DISCUSSION ON MEASURING CHURCH GROWTH

The following is part of a discussion on measuring church growth. . .

Fong: I teach it this way: there are two parts of the Good News. First, everyone's a rat. There are no squirrels. I told my congregation, "Some of you think you're just a cute little squirrel sinner. Who hates a squirrel?" I said, "Have I got news for you. Everyone's a rat. God doesn't see any squirrels."

When I said this at the drug rehab place—"How many feel like a rat?"—everybody raised their hands right away. At seminary chapel, it was like, hmmm, some of the professors weren't sure. I said, "Some of you are raising your hands because you know I'm theologically correct, but you don't feel like a rat." I said, "Until you know that you're a rat, it's not good news to find out you're not the only rat in the room."

I said, "Some of us are rats because we're not convinced we're rats. We look around and think that someone else is a bigger rat, that someone else needs the cross more than I do.
"Only when you know you're a rat are you ready for the second part: God is not an exterminator."

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