For too long, we have equated numerical increase with spiritual success. The more seats we fill, the more services we run, the more campuses we open, the more followers we gather online, the more we assume we are advancing the Kingdom of God. But the uncomfortable truth is this: “What we’ve called church growth may just be organizational swelling.”
And swelling, by definition, is not a sign of health. It’s often a symptom of inflammation, infection, or imbalance. It may appear as growth to the untrained eye, but beneath the surface, something is off. And unless we’re willing to confront it, the Body will continue limping rather than advancing.
The reality is, church growth in its current state is a great illusion. We’ve built ministries that draw crowds, but not necessarily disciples. We’ve packed out auditoriums, but left hearts untouched. We’ve become content with attendance, but neglected transformation. In many cases, we have been measuring the wrong things and calling it growth, kingdom building, and the blessing of God. This is not to say that all large churches are shallow or that small churches are more faithful. It’s not about size, it’s about substance. Because swelling can happen fast, but true growth is slow, steady, and rooted. Swelling is often caused by something foreign to the body. Growth, on the other hand, is internal, organic, and intentional.
True Biblical growth involves maturity. Throughout the New Testament, growth is always tied to maturity, not mere multiplication. “But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:15. The early church didn’t grow because it had perfect branding or trendy services. It grew because the people were transformed. They walked in power, in holiness, in sacrifice, in generosity, and in community. They were not consumers of a weekly event, but consecrated citizens of a Kingdom. Contrast that with today, where some ministries are known more for their “personalities” than their doctrine, more for their “merchandise” than their mission. We have become managers of religious systems, instead of stewards of eternal truth. “I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and yet you are dead.” Revelation 3:1. The church in Sardis had a reputation. It had structure. It had motion. But it lacked life. The Spirit called them what they were: dead. That should shake us!
Today, the church has become a well-oiled machine built on the backs of those craving visibility, acceptance, and identity from those on top of the man-made hierarchical pyramid system. We’ve created churches that function more like corporations than like spiritual families. We praise growth charts and demographic targeting, but rarely ask: Are we growing in Christlikeness? Are we walking in the Spirit? Are we training people to deny themselves and take up their cross? The Apostle Paul warned of this form of religious activity when he said: “…holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these.” 2 Timothy 3:5. A form, but no power. Programs, but no presence. Crowds, but no cross.
Saints, we must stop mistaking movement for momentum and crowds for conviction. It’s time to reform how we measure success in ministry. Are lives being transformed by the Word of God? Is holiness increasing in the people? Are leaders walking in humility, integrity, and servanthood? Is the church living like a Kingdom family or just attending religious events? Is there real accountability, repentance, and Spirit-led discipleship happening regularly? If not, it doesn’t matter how fast the organization grows; it’s not Kingdom expansion. It’s just religious inflation.
Beloved, this is not an attack on the Bride of Christ. It’s a call to return to what Jesus actually built, His ekklesia, His governing, activated, Spirit-filled body. The kind of body that the gates of hell cannot prevail against. The kind of people who don’t just go to a building, but are the ekklesia that Jesus established and the apostles built. We don’t need bigger sanctuaries. We need deeper sanctification. We don’t need to swell. We need to grow, and that begins when we stop chasing the applause of men and start prioritizing the approval of God.
Family, the honest truth is, Jesus didn’t die so we could fill buildings. He died to raise up a people. A holy people. A peculiar people. A Kingdom people. A royal priesthood. Living stones. A remnant who live for His glory, not their platform. Who multiply disciples, not fans. Who build people, not just programs. The time for reform is now. If we don’t confront the swelling, it will burst. But if we return to the simplicity and power of the Gospel, true growth will come. The kind that lasts through fire, persecution, and time.
Let’s stop playing church. Let’s be the ekklesia.
