Yes, God Does Care About Numbers!

By Barry L. Davis

Often we hear the statement, “God doesn’t care about numbers, He cares about people.” Well, the second half of that statement is true, but the first half is not. If you say that God only cares about numbers, I would agree with you. But it doesn’t need to be exclusive. God cares about numbers AND people, because every number that you count at church represents a soul that Jesus Christ died for. It isn’t numbers or people, it is that numbers ARE people!

If you are trying to gain numbers just so you can brag to other preachers about your church attendance, you are doing it with the wrong motive. But if you are trying to gain numbers because you want to bring more people with you into heaven, you’re doing it right! The ministers I’m most concerned about are the ones who are not bothered about numbers at all.

When you consider that the book of Acts in the New Testament covers approximately the first six decades of church history, you begin to realize that it, at the very least, is a good indicator of how the church should grow. And when we examine that dynamic book we discover that God inspired its author to go to great lengths to record the number of people who were being saved. Why would he do that if numbers weren’t important to God?

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. – Acts 2:41 

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. – Acts 2:47 

But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. – Acts 4:4

And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. – Acts 5:14

And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. – Acts 6:7

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. – Acts 9:31

And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. – Acts 11:21 

…for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. – Acts 11:24

Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. – Acts 14:1 

So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. – Acts 16:5 

And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. – Acts 17:4

Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. – Acts 18:8

As you can clearly see, God cares about numbers, and He cares about numbers because He cares about people! While God blesses churches of all sizes and all churches have different demographics that might limit or enhance their ability to grow, none of us are excused from trying to spread the Gospel just like they did in the book of Acts. Lets start caring about numbers, just like they did in the early church!

 

Barry L. Davis spent two decades as a Senior Pastor and started the ministry of The Pastor’s Helper in 1996. The Pastor’s Helper strives to provide tools and resources to help pastors succeed in their ministry calling.

 

 

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version”, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”