The Great Commission given by our Lord Jesus is a clarion call for the work of every church. We must go and make disciples of all nations. The question is how. And, closely linked, whether our current methods are actually sufficient. Are we doing enough to reach the lost?
Andrew Heard is the Lead Pastor at EV Church on the Central Coast of New South Wales, which has exponentially grown since he first planted it in 1996. He is also the current Chairman of Reach Australia, a network committed to seeing more churches become healthy, evangelistic and multiplying. Heard has given his life to seeing the Australian church grow and strengthen. And he has written Growth and Change because as he looks around at the state of the church, particularly in Australia, he would say: No. We are not doing enough to reach the lost. And something needs to be done about it.
Heard wants to do more than just offer up “some simple suggestions on ministry management or revamping your church structure” (15). He longs for us to be stirred to feel the pain of not changing; the pain of not doing enough to reach the lost. So that we would have the drive and motivation to change; that our churches might grow and the Great Commission be fulfilled.
Growth and Change
Andrew Heard
For many years, evangelical church leaders have been told that the key to seeing gospel growth is to “just be faithful”. In Growth and Change, Andrew Heard challenges this misconception head-on with wisdom from decades of ministry experience and deep theological reflection.
Richly biblical and heartfelt, this ground-breaking book confronts sacred cows, rejects easy answers and addresses the tensions felt by every leader who wants to proactively work for change while remaining absolutely committed to the word of God.
This is a must-read for every church leader committed to seeing the gospel of Jesus grow and bear fruit.
The Dangers and Necessity of a Passion for Growth
The need for change in our churches is grounded in the unchanging nature of our God (ch. 1). Though God does not change, he is bringing about the change we so desperately need: conformity to the image of Christ.
We’re not necessarily comfortable with the idea of our churches changing. In the wake of the church growth movement, many are sceptical about a focus on numbers and systems and structures. It has produced a whole host of proud church leaders, and even more volunteers who have been subsequently hurt and burned.
Heard rightly recognises these dangers (ch. 2) but insists a passion for growth is necessary (ch. 3). We can and must find a way to earnestly work to see our churches grow. In doing so he outlines five biblical realities which point to the Great Commission: the biblical vision for Christ and his church; the reality of heaven and hell; the fact of the cross; life’s brevity; and love. Together these realities not only form Heard’s theological foundations for pastoral ministry, but also profoundly shape his worldview. He urges us to make them our own so that we might be compelled to change as we are increasingly filled with a passion for growth.
Therefore, a focus on numbers is important because numbers signify conversions of real people (ch. 4–5). In fact, Heard argues there is a right biblical expectation for numerical growth as the gospel goes forward. So we must rethink our chief concerns. “Something has gone wrong if gospel proclamation is not our core priority”, he writes (86). Despite obvious dangers and temptations, the witness of the Scriptures is that it is vitally necessary that we preach the gospel and run our ministries in such a way that more and more people are reached for Christ. Growth and Change argues that the pursuit of growth is indeed biblical and vitally necessary.
Living With the Tensions
It may come as a surprise to know Heard writes as a self-professed Calvinist. Don’t Calvinists believe God is the one who saves people, not us? Don’t we just need to ‘be faithful’? Heard directly disputes this line of thinking (ch. 7–8).
Holding fast to God as sovereign in salvation, Heard shows how the Scriptures bear witness to the complicated and mysterious relationship between our inputs and spiritual outputs. Simply put: what we do really does matter, and what we do really does impact outcomes. He writes,
without our work of speaking and toiling, people won’t be saved and brought to maturity in Christ. Of course, salvation and growth are God’s work. But he has ordained that he does his work through his instruments, or by his means—by us … If all this is true, it gives us a crucial driver for change: it may be that my failure to change is the reason I am not seeing more fruit. Maybe the patterns of ministry I’ve inherited or developed are harming the work. (114, 118)
It’s a stinging reflection, but Growth and Change leaves every reader carefully reflecting on whether their own practices are not merely faithful, but fruitful.
Having, in my view, managed to “create a passion for growth and a heart that is willing to bear the pain of change” (226) the final few chapters provide practical ways pastors and churches can identify and address the need to change and grow (ch. 9–13).
What Is Actually at Stake?
There was however, one key question that was left unanswered for me. How are we to function with this passion for growth given Christ’s sheep will hear his voice and come to him (Jn 10:14–16)?
This question was raised for me on several occasions where Heard would ask questions in light of the reality of hell such as: “Can we be content to ‘just be faithful’ when there is so much at stake?” (45). It is difficult to not conclude Heard is suggesting that if we are not committed to changing and pursuing growth, then more people will end up in hell than if we otherwise were. This is unlikely to be the case given Heard’s Calvinistic convictions, but why then does he seem to overstate his point?
Heard does briefly discuss the importance of trusting in God’s sovereignty, and would undoubtedly agree God is bringing and will bring to himself every name written in the book of life before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8, 17:8). I would have appreciated Heard emphasising that the more we pursue faithful and fruitful ministry, the more we can have great confidence and joy in participating in this work of God that will not fail.
Given its plaudits by D.A Carson among others, Growth and Change is a must-read for gospel ministry workers as it stirs us toward faithful and fruitful ministry. God-willing, it will result in many churches avoiding dangers as they make necessary changes to pursue growth. Irrespective of the risks and costs, we should be doing all we possibly can to reach the lost and make disciples for God’s glory.
