Strength in Numbers

In the book of Acts, after the church leaders had begun to build the infrastructure for the early Church, the Church continued to grow numerically in a dramatic way. In Acts 6, we can read:
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.
10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

A few years ago, at the 2016 National Religious Broadcasters Convention, I met a man who has been granted by the Lord an amazing ministry. His name is Satish Kumar, and he leads Calvary Temple in Hyderabad, India. We had an engaging conversation about the work of God through that ministry.

Recently, CBN.com ran a story updating the incredible growth that the church has experienced.  The story leads off by saying:

Calvary Temple is India's largest church with more than 300,000 members. Now, it's on a mission to build 40 more megachurches in the next 10 years.

Most roads in Hyderabad on Sundays lead to Calvary Temple. Shortly after 4 a.m., side streets around the church here are already jammed.

As church volunteers coordinate traffic, shuttle buses, auto rickshaws, and motorcycles ferry thousands of people, all trying to get here two hours ahead of Calvary's first of five services that begin at 6 a.m.

By sunrise, the faithful have taken their seats.

36,000 people can be accommodated on-site in three different auditoriums. Kumar, the Senior Pastor, preaches five times during the course of an average Sunday. He is quoted as saying, "I've been given the grace to pastor this church which is beyond my dream and imagination..."

The church is not even 20 years old, having begun in 2005 with "about two dozen people." There are 11 satellite churches, but the church has its sights set on more.  The article notes:

"God put a burden in my heart to establish 40 mega churches just like what you see here during the next 10 years," said Kumar.

Pastor Kumar says the church adds some 3,000 new believers each month in a sign that the Lord is moving mightily across the country.

"God's hand is upon India, it's a time for India to reach the lost, not only within the country but across the globe," Kumar said.

The church also uses media to reach India and other nations - 650 television programs per week...in 17 languages!  

The key to the church's growth is certainly not complicated; Kumar says, "Preaching the pure Word of God is what attracts people, and practicing the Word of God is what keeps people within the church..."  Prayer has been another key component; CBN relates:

The church has held 40 days of prayer and fasting regularly since 2005 drawing tens of thousands of young participants to stadiums around the country.

"During this 40 days of fasting and prayer, I teach from Genesis to Revelation," Kumar told CBN News. "Every book I try to explain. Hundreds of thousands of young kids end up reading the whole Bible."

Each month, the church, along with its satellite campuses, holds a "Night with God" as members pray for revival.

"About 25,000 to 30,000 people join. That has been the biggest, largest all-night prayer services in our nation," Kumar said.

And this growth is continuing, even as persecution is present within the country. According to Pastor Kumar, "No persecution has ever succeeded in stopping the preaching of the Word of God, it always promoted the Word of God and spread the Word of God across the countries," adding, "It's my passion, my burden that before I die, I want to see every Indian will hear the gospel and know the Savior."

What can we take away as we think about the rapid and exponential growth of this congregation?  Well, for one thing, God is not opposed to numerical growth.  But, the size of a church does not necessarily reflect the depth of a church or the commitment to its mission.  Our numbers should represent souls who are coming to Christ and disciples who are growing in Him.  They are mobilized on mission to share the gospel and to bring others to a relationship with Jesus and with the local church.

I also think that sometimes we seem to complicate things with respect to the Christian faith. Certainly planning and programs are important, but we have to make sure that we are not relying primarily on worldly methodology to accomplish supernatural purposes. Our reliance - individually and collectively - should always be on God, who will manifest Himself through each of us and through His Church, so that the world might come to see more of Jesus.