Ever since the age of 19, I have always felt unsatisfied after reading Christian leadership books with the supposed "magic fairy dust" to building a successful church. Countless times I would read the principles, how-to's, 5 steps, building a successful "this" and building a successful "that", and close the books in disbelief. Let me say this, it's not that I don't think there are truthful elements in some of those books but I was always left with an overwhelming question, "Who is it that builds the church?".

This concerned me.

I saw (and still see) a pattern of the "Church" being treated as a business.

A place where books, tips and trade secrets can be sold as gimmicks to people looking and searching for the answer to build their churches and ministries.

A place where God's Word is replaced by the latest and greatest devotionals and self-help books (I typically classify any book that isn't The Bible as a devotional).

A place where church models become the shaping mechanism behind how ministry is done.

I believe that this is a dangerous place to reside.

I believe we reside here because we have bought into the notion that it is we who build the church and not Jesus.

I believe that if we truly want to see a church built up we must understand that Jesus builds His church. (Matt 16:18)

In Jesus' final teaching to his disciples (John 16) He promised them the coming of the Holy Spirit and it was through the Holy Spirit that the world would be convicted concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. Finally, the day of Pentecost arrived (Acts 2) and the Holy Spirit descended and the Early Church began to multiply in unprecedented ways. Still to this day, even with all the modern technology and insane availability of communication methods, the modern Church has never experienced the rampant growth that occurred through the Early Church.

So you want to know how to build a successful church?

Stop trying to build it.

Stop modeling yourselves after anything other than Jesus.

Stop searching for an answer, you have it already.

Instead, desperately read God's Word, urgently preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, longingly live by the Holy Spirit and be dependent on His transforming power and understand the foundation of what THE CHURCH is by studying the Early Church.