Why the Modern Church Isn’t Growing and What the Early Church Knew That We Forgot
“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…”
(Revelation 12:11, ESV)
The church in Acts grew rapidly, sometimes thousands at a time. It did not grow because of eloquent sermons, well-organized church programs, or big financial budgets. The early church exploded because people could not stop talking about what Jesus had done for them.
They shared their stories.
And the modern church? We have lost that.
The silent crisis in the church is this: we have stopped sharing our stories, and that silence is costing us souls. Recent Barna research reveals the scope of this crisis: while 89% of Christians in 1993 believed they had a responsibility to share their faith, that number has plummeted to just 64% today. A devastating 25-point drop in just three decades (Barna Group, 2023). We have grown quieter, and less personal in the ways that can really make a difference. We have outsourced testimony sharing to pastors with platforms instead of realizing that the most powerful gospel message is the one that comes from our own lives.
When we go silent, the church stops growing. And the numbers prove it: church attendance has declined from 42% in 2000 to just 30% today (Gallup, 2023). Church membership has fallen even more dramatically—from 70% of Americans in 1999 to only 47% in 2020 (Gallup, 2021).
Testimony is not optional. It was the foundation of the early church’s growth. It was how people met Jesus, and it remains one of the ways darkness is pushed back today. When we stop telling others what He has done, we lose momentum, and eventually we lose that zeal we had when we were first saved.
The Gospel = Good News
The word gospel, euangelion in Greek, means good news. But it is not just theological good news. It is real, personal, transformational news about what God has done in our lives.
That is why, when Jesus healed people, they could not stay silent: “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:19, ESV)
That man obeyed and became one of the first gospel preachers in the Gentile world. No seminary degree. Just a story.
Testimony Fueled the Early Church
In Acts, Peter did not just preach doctrine. He preached what he saw: “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.”
(Acts 2:32, ESV)
When Peter and John were threatened by religious leaders, they did not back down.
They said:
“For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
(Acts 4:20, ESV)
The gospel in Acts was deeply personal, and that is what made it powerful. The message spread because everyone who had an encounter with Jesus was willing to share how he had impacted their life.
The Enemy Fears Our Stories
Revelation 12:11 reminds us that the enemy is overcome by two things:
1. The blood of Jesus
2. The word of our testimony
Our stories of what God has done are not just encouraging. They are spiritual warfare. They speak truth. They build faith. In many cases, they introduce people to Jesus. Sometimes for the first time. No wonder the enemy wants to keep believers quiet.
When They Testified, the Church Grew
One of the clearest examples of gospel growth through personal testimony was shared by a woman at a well.
In John 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman and tells her everything she ever did. A personal moment of revelation that would forever change her life. The Samaritan woman runs into town and says:
“Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”
(John 4:29, ESV)
The result?
“Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.”
(John 4:39, ESV)
Her story opened the door for others to meet Jesus. She did not preach a message. She simply shared what He did for her, and revival followed.
We see the same thing again in Acts 2, when Peter stood up after being filled with the Holy Spirit. He told the people that Jesus, whom they had crucified, was risen.
“This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.”
(Acts 2:32, ESV)
And what happened?
“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
(Acts 2:41, ESV)
In Acts 3, a man crippled from birth was healed outside the temple. He began walking, leaping, and praising God. The entire city noticed, and when the people gathered, Peter explained the miracle by pointing them to Jesus.
“But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.”
(Acts 4:4, ESV)
It was not eloquent sermons that caused the church to grow. It was visible transformation and bold testimony. Ordinary people, like you and me, simply shared what Jesus had done for them.
One Testimony Has Power to Impact the World
This is not just a Bible-era strategy. It is happening right now, and the world is watching.
A recent example is Forrest Frank. He broke his back in multiple places and was in excruciating pain. People around the world prayed for him. Then, just two weeks later, Forrest bent down to pick up his son and felt no pain at all. He then realized he wasn’t wearing his brace.
Stunned, he went for an emergency X-ray. The results showed no fractures. He had been miraculously healed. Broken backs do not heal in fourteen days.
Instead of keeping it quiet, Forrest shared his story publicly. His testimony has now been viewed more than 21.6 million times on Instagram and over 5.8 million times on YouTube, sparking conversations worldwide. That is gospel impact, not from a pulpit, but through testimony that reaches the mountains of Faith and Media, where stories have the power to shape culture and inspire millions.
What We Have Forgotten
The statistics reveal how far we’ve drifted from the early church model. Today’s research shows that just 52% of practicing Christians believe they personally have a responsibility to tell others about their faith (Barna Group, 2023). A stark contrast to the 100% conviction rate we see in Acts. Meanwhile, an alarming 47% of Christian Millennials now believe that evangelism is actually wrong (Barna Group, 2023).
In today’s church, we have too often:
• Reduced the gospel to a doctrinal formula
• Reserved storytelling for stages and well-known leaders
• Created a culture of silence, where people are afraid to speak unless it is polished and perfect.
But Jesus never asked for polished and perfect. He simply said, go and share the gospel, the good news.
We have forgotten that the most powerful gospel message is the one that comes from our own lives.
A Call to Testify
Here’s the truth the data confirms: when Christians stop sharing their stories, the church stops growing. We’re living through the consequences right now. But this doesn’t have to be our story.
If we have been saved, healed, delivered, provided for, or encountered Jesus in any way, then we have good news to share. That is the gospel.
If we long to see revival in our generation like they saw in the book of Acts, we cannot hold back. We cannot stay silent when our stories carry the power to change lives and grow the kingdom of God.
The church does not grow when people merely attend services. The church grows when people testify.
For more faith-filled encouragement and inspiring testimonies, connect with Christina Smith and Witness the Wonder:
�� Website: www.ChristinaSmithOfficial.com
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