What is the most the most important ingredient for a church to grow and make positive changes? Faith in God. Faith provides the church with guidance, principles, and practices that empower the group to grow and develop and make positive changes. Faith can help the church overcome the myriad of challenges that it may encounter and still be able to reach their collective goal. The church can reach its fullest potential as a community when its members are rooted in faith.

Faith plays a crucial role in the growth of a church community. The rapid growth of the first-century church was a result of a deep faith that says all things are possible with God. Just like most faith communities today, they also had their fair share of challenges, but their faith in the power Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit helped them overcome their difficulties, and they were able to spread the Christian gospel, and the kingdom of God grew.

How does an attitude of faith affect the church, making it grow and bring about positive change? According to S. Joseph Kidder, these are how an attitude of faith affects the church:

• It is inspiring to see God moving in our midst.

When we witness God in action, it ener­gizes the church both individually and as a congregation in a special way. Faith enables God to work miracles among us, and when we see these miracles, we develop more faith, which then brings more of God’s visible action.

• We choose our attitude.

There are many things that we cannot change—our past, other people’s actions or reactions, or even the inevitable. What we can change is our attitude, especially our attitude of faith.

When we choose the attitude of faith, we look at impossible situations the way God does. And that is, he sees every situation as possible! Nothing is impossible to him; thus, when faced with challenges, both personally or as a church, we should always have the attitude of faith and believe that it is possible with God.

• Joy is contagious.

Our joy at the Lord’s work can permeate throughout the whole congrega­tion. When we are enthusiastic in our faith, this has a way of influencing the other members of the congregation. It can open their hearts to the possibilities that faith in the Lord can accomplish.

In today’s world, the church, individually and as a whole, faces many challenges; and one of them is maintaining one’s faith. The church is bombarded with challenges, especially challenges to faith. Here are some challenges that the church are facing:

• Because of scientific breakthroughs and advancement, people have begun to question their existing knowledge and ideologies and doubt their religious beliefs.
• Some churches have strayed from teaching the Word, and this has led many people to question where God is in the church.
• Our culture, warped by secularism, has drawn people away from God.
• The hectic daily schedule of modern society has taken away time spent for church activities.
• The lack of community within the church has eroded the faith of its members.

To counter these challenges, here are some practical ways to maintain the faith as individuals and/or as a congregation according to S. Joseph Kidder:

1. Study God’s action in the Bible. This will strengthen one’s faith.
2. Demonstrate faith in word and action. This means living out your faith.
3. Use sermons, testimonies, slogans, and songs to instill in the congregation of the greatness of God.
4. Celebrating the blessings of the church, addressing the problems from the perspective of faith, finding the right people to take leadership roles can nurture a faith-filled congregation, one that believes all things are possible.

Other ways in maintaining one’s faith are praying, participating in the church community, and spreading kindness. When we ask God for guidance, share our burdens with others in the church, and doing good deeds, our faith is strengthened individually and as a community.

Growing and making positive changes in the church is not easy, but with faith in God, these are possible. God calls us have the spirit of success, not defeat. When the church builds up their faith in God and open their eyes to the mighty works of God, the church will go on to make positive changes and grow.

Sources:

Abundant Life. “How to Overcome Challenges to Faith in Today’s World.”

Last modified March 25, 2024. https://livingproof.co/challenges-to-faith-in-todays-world/.

Green, Duncan. “Faith and Development: What’s the Connection?”

Last modified October 6, 2009. https://frompoverty.oxfam.org.uk/faith-and-development-whats-the-connection/.

Ministry. “The Most Important Ingredient in Church Growth: Faith- Based Optimism.”

Accessed June 30, 2024. https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2012/12/the-most-important.

World Vision. “Having Faith in Development: Why Faith Is Key to Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Accessed June 30, 2014. https://www.wvi.org/united-nations-and-global-engagement/article/having-faith-development-why-faith.