Church Growth and Its Wonderful Problem

Okay, Bethel has hit a tight spot in a very good way. We’re growing… quickly right now. We’ve obviously hit kind of a ceiling on how many people we can hold in our auditorium. Last Sunday we had 240 souls present, 206 of them in the auditorium and it was crowded. What are our options?

1. Build a new building - the price tag will be hefty no matter how efficient we try to be.
2. Expand our current auditorium - this means knocking out roof and walls and widening it, changing its shape from a box to a fan, which will also cost a lot.
3. Move to 2 services - lots of pros and cons on this one, more volunteers needed, possible divisiveness, but also an opportunity to free up space and reach more people without the million dollar price tag.

Our Leadership Team has discussed the issues repeatedly and we’re about to have to discuss the issues even more urgently. So I’m looking for feedback. You can offer feedback through my contact form, or by leaving a comment (click the title of this article and scroll to the bottom). We’re praying hard for God’s direction and I’d love to hear your thoughts. The greatest goals I have are

1. We keep glorifying God.
2. We keep serving and reaching people with the gospel.
3. We remain true to God’s Word.
4. We retain a close fellowship.
5. We do what is most wise and follow the Holy Spirit.