"And they were astonished beyond measure, saying among themselves, 'Who then can be saved?' But looking at them, Jesus said, 'With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.'" (Mark 10:26-27)

The disciples wondered how it was possible for any person to be saved, when Jesus spoke of the difficulty with which the rich must enter the kingdom. My astonishment is sometimes no less, when I consider the task of growing a congregation.

You see, I find myself trapped in a cycle which seems inescapable. It works like this: You need money to reach people, but you need people to raise money. Understanding that this dynamic is in place, causes me to question, as the disciples did, "Who then can be saved?"

A number of years ago, a friend of mine studied the similarities of starting a small business, and pioneering a new church. He discovered that new churches and small businesses have very similar failure rates. After one year, 75% of new small businesses closed. So too, with churches. The reasons for failure were similar also: The failure of the small church was due to poor business practices.

I am sure, that the more affluent the community, the more these statistics hold true. In Carlsbad, CA (where I have pastored for 10 years, at the time of this writing) rental rates, and property prices are high, and advertising costs mount rapidly. It is a very short period, in which a church can find itself thousands of dollars in debt. I have seen churches close their doors leaving large debts unpaid, and with that, a lingering reputation other churches have had to shake off.

Beyond getting a Master's degree in business, what can the small church do to break out of the cycle of needing money to reach people , and needing people to raise money? I believe that the answer is found in Jesus' response to the disciples' question, "Who then can be saved?" Very simply, "With God all things are possible."

It requires the power of God to transcend the principles of this earth, and the laws of nature. When He does this, we call it a miracle. Breaking this inescapable circle requires a miracle.

The miracle churches need sometimes comes packaged in God's providence of extra money out of nowhere. Sometimes, a great deal inexplicably comes along. More often, it appears that creativity breaks the cycle. I have counseled pastors to look for facilities to rent, which normally are left unused on Sundays, yet would not be traditional locations for church meetings.

As a result, I have held, or seen church gatherings held in coffee-houses, day-care centers, restaurants, and parks. At Church on the Coast, we are preparing ourselves for a summer of services at Holiday Park in Carlsbad - low cost, high visibility.

Yet, I do not believe that these forms of financial and creative "miracles" are what God primarily desires to use as means to break the money/people cycle. The surest way to overcome this dilemma is revival. In revival, people touch people; and growth occurs because there is a spontaneous multiplying of concern to please God. Revival and true miracles cannot be bought.

It is my prayer that churches both small and large in the United States would experience the kind of awakening, which would break us free from that inescapable circle of needing money to reach people, and needing people to raise money.

In our generation, most churches (large and small) have been built by business acumen. They have either learned to work, or have struggled with the inescapable money/people problem. May God help us to experience revival, which delivers us from that inescapable circle.