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Growth comes in many different ways, in many different times and circumstances. It is often caused by hardships or being forced out of our “comfort zone.” It’s God’s way of growing our capacity, testing us to strengthen us. Someone once told me about God’s method of growing our capacity, by using the analogy of a rubber band. They explained that God will stretch us until we think we’re going to break, then He lets up. Then later He will stretch us again, and we will stretch farther than the first time. This repeats through our whole life, God growing our capacity exponentially.

The ministry has experienced this over the years, and this year hasn’t been any different. It has grown us in members, locations, and functionality. We’ve been updating and reworking our platforms that we use to connect with people.

We have updated the look of our website; adding Events, News, Training Materials, and lots of other features to help people get to know us and learn what we do and teach. We’ve also added an app for phones and tablets. This allows people to have our resources right at their fingertips. Features it includes: list of events, easy access to giving/donating, ability to listen to and download our podcasts, quick connection to our social media platforms, plus more. It also gives you the option to get notifications from the app.

Even more important, we’ve grown in number this year. We have several virtual volunteers which minister to 70+ St. Louis 3rd Ward residents on a weekly basis. Those calls are opportunities to share the Gospel of the Kingdom, pray for others, and share the love of Christ. We’ve had 8 Virtual Discipleship Groups, producing 30+ people that have gone through the basics of how to make disciples. Some of those members have even gone on to host their own group, be personally discipled by one of our staff members, or become volunteers with Sun Ministries.

Growth is not just about what we can see, but about what we can’t see. It can be overwhelming, confusing, difficult. There is a bigger truth than what we feel or what we think, a bigger plan. We must allow Him to take us through the change and the growth.

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”      -- 1 Peter 4:12

He will take us in the direction He needs us to go in, the direction that will glorify Him. God has to work within each of us to grow us and mold us into what He needs us to be for the mission, for His plan, for the Kingdom. Let Him show you how to grow.