The essential element for church growth

​In today’s high tech environment we can be forgiven for thinking that there is an app for everything, and that they only way to grow a church is through high end wiz bang technologies, quality programming, a nice building, and dynamic preachers; and whilst all of these things are great, none of them will grow a church on their own.   So how do we grow a church?  The Early Church didn’t have the same resources we have today, yet they saw exponential church growth. So what was their secret weapon?  
Prayer!
Prior to ascending to heaven, Jesus told the disciples, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). They didn’t just sit around talking about the kind of church growth God wanted to bring about. They didn’t merely twiddle their thumbs waiting for the power of God’s Spirit to come upon them. Notice what they did: “They all joined together constantly in prayer …” (Acts 1:14).  Later, after the Spirit came at Pentecost, we still find them praying.  “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42) A few verses later we read, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).  God is still in the business of growing His church; quantitatively (through conversions), and qualitatively (through spiritual maturation).  So the question isn’t "can church growth still happen today?” the real question becomes are we willing to pray?   
Grace & Peace
Jen