The following piece was first written for the June 14, 2026 pew sheet at St Augustine’s Anglican Church. I share it here again in the hope that it may continue to encourage and bless.
In Ephesians 4:1–16 Paul paints a beautiful picture of what it means for God's people to grow together. He speaks of the Church as a body, with Christ as its head, and each member playing a vital role in helping the whole body grow 'to maturity, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ' (v. 13). When we speak about 'growing together' as a church, what do we mean by growth? In today's world, growth is often measured by numbers. Certainly, we would love to see our church grow numerically. We pray that more people will come to know Christ, worship with us and become part of our church family. Numerical growth is a good thing. But Ephesians reminds us that growth means much more than numbers. True Christian growth begins with a deeper trust in God and a greater knowledge of who he is. It means growing in our understanding of God's love, grace, faithfulness and power. It means becoming more firmly rooted in Christ and less easily swayed by the changing ideas and pressures of the world. Growth also involves the transformation of our character. As we mature in Christ, God gently strips away our rough edges. We grow in victory over our old sinful nature and become increasingly able to display the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This understanding of growth is important as we develop our Parish Mission Action Plan. One reason we are undertaking this process is because we desire our church to grow. Yet before asking how we might grow, we must first ask what kind of growth we are seeking. Our hope is that the Mission Action Plan will reflect a mature and biblical vision of growth: a church growing deeper in faith, stronger in discipleship, richer in love and more effective in service and witness. If we seek first this kind of spiritual growth, we may well find that numerical growth follows. For as each member grows in Christ and serves faithfully, the whole body is built up in love and grows together into the fullness that God intends.
