There are two ways that churches grow. One is growth in numbers and the other is growth in spiritual depth. The second requires good teaching and living out what is taught. Jesus never sought for large crowds; His call for self-denial and cross bearing often thinned out the crowds. The goal of individual and collective spiritual growth is Christlikeness. “Until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13 NRSV). We should save all that we can; we should disciple them in cruciform living that moves beyond the shallows to maturity in Christlikeness.
