The following is a “tweet” on my Twitter account that I received yesterday (Tuesday).  It’s by John Piper and goes as follows:  “The success of a church should not be judged by its seating capacity but by it sending capacity.”

BRILLIANT!

Church membership doesn’t really say much about a congregation except how many people call that congregation their church home.  Worship attendance starts to get at the core issue but doesn’t tell the whole story.  Sending capacity (however one can measure that) tells us that people are being fed and sent to advance the mission of Christ to the glory of God.

A church that measures its success by seating capacity is inward focused.   A church that measures its success by its sending capacity is Christ (outward) focused.

-edh-