Seth Godin put in one of his blogs a graphic that said: Are you Lonely? Tired of working alone? Do you hate making decisions? Hold a meeting! At a meeting you can See people. Show charts. Feel important. Point with a stick. Eat Donuts. Impress your colleagues. All on company time. Meetings! A practical alternative to work. 

Now yes, Godin was being facetious. He does that a lot, but his farce has enough truth to it that it makes a point. Ouch! And a comparison can be made between inefficient corporate meetings and inefficient church meetings. Many church leaders think the solution to the church-growth challenge is to have more meetings to discuss more detailed strategy. 

Actually, the solution to the church-growth challenge is evangelism, which involves one-on-one, face-to-face contact with non-Christians — and the last place you’ll find them is at a church meeting. 

My point is that meetings can easily become an alternative to ministry, and it’s our responsibility to make sure they don’t. Churches don’t grow because they are well-organized or well-strategized. They grow because they’re full of life — a kind of life is that is too much for non-believers to resist. 

Matthew Parris, a writer for the London Times and a ‘devout’ atheist, grew up in what is now known as Malawi, a small country in Africa. He returned for a visit shortly before Christmas, and the work he witnessed there among Christian organizations challenged his world view. In a Times column, he wrote … “Now a confirmed atheist, I’ve become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good. This is how the church should appear to non-Christians.” 

The article also reveals, I believe, what non-believers are looking for — what they hope to see — in people who profess the Christian faith. 

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.