Crowd Chasing: A Critical Study of the Tension Between Quantitative Growth and Qualitative Spiritual Development in Christian Ministry

The term “crowd chasing” refers to the empirical study of the Christian ministry in the context of attracting a large group of people to a specific location for religious purposes or events, typically through various growth drives or evangelical outreaches. The research aims to arouse the inherent danger involved in the crave for a quantitative growth culture. As such, the paper traces the historical context in order to address the contemporary trends thereby exposing the significant ways crowd chasing deceives. Further, this research aims to exfoliate the intricate way crowd chasing has affected, influenced, and fueled the crave and craze for numbers and membership size, instead of qualitative spiritual development. The study utilized only primary sources, the local churches of the researcher, as a methodology to describe quantitative growth and qualitative spiritual development. Analysis explored correlates between qualitative spiritual development and quantitative growth dimensions. Also, relevant literature, provided the data required for the present research. The findings are substantiated by the significant results in the tension between quantitative growth culture and qualitative spiritual development. These findings are critical as well as necessary because they allow better understanding of the reasons for qualitative spiritual development and allow conclusions to be drawn for future spiritual development strategies. The research proposes and offers possible recommendations tailored to the unique context of the present-day church. Through this analysis, the paper concludes by advocating that the church must resist the temptation to equate success in ministry with the crowd. 

Key words: local church, quantitative growth, qualitative development, crowd chasing, christian ministry.