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I was dismayed when a pastor, writing in an article on an unrelated subject, reported, in an effort to increase his credibility, “Our church is the third fastest growing large [denomination] church in the country.”

My first thoughts were, “How does he know?” and “Why does he care?”

I just wrote on the importance of being effective (February 18, February 19), so why did I react negatively to this claim? We hear boasts like this all the time: “Our church has the largest Sunday School in our denomination!” is a claim I used to hear often from a particular church. There’s certainly nothing wrong with being large or growing:

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. (Acts 9.31, NIV)

There is a problem, however, with measuring our effectiveness by comparison. The Apostle Paul was clear:

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. (2 Corinthians 10.12, NIV)