Church members desire to grow spiritually. Yet many pastors have experienced a painful reality. One pastor confessed, “Even though I have been preaching for more than 20 years, my church members still have not grown up like children.”
This has been a serious practical concern for me. Why does this happen? The congregation often says, “The pastor did not raise us.” From the pastor’s perspective, however, the complaint is, “The people are not growing.”
Where is the problem?
First, I believe many laypeople do not grow because they have not been given meaningful responsibility. When people have no specific ministry responsibility, they can easily remain in a superficial religious life. Faith becomes a habit: attending worship, listening to sermons, and maintaining a comfortable Christian life without taking spiritual risks or making sacrifices.
When hard work and commitment are avoided, spiritual immaturity can become deeply rooted. Yet when they are asked why they have not matured, they may shift responsibility by saying, “Our pastor made us this way.”
However, we also need to ask why pastors have not entrusted ministry responsibilities to laypeople. Why have they not given them opportunities to serve and grow? I believe the answer is often related to mutual trust.
Pastors may hesitate because laypeople do not always produce results as quickly as expected. But growth requires patience. Pastors must be willing to invest time, provide guidance, and wait for maturity to develop.
First, the atmosphere of the church is very important. The church must create an environment where laypeople believe, “I can grow. I can serve. God can use me.”
Pastors must continually recognize that the growth of individual laypeople is not separate from the growth of the church. A growing church is not only a church with more members, but a church where each member grows as a disciple and servant. The pastor has a key role in connecting people with opportunities for growth.
Second, a system is necessary to make this growth possible. Laypeople cannot always grow by personal effort alone. They need the pastor’s encouragement, training, support, and a structure that makes their growth visible.
Without a supporting system, even sincere efforts often produce limited results. But when there is a clear process of equipping, mentoring, and accountability, people can develop more effectively.
Third, whatever ministry they participate in, laypeople need ownership. Ownership does not mean possessing the church itself, but taking responsibility for a specific ministry entrusted to them.
When people have ownership, they develop a sense of responsibility. They begin to identify problems, seek solutions, and make personal efforts. Through these experiences, they naturally grow.
Growth is not simply the result of receiving more information. Growth comes through responsibility, service, challenges, and the experience of being trusted.
Therefore, the pastor’s role is not only to preach sermons but also to discover, equip, and release laypeople into ministry. When pastors trust laypeople and laypeople accept responsibility, the church becomes a community where everyone grows together.