Growing the Faith: Leading and Deepening

Recently we have been spending time in our Adult Bible Study talking about the essentials of the faith – the items that we have to believe, that are not negotiable to still be considered a Christian. What doctrines are needed for growing the faith? We have mentioned concepts like beliefs in a personal, creative God; the devastation that sin has upon the human’s life; and the deity of Jesus Christ. These beliefs matter because belief dictates behavior – or at least it should.

During July 2019, George Barna released two studies that seem to indicate more people are having difficulty making behavior correspond with belief. Growing the faith has become a challenge. Perhaps our understanding of our beliefs has deteriorated. Consider some of these statistics gleaned from their studies.

Barna: Faith and Practice

Barna’s group tried to identify how many people claim to be a Christian and how many of those actually take part in practicing and growing the faith. Barna allowed the measurement for a “practicing Christian” to be quite lenient – they must attend church once a month and they must consider faith to be very important in their lives.

The stats show a huge drop-off in every age between those who self-identify as Christian and those who attend church at least once a month. But when it comes to other church-related disciplines, the numbers show a much greater participation level.

Those who identify as Christian see the importance of reading the Bible and praying weekly. Both practicing Christians and those who simply self-identify seem to value these disciplines. But when it comes to attending church services, every generation drops off in their participation. The implication seems clear: people do not value going to church. A relationship with God is personal. They do not see the value of worshiping with other Christians on a Sunday.

A Scriptural Approach for Growing the Faith

The Scripture presents a different concept of assembling together. The early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread (communion?) and to prayers (Acts 2:42 HCSB). Growing the faith strengthened believers and provided value. The writer of Hebrews, perhaps the apostle Paul, writes:

²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; ²⁴ and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵ not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near (Hebrews 10:23-25 NAS).

Is it possible that the perceived value of worship has changed because the purpose of worship has changed from edifying saints to evangelizing the un-churched? In the past worship focused believers on offering praise to God. It was not seen as the primary tool used to introduce the un-churched to God. Doctrine and content drove the messages on Sunday mornings.

Change Needed

The statistics demand a shift of focus and purpose for worship. Information like this gives us reason to pause and consider. Is having non-believers visiting worship services the best way to evangelize? Does this structure lead to problems in the process of making disciples? Has moving away from a worship that teaches doctrine (so as not to confuse or offend non-believers) watered-down the biblical knowledge of the believer?

Growing the faith starts with understanding the content of the faith. Behavior changes when our beliefs change. There is a process for persuading someone to act differently. We start first by teaching them to think differently, informing them of content and the need. Next, we move through challenging them to feel differently, appealing to their emotions and motivators. Finally we conclude by asking them to act differently. The process build understanding and reinforces value.

Have we left out important parts of the process of growing the faith?