Weeds In The Garden
November 2025
Weeds choke the garden.
“We are praying for a larger congregation!” You hear this in many, “less than sparsely” attended churches. Small churches want to fill up their chairs or pews just as much as large churches do. We all want to spread the gospel and foster church fellowship. But do we really want to grow? There are a few ways to tell. How does your church garden grow?
1 Corinthians 3:6-8
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that plants anything, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase. Now he that plants and he that waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.
Are your gardeners and plants in union? Is your church one?
If there are leadership issues, a fearful ministry, a lack of clear vision, or maybe the ministry is failing to connect with the community, these can all lead to stagnation and if continued, a dead church that no one wants to be a part of, and eventually no one will. Your Planters and Waterers need to be on point.
If there are unwelcoming or self-focused members that are the first point of contact with visitors, they can knowingly or unwittingly sabotage new membership. News Flash! Some of your plants are weeds.
Many spiritual factors like lack of prayer, resistance to discipleship, and poor stewardship also hinder growth.
One of the biggest hinderances to church growth can be “Resistance to Change”: An unwillingness to adapt to new technologies, worship or preaching styles. Lack of community needs, or poor innovative approaches can prevent growth as well.
I have great experience with mindsets and mentalities of this ilk: “This is how WE have always done things.” or “This is how WE like it.”
Or even worse... the senior members turn visitors away because they actually DO NOT REALLY WANT MORE MEMBERS. These are the people that will choke the life out of a congregation until it is dead. These are weeds in the garden! Maybe they are saved. But they are not sanctified (mature) enough to allow others to grow or flourish.
So how does a Pastor, his ministers and his members get control over stubborn, stiff-necked individuals and rebellious, opinionated souls that undermine the vision for growth, but with grace and compassion?
As we all know, prayer is always the first and most important step. “but God that gives the increase.”
If God wants a church to grow, it will, and no one can stop it. It is helpful here, as in all situations, to determine if we are praying in God’s will. If there is ongoing, unrepentant sin and fleshly stumbling blocks that we fail to recognize or address, then God may just be waiting for obedience. Taking a strong, serious spiritual inventory of vison, mission and commission compliance are really important. We need to till that ground.
Do some members need to be benched if they are doing more harm than good?
Do some leaders need to be empowered more or restricted more in their authority for their ministry, or should they be fired or benched as well? Can we simply remove the negative influence from having such influence? Should we pull the weeds?
All the efforts we make to add value to membership and spark interest for newcomers will be for nothing if there is no unified desire and agreement for the vision. If there are those who rebel against any change, no change will occur, they will see to it.
So, again I ask, can we simply remove the negative influence from having such influence? Yes. In love. We can change, shift and/or retire positions and people. We have to be in one accord, of the same mind, and in the same manner. If not, then we are just spinning our wheels. Ever feel like that?
THEN TEND YOUR GARDEN!
· Every ministry has a season.
· Change is always in order.
· Lose the distractions.
· Shut down the negative nay-sayers.
· Get rid of the idols.
· Re-evaluate your traditions and their place of prominence.
· Move people up, down, or out.
If a church is too afraid to discipline, educate, or change the positions and responsibilities of its members because they may get their feelings hurt or leave the church, then that church will die in fear.
· Jesus is the Master. The owner of the garden/field.
· Souls are the field of harvest.
There will always be weeds, but we do not have to allow them to have dominance.
Church, we need to clean house if we want to grow. It won’t be easy, but it must be done.
Visitors love a clean house, spiritually and physically.
And God demands it.
A good garden bears good fruit.
Tend it properly or it will die.
Remember. The planters and waterers are us. THEN, God gives the increase.
~Blessings,
Steven camara
