. I do not believe he had the same dilemma that we seem to have today. Neither should we.

Know the message that you are supposed to preach!  Develop, hone, and be consistent with your discipleship/leadership track and you will produce quality and quantity.

Pastor Walker Schurz – Lusaka, Zambia 
It is important to always be aware that God cares about both quantity and quality at the same time and we must also. Jesus said that God wants His house to be full. That means sometimes things get messy – multiple services, inexperienced leaders and parking lot mayhem. Our motive for quantity and bigness must always be because of God’s immense heart for the lost, not some twisted and misplaced quest for self-worth.

God also cares about quality of ministry and the depth of ministry we deliver. This will help produce mature and fully formed lives that reflect truly who Jesus is. We should strive to serve with excellence that reflects God’s character and shows value and dignity to others.

Each minister and church are sometimes more naturally suited for one or the other. A pastor with an evangelistic gifting and outreach bent set in a large, urban area will most likely not have a problem producing quantity. And a theologian with a teaching gift in a small town may find quality easier to achieve. We must learn, stretch, attract leaders that compliment us and be committed that this pursuit is not “either / or,” but “both.”

A scripture that summarizes this balance well is Col. 1:28,29 (NLT): 28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. 29 That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

May God’s same grace work in you to present to God lots and lots of mature believers that perpetuate God’s kingdom for years to come.

Pastor Duane Hanson – St. Paul, MN 
To begin with, I guess I’m questioning the Question!?! Is it really possible to pursue both “quality and quantity” at the same time?  If there really is such a place as “balance” between the two, then where is the proverbial “tipping point?” Are we reaching for the right thing when we’re looking for “balance” when it’s a difficult thing to maintain?  Just about any little extra pressure can tip the “balance” in a direction we didn’t want to pursue.

As ministers of the Gospel, we should strive to bring the best quality possible, with the most value to the hearer. With that in mind, the first thing we may have to determine is the value of what we’re hoping to achieve. Here’s the potential dilemma: Do we want one really well crafted message that will have an eternal impact and move us along in our walk with God, or are we willing to endure ten sermons that are just OK?

Personally, I tend to be a “Quality” over “Quantity” kind of person. This characteristic showed up early in my life, even in my career opportunities. Before answering the call of God on my life, I was in the high-end retail business. My first 10 years were devoted to a Men’s fine clothing company, and the next five years to a fine jewelry business. As I prepared for the transition from business to ministry, I managed the watch department and oversaw the sales and inventories of nine stores. The company I worked for sold quality watches in a wide price range, beginning from $100 up to $20,000.00 and more!

One thing I learned by watching the ratio of sales to inventory for each store was the difference in quantity and quality. Obviously, we sold a greater quantity of the less expensive merchandise, and sold fewer quantities of the higher quality watches. Watch companies in the lower price range (under $500.00) offered dozens of models that would appeal to a wide range of customers, and we carried an extensive inventory to choose from. However, our inventory of high-end models were more expensive, and more unique in their styles.

Those salespeople working on commission learned quickly that they could make more money selling a better quality watch than a less expensive model. They quickly realized that they could make the same commission by selling just one Rolex watch at $10,000.00 than by selling 20 Omega watches at $500.00, or 50 Seiko watches at $200.00. It may take them weeks to sell that many Seiko watches, but if handled properly, less than an hour to close one Rolex sale. The better salespeople also learned that every customer wasn’t in the market for a Rolex, and had to determine quickly what the needs of each individual customer was before pulling out the tray of different brands we offered. The craftsmanship, the type of movement, and the precious metals or jewels used to make a specific timepiece all determined the quality of that watch, and therefore determined its value and price range.   Like the uniqueness of each watch we sold, the needs of each customer was unique.

I had many customers (mostly women) who bought numerous watches for their personal use, because they were seen as a fashion statement that could be changed with their wardrobe. I had other customers (mostly men) who made their purchase based upon the quality and dependability of the timepiece. Many customers couldn’t imagine ever spending $5,000.00 on a watch that they just wore around on their wrist every day, while others recognized the value of a handmade timepiece and saw it as a long-term investment, and an heirloom to be handed down to the next generation.

