Is there a church anywhere that has too many members—that has grown so much that its members would like to say, "Stop now, we've grown enough"?
There probably aren't many that have that challenge! But "How can we grow?" is a fairly common question. The responses are as many and as varied as the churches themselves. Often these responses show that, for a church to grow, the members must be willing to pay the price of growth. As the letters and interviews on these pages point out, there must be a deepening of Christian experience, with God at the center of the affections.
Someone once told of visiting a branch church. The members were pleased to take her on a tour of their tidy, well-kept building. It was obvious that they truly appreciated Christian Science, enjoyed their church, and admired one another. Yet the church was not taking in new members. Regular attendees at the services were content to attend; Sunday School pupils showed no interest in joining. Why? the members wanted to know. After a moment of heartfelt reaching for an answer, the visitor thought, "Who would want to get onto a train that isn't going anywhere?" The one thing that was missing, she felt, the fuel that would propel the church toward its destination, was more vigorous evidence of the members' inward growth.
