When I was in bible college, I read a book called "Natural Church Development" by Christian Schwarz. I was so impacted by his view of church growth (more accurately "church health") that I knew that this book would be something that would forever impact my life and ministry. So naturally, when we decided to plant City Chapel at Slaughter Creek, I immediately began to recommend this book to everyone joining our launch team. I feel that this book shows how a church can grow, not by creating some new programs, but by simply being who God has called us to be in the first place.
So what has God called us to be? I'm glad you asked. Below is a link to the pdf version of Natural Church Development in shortened form. Please read over it and allow it to challenge you, your thinking, and your ideas of ministry.