As the person who was responsible to train our salespeople, I often pointed out the fact that they needed to discover the “wants, needs & desires” of each customer before trying to “sell” them what they really needed. Unfortunately, due to what some thought were unrealistic goals, some salespeople felt under pressure to do whatever they could to produce the “numbers” that met their weekly sales quota. There could be consequences of losing a repeat customer if the salesperson pushed beyond the true needs of the person they were trying to help. The salesperson needed to sell both the quality items, and also be ready to offer those items in our inventory that had the greatest quantity & variety, which were usually at the more affordable price range for the average customer.

Like everything in life, quality is definitely in the eye of the beholder, and the measuring stick is often connected to their budget and the value a person places upon an item.

How does all this apply to the question of balance when it comes to “quality or quantity” in the ministry?

It seems to me that some churches and ministers go after the “quantity” and are more adapted at offering a variety of programs and services that might appeal to a larger audience, while others may have a more specific ministry that focuses on the “quality” of the message being delivered.

Perhaps the issue of “balance” is more about us discovering & defining our personal gifts and callings and determining the value we bring to our “customers.”  If I focus too much on the “numbers” in the pews, I may actually hinder the quality of the ministry I can provide the rest of the week. Like I said in the beginning, I’ve realized that I’m more of a “quality” guy focused on making disciples, than on trying to reach the bigger crowd through programs. I find that the “quality” is what I have put within myself, the messenger, and hopefully the value of the “message” will be what meets the “wants, needs & desires” of those I’m trying to reach, whether on a Sunday morning, or at coffee every week with a group of guys early every Tuesday morning. I understand that Jesus ministered to the multitudes and a great “quantity” of time with those in need; but I believe He also spent a greater amount of “quality” time with the disciples, and valued His “quality” relationship with a close circle of disciples.

I may have overstated this illustration, yet the point that I hope to relate is this: How we define the relationship of quality and quantity will always be determined by the value of the product we’re offering, and how God Himself has determined which way to tip the balance.

I’m glad the Lord has found the true “balance” in the various “gifts” He’s given to the church, and a lost and dying World! I envision a picture of Jesus with His arms stretched out, with His various “Gifts” divided between each hand, weighing them back and forth. I believe He becomes the fulcrum point upon which all ministry comes into balance.

Pastor Thom Fields – Kennewick, WA
In Acts 2 we read the very simple, yet powerful strategy of the early church. They preached the Word, enjoyed fellowship, broke bread, and prayed together. It has been our experience that as we provide these basic elements of Church Life to our congregation, they continue to grow spiritually and the size of the congregation simply follows suit. We’ve also found that by practicing great discipline in time management during our multiple weekend services we’ve been empowered to develop a great trust in the lives of those attending the services. They “know” that our services will begin “on time” and end “on time,” as promised. This allows them to bring friends and family to services knowing that in approximately 72 minutes they’ll be released to take it to the streets.

Our mid-week service, although still very disciplined, is focused upon a much more in-depth flow of the Holy Spirit. Often, we spend the entire 90 minutes of our mid-week service in praise, worship and prayer. The teaching is usually directed towards the “deeper end of the pool”…leading the congregation away from the “kiddie pool” and encouraging them to take off the “floaties” and to dive into the things of The Spirit.

We’ve found that this is very effective for our body. However, locating the direct path for your own church must be sought out through your own time of intimate fellowship with The Lord. Joshua, prior to leading the people into Jericho, fell down and worshipped. He knew where they needed to be—he just didn’t know exactly how to get them there. He went into worship without a strategy and with no set plan in mind. Joshua knew that worship time is not wasted time. He received a miracle mindset during that worship time—and so will you!

You’re not faced with making a choice. The challenge is NOT making a decision between quality and quantity. You can actually have BOTH! The issue is strengthening your own personal fellowship with God so you can hear His plans for the house. Don’t forget Revelation 3:20. He’s standing at the door with a promise of divine fellowship. Our job description is simple: “Hearing His Voice.” Once you’ve heard His voice—DO THAT! You’ll never fail obeying His voice!