By: Rev. Steve Zimmerman
I was busy this spring helping to administer and lead some Virginia training sessions that we offered. From all the feedback we received, the events were well received. Of course, being good church folks, we had to get a head count of all those who participated on those Saturday mornings. At the last training location, the local pastor had a different number than me. But then he said by the afternoon, as it typically goes with ministers, that attendance count will double and by Sunday morning it will reach 100!
His comment took me back in a different direction to another training session I led many years ago for a group of North Carolina Baptists. Our caravan of conference leaders started in the Appalachian hills and ended up at the beach a few weekends later. My main breakout was “Opie, We’re Not in Mayberry Anymore!” As you might imagine the classrooms were full to overflowing. Yet I could probably count on one hand how many attendees actually put anything they learned in that session into use back home at their church.
Now I am not saying that numbers are not vital. As a rule, getting an accurate count is critical in evaluating how things are going whether it concerns people or finances. Over the years as I have developed the partnership, I needed this data to gauge how well we were doing or decided to maybe go in a new direction based on the figures.
However, when it comes to spiritual matters, we may need to view this number concept the way that Jesus would have us see it. The first instance is when Jesus cursed the fig tree on his final journey to Jerusalem and Calvary. The plant had many leaves but not any fruit. The main purpose of the fig tree was to produce fruit, not just put on leaves. Somehow in the modern church quite a few ministers and lay leaders have gotten caught up in the number of activities we do (leaves) and have sacrificed real discipleship that will bring about abundant fruit. This is one reason the message of the church has had little impact on our world.
A second passage about numbers is when our Lord shares the parable about the farmer who sowed seeds in four different soils. Growing up near an agricultural community, I didn’t have a very favorable view of this farmer. He should have known better than wasting his precious seeds on the three bad soils! Didn’t he know the odds were against him if he threw them there? He didn’t even count the seeds beforehand to see if he had enough! Still, he scatters them. He just did his job and had a bountiful harvest anyway.
Maybe God is telling you and me today not to go strictly by how much it will cost us or how much time and effort it will take to get something going and growing in the Kingdom’s work. I think what it all comes down to is this: instead of using numbers to show how successful we see ourselves in the eyes of the world, we must evaluate our numbers by how faithful we are to God’s calling of discipleship and witness. For in the end, those kinds of numbers are the only ones that really count!
These thoughts above are from Rev. Steve Zimmerman, the founding partner in the ministry. He works alongside churches in their mission process and small group dynamics. He coordinates the work of the partnership out of Martinsville, Virginia. Contact him for more information about how he can help you.