We invest in what we think is important. When I was dating my now wife, I’d think nothing of getting her flowers, taking her out for dinner, or buying her jewellery. In fact, I still love spoiling her. She is important to me and she’s worth investing in. Maybe you invest in sports, or holidays, or a particular hobby. If it matters to you, you invest in it. The same is true when it comes to the church. If you looked at your church’s budget, which I’m sure many of you are starting to do, what does it say about what...

I’ve heard it so often, ‘It’s not about church growth, it’s about being faithful!’ Usually, it’s spoken defensively by someone from a church that is struggling. And what they are saying is that God cares most about the faithfulness of his people, and the numerical growth of the church is up to God. And I agree 100%. Paul says ‘I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. (1 Cor 3:6-7)’ Growth is God’s work. We may be able to grow the church...