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Inspired by Dag Heward-Mills’ “Church Growth”
“Where there is no vision, the people perish…” – Proverbs 29:18
In a time when churches are popping up everywhere, the cry for genuine growth—spiritual and numerical—remains louder than ever. But what truly causes a church to grow? Is it excellent music, anointed preaching, or strategic location? In his seminal work, Church Growth, Evangelist Dag Heward-Mills lays out a comprehensive and Spirit-led roadmap for any church desiring explosive, sustainable growth.
At the heart of his teaching is this profound truth: a burning vision is the invisible engine that drives true church growth. It’s not enough to wish for a big church—your vision must consume you. It must fuel your prayers, guide your sacrifices, and motivate your persistence.
💪 Lay People: God’s Secret Army
A central revelation from Heward-Mills’ teaching is the power of lay ministry. Often sidelined in traditional settings, lay people—ordinary believers with secular jobs—are shown to be key players in the expansion of the Kingdom. From the Reformation to modern mega-church movements in Korea, Nigeria, and Ghana, lay people have always played pivotal roles.
Dag, once a medical student, shares how he personally functioned as a powerful lay minister long before becoming a full-time pastor. His story proves that anyone—doctors, teachers, engineers, or market women—can be trained and anointed to do great exploits for God.
“Every believer is a minister in disguise.”
Churches that fail to involve lay workers stagnate. But churches that train, empower, and release lay leaders explode with life, energy, and multiplication.
🤝 Share the Burden – Or Break Under It
Moses tried to lead alone until God told him to appoint 70 elders. The message is clear: ministry is not a solo assignment. Dag warns that many pastors burn out because they don’t trust or train others to share the burden. Involving others does not reduce your impact—it multiplies it.
Lay leaders:
- Neutralize rebellion through loyalty.
- Encourage others by their example.
- Pray, counsel, and minister with surprising effectiveness.
🛑 Five Evils When Lay People Are Ignored
- The death of sacrifice – When laypeople are excluded, the spirit of sacrifice that fuels Christianity fades.
- No opportunity for faithfulness – Lay ministry is where future full-time ministers are tested.
- Wasteful staffing – Small churches don’t need full-time pastors when lay people can carry the load.
- Money-focused ministry – If every role is paid, ministry becomes a business.
- Discouraged believers – Many never discover their gifts because they are never given the chance to serve.
📣 The Call to All
Church Growth is not just a manual for pastors—it is a call to every believer. It calls the average church member to rise from spectator to soldier. It calls leaders to trust, train, and release the church into its full potential.
Whether you’re a full-time minister or a passionate lay believer, the message is clear:
God can use you. God wants to use you. But you must burn with vision, be ready to work hard, and dare to share the burden.
Let us return to the Great Commission. Let us build churches that grow—not just in size—but in Spirit and in truth. The harvest is truly plentiful, and the laborers… they are sitting in our pews.
It’s time to awaken them.
As much as church growth is important, how to sustain it is much more important! Why birthe a child you can’t nurture?!
Summary of Church Growth by Dag Heward-Mills
In Church Growth, Dag Heward-Mills teaches that the true driver of lasting church growth—both spiritual and numerical—is a burning vision. A passionate vision fuels prayer, sacrifice, and persistence, far beyond what good music or preaching alone can achieve. At the core of his message is the strategic importance of lay ministry. Ordinary believers—teachers, doctors, traders—can be trained to lead, preach, and serve powerfully. Heward-Mills, once a lay minister himself, proves that church growth depends not just on full-time pastors but on mobilizing the entire church body.
He warns that ignoring laypeople leads to five key problems: weakened sacrifice, missed opportunities for faithfulness, unnecessary staffing costs, commercialization of ministry, and untapped member potential. Delegation is essential—just as Moses appointed elders to share leadership, pastors must trust others to share the burden. Empowered lay leaders bring energy, loyalty, and spiritual impact.
Ultimately, Church Growth is a call to all believers to rise from spectators to active workers. The harvest is great, and the laborers are already sitting in the pews—waiting to be equipped and sent.
To achieve spiritual growth, we need consistent sound teachings delivered with the strategies inspired by the Holy Ghost.
Empowerment of lay leaders leads to church vitality and multiplication.
The passage encourages believers to recognize their potential as ministers and advocates for churches to train and empower lay workers.
Ignoring lay people in ministry can lead to negative consequences, including loss of sacrifice, inefficient use of resources, and discouraged believers. Empowering lay people is crucial for effective ministry.
As essential as it is for church to grow, the growth should be propelled by the burning vision of the church. It is not just about having a big church, with vision and spiritual stamina.
It is the vision that drives us to pray, strategize, plan and strengthen the church.
The assignment from God is not just for a person, we are to involve sincere believers that will be able to help to achieve and bring the vision into reality.
Just as Moses was advised to raise leaders to relieve him of the burden, just in the bid to achieve the vision.
Engaging other believers has some benefits and helps to involve trusted members, and test their faithfulness and loyalty.
When other believers are not engaged, to meet up with the trend, many makes the church transactional and a lot of believers gets discouraged when being idle.
The call to growth is for all. We should rise and get involved to build church that grows, not just in size but in Spirit, strength and truth.
Thanks.
Ignoring laypeople in ministry can lead to stagnation, inefficiency, and missed opportunities, whereas empowering them can unlock their potential, foster growth, and create a vibrant, impactful ministry that extends far beyond the walls of the church.
Church growth is an essential aspect of Christian walk. Ministry is not a solo assignment. Churches that train, empower, and release lay leaders explode with life, energy, and multiplication.
Church growth is a call to all believers and not just the clergy. Evangelism and effective Church Training strategies for leaders are essential for church growth. Every believer is a minister in disguise.
Church growth is impossible without a burning vision and training others to run with the vision.