Grow the Right Things (w/ Mike Burnette)

Mike Burnette replanted LifePoint Church when it was 5 years old, had 52 members, and was $2.5MM in debt. The church has grown steadily since then.

But growth isn't always what it's cracked-up to be— and it's not something we should pursue for the simple sake of growth. 

In this talk, Shawn and Mike discuss the importance of the Kingdom of God— and staying focused on the Kingdom rather than on ourselves, and what we can produce.

Mike talks candidly about being THE fastest growing church in America— according to Outreach Magazine's 2018 poll. The following year,  he fell into the 70s. Then, a year later, he didn't even make the list. He describes what Top 100 did to him, in terms of staking value in the wrong place…

External, outside honors are certainly humbling. But they can also shake us when we place the wrong merit on them. 

The year after he made the list, he actually wanted to quit ministry. It was tough, and marked by marital strife and other tensions.

Mike no longer reviews the attendance records at his church— not even on Easter. He says this stance frees him to pay attention to the people physically before him, in his presence (rather than worrying about who's not there). 

And it reminds him of what really matters…

Recently, Mike released the book Parable Church, a work he published in March 2021. He writes about the culture Jesus wanted to create— namely, one that reminds us that it's God's job to grow our ministry-field. It's our job, on the other hand, to grow in faithfulness and fervency.

The book makes an observation and then asks a question each pastor needs to assess— 

Mike observes, "Christ never actually told us how to do church."

He then asks,

So why is much of our time and energy as leaders and shepherds consumed with chasing after tips, tricks, and secrets to "grow" churches, hoping that they somehow also reach and maintain spiritual health?

The question makes sense. If the metrics mattered as much as we make of them, certainly Jesus would have outlined a strategy of what to count, how to count it…

In the end, we are responsible for ourselves— for our character, for stewarding our calling, and for pursuing the Christ…

That is, we need to grow the right things.

Our Master rewards faithfulness, not fruitfulness. Sure, He designed us such that we would produce fruit, but the goal… is faithfulness.

The fruit?

It grows as on overflow of what's happening inside of us and the people we serve.