◆“The Key Points of Church Growth” (Ephesians 4:1–16) September 14, 2025

On Sunday, the 7th of this month, I was invited to deliver a message at Yonezawa Kojo Church. This year marks the 100th anniversary of their evangelistic work, and throughout the year they have been inviting pastors and teachers connected to the church. By God’s grace, I was honored to be one of them. Honestly, there are many people far more suitable than I, who only served there for about four years beginning in 2023. Still, with gratitude, I accepted the invitation.

Not long after, I decided to preach from Ephesians chapter 4 with the theme, “The Key Points of Church Growth.” But after telling Kojo Church that, I thought to myself, “Oh no!” For a church celebrating its centennial, a message about “church growth” seemed unnecessary. That is a theme more fitting for a young church like ours, just a little over ten years old.

Yet as I prepared, the Lord led me to see that this is a message we at Tama Migiwa Church also need to hear. Each of us longs for our church to grow, both spiritually and numerically. And the Scriptures clearly reveal what is necessary for that growth, because God has a plan—an architectural blueprint—for His church. Our task is to follow that blueprint, so that our fellowship may truly be the Church of God.

Today’s passage highlights three essential elements for church growth:

Unity

Diversity

Each person’s personal relationship with God

Let us reflect on these together.

1. Unity

What does “unity” in the church mean? Does it mean that we always agree in every discussion? Perhaps in a small group of two or three close friends that could happen, but in a gathering of even ten people, different views and opinions will naturally arise. In congregational meetings we are often surprised by the variety of perspectives expressed. The same occurs in board meetings. And the larger the group, the greater the diversity of backgrounds, personalities, and life experiences.

So, the “unity” spoken of here does not mean unanimous opinions. Instead, it is unity in vision and confession of faith. What do we believe about the Bible? What is the confession of faith we share? Without such unity, we cannot truly be “the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

That is why, when someone receives baptism and seeks to become a member of this church, the first question is whether they share the same confession of faith. The same applies when someone transfers membership from another congregation. On that foundation, we then ask: What is the vision of this church? As we unite around that vision, Ephesians 4:2 becomes reality—living with humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another in love, and maintaining the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Unity comes from the Spirit. That means we must pray, seeking God’s vision for this church, listening carefully to the Spirit’s voice.

When Tama Migiwa Church was founded 12 years ago, we spent about a year in prayer, asking God for His vision. The vision He gave us is one we reaffirm together at each monthly communion service. It is this:

The Vision of Tama Migiwa Christ Church — An Open Church
We believe these things will be realized as each person connects directly with God.
Our church is open to all people.
We are a community that loves, accepts, and forgives one another.
A church where it is safe to admit weakness, and where no one judges others.
We help one another grow. We learn together, pray together, and encourage each other to apply the Scriptures in all areas of life.
We respect each person’s spiritual and emotional pace.
We stand on our confession of faith, while respecting each person’s unique style of faith and worship.

Recently, we have been considering whether this vision needs to be revised, as the aspect of “being an outwardly evangelizing church” seems to have weakened. I intend to propose an amendment at our next annual meeting.

Last week, at Yonezawa Kojo Church, I was reminded of their vision: “To live with singleness of heart.” I do not know if that was their guiding vision from the very beginning, but by 2003, when I first became involved there, it was firmly established. And the fact that they have held to this vision unwaveringly has been a source of great strength.

Thus, the first key point for church growth is unity in confession and vision.

2. Diversity

The second key point is diversity.

Verse 7 says: “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

And verse 12 continues: “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up … until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Gifts are not limited to visible talents like teaching or singing. Each person’s life journey, experiences, skills, and even personality traits can all be seen as gifts. When these are directed toward building up the body of Christ—toward proclamation of the Word, toward serving God—they become powerful instruments in His hands.

As this happens, each believer learns to connect personally with God—through Scripture, through prayer, through stillness, through worship. And this leads us to the third key point.

3. Personal Connection with God

The church can only grow as each individual maintains a direct, living relationship with God. This is the foundation of all else. Only then can a vision be filled with life, and only then can the Spirit freely use the gifts among us.

So what is the secret of this personal connection?

It is centering on Scripture. This is the cornerstone, the very starting point.

Sometimes I meet people with vast biblical knowledge who can quote scholars and theologians at length. Yet sadly, it is not always clear what they themselves believe. In such cases I often encourage them to set aside commentaries and theology books for a while, to focus solely on Scripture, to pray, and to listen to God’s voice through His Word.

I know this from experience. When I first came to faith, I could not understand much of Scripture, so I devoured commentaries. At that time, my pastor told me, “Do not read anything but the Bible.” I felt resistant at first—“Isn’t that my choice?”—but in the end, it was the best thing for me.

Read the Bible. Speak to God. Ask God. Repeat. Through this, my relationship with Him became living and real. The Scriptures that once seemed confusing gradually came alive—through meditation, through sermons and Sunday school, and especially through practicing obedience. And this, in turn, became the source of strength for my service in the church.

Conclusion

The key points of church growth are these:

Unity in confession and vision

Diversity of gifts

Each believer’s direct connection with God

Of these, the third is the foundation of all foundations. Upon

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Sermon script modified based on proofreading and translation with ChatGPT.