(Part five of five in David Roseberry’s Suddenly Surging series on church growth.) A Pre-Flight Checklist A friend of mine had a passion for flying small planes as a hobby. He had invested countless hours in classroom instruction, flight training, and simulations, accumulating hundreds of hours in the cockpit. As an engineer by profession, he was…
Is there a Recipe for Church Growth? (Suddenly Surging Part 4)
(Part four of five in David Roseberry’s Suddenly Surging series on church growth.) A Pivotal Moment In the early days of Christ Church, the congregation I started in 1985, I was moved by a random encounter in a suburban parking lot. My heart was broken after I met one man and learned what had just happened…
What Do People Look For in a New Church? (Suddenly Surging Part 3)
(Part three of five in David Roseberry’s Suddenly Surging series on church growth.) A friend once shared a valuable lesson she learned from a performance review at her previous job. Although her position was secure, her boss wanted to address a specific personality trait that he found bothersome. When given a task, she tended to…
A Heart for Others (Suddenly Surging Part 2)
(Part two of five in David Roseberry’s Suddenly Surging series on church growth.) In the first of this series, I mentioned signs that churches might be growing and offered reasons why that might be. I have no proof for this beyond anecdotal evidence and what has been on X in a few places (here is…
Is Your Church Suddenly Growing? (Suddenly Surging Part 1)
(Part one of five in David Roseberry’s Suddenly Surging series on church growth.) What is Going On? I first read a series of tweets from church leaders citing tremendous and unexpected growth in attendance in their congregations over the last few months. They were not commenting on Easter crowds but on Easter-like trends. Since their…
