Growth without “Church Growth” and “Confessional Success”

Embrace the Theology of the Cross. Resist the temptation to count the people. Take your hits. You can’t win. You can’t make it work. No matter how gentle and kind, articulate and patient, you will lose. The Gospel always loses. That is how it wins. Be wary of seeming success. Let no one judge your practice or your wisdom. Preach the Truth. Confess your sins, for they are many. Eat the Body. Pray for the end. Do not be dismayed by your failure. Be deaf also to the praise of men.