Counting What Counts: Seeing Church Beyond The Numbers
Some Biblical Thoughts About True Spiritual Depth
It’s Almost Predictable!
“How big is your congregation?”
This is usually one of the first questions I’m asked when someone finds out I’m a preacher. But it doesn’t end there. I’m frequently asked by other ministers, church leaders, or fellow Christians about the size of the congregation where I labor. It happens all the time. But why?
On the one hand, people probably ask about attendance because it’s an easy and measurable number. It’s much easier to count heads than to measure hearts. But I believe it goes deeper than that. Many people equate the health of a church with the numbers on the board. In other words, they assume a numerically larger church must be healthier, stronger, and more biblically aligned than a smaller one. If your church is big, then you must be doing something right; and if it’s small, then something must be wrong. Numbers are often viewed as a sign that God is blessing the church. Bigger gets idealized as better, and working toward a larger number is assumed to be the goal of every congregation. Right?
What Does God Say About Numbers?
There’s a real sense in which numbers matter. After all, each number represents a soul, and every soul is precious in the sight of God. When a congregation is reaching the lost and impacting hurting people, the numbers will likely grow. Describing the growth of the church in Jerusalem, Luke writes, “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem” (Acts 6:7). Clearly, God is not against numbers. He wants His church to grow, and He wants the number of disciples to increase in every place.
Interestingly, though, God’s view of numbers is often radically different from ours. He doesn’t measure strength or success by numbers. For example, in Judges 7:2, God told Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’” God deliberately chose to work through a small group to show that victory came by His power—not by the size of the army.
Similarly, in 2 Samuel 24:10, we’re told, “David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people.” God judged Israel on that occasion because David pridefully trusted in the size of the nation instead of the power of God.
Beyond these examples, Jesus consistently placed more emphasis on deep commitment than on attracting large crowds. In John 6:60–66, He preached a challenging message about spiritual union with Him, and many turned away. Jesus never softened His message to retain the crowd. He always told the truth and did what was right, even if some walked away because they weren’t truly committed (cf. Luke 14:25–33; Matthew 7:13–14; 19:16–22). Jesus didn’t measure the success of His ministry by quantity—He valued the quality of faithful disciples who truly followed Him.
Examples like these challenge us to develop a biblical and balanced view of numbers. It’s not wrong to desire growth—especially when we understand that growth means souls are being saved. But we must not be controlled by numbers. Nor should we compare ourselves to other congregations or use size as a scoreboard. We must not trust in our numbers or water down God’s truth to keep a following.
In fact, there are far more important things we should be measuring than big numbers.
Some Better Ways to Measure a Healthy Church
Are we faithful to God’s Word?
Every congregation should evaluate itself in light of Scripture. Does our teaching and preaching align with the Bible (cf. 2 Timothy 1:13; 4:2; Titus 1:9, 13; 2:1)? Is our worship biblical, reverent, and from hearts filled with joy (cf. John 4:24; Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19)? Is our leadership grounded in Scripture and marked by Christian integrity (cf. 1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9)? Are members living out their faith, showing transformed lives and practicing true religion (cf. James 1:26–27; Romans 12:1–2; Colossians 3)?
Are we growing in Christlikeness?
Every church should ask whether its members are becoming more like Jesus. Are we developing stronger spiritual habits like prayer, Bible study, confession, service, and holiness (cf. Matthew 6; Psalm 1:2; Acts 17:11; 1 John 1:9; James 5:16)? Are our attitudes, words, and actions reflecting Jesus to the world (cf. Romans 8:29; Galatians 4:19; Philippians 1:20–21)? Are we maturing as disciples (cf. 1 Peter 2:1–3; 2 Peter 1:5–11; 3:18; Hebrews 5:11–14)?
Are we a true community?
Every congregation should assess the strength of its relationships. Are we a close-knit family of God’s people (Acts 2:42–47)? Are we bearing one another’s burdens and sharing comfort (Galatians 6:1–2)? Are we united in peace (cf. Psalm 133:1; John 17:20–21; 1 Corinthians 1:10–13; Ephesians 4:1–6)? Are our relationships marked by love (John 13:34–35)? Are we holding each other accountable and building one another up (Romans 12:9–21)?
Are we mission-minded?
Every church should consider its zeal for doing God’s will. Are we showing tangible love and compassion in our community (cf. Matthew 22:34–40; 25:31–46)? Are we actively teaching the lost, both locally and globally (cf. Matthew 28:18–20; Mark 16:15–16)? Are we working to restore those who have wandered from the Lord (cf. Galatians 6:1–2; James 5:19–20)? Are we caring for widows, orphans, and those in need (cf. 1 Timothy 5:3–16; James 1:27; 1 John 3:16–17; Galatians 6:7–10; 1 Timothy 6:17–21)?
Conclusion
A congregation can be small in number and still be spiritually strong. Likewise, a church may be large and still lack depth. Healthy churches focus more on spiritual depth than numerical width. In God’s kingdom, quality always outweighs quantity.
Let’s start counting the things that really count. Let’s change the way we measure success. Celebrate the work God is doing in your local congregation, and stop comparing your ministry to others. The size of your church doesn’t determine its significance in the kingdom of God.
Above all, let’s be a church that counts what God counts. Let’s focus on changing lives for Jesus. After all, we aren’t called to be big or famous—we’re called to be faithful.