The Chase for the Empty Seat
The Chase for the Empty Seat There is a quiet obsession that has crept into the modern Church, the chase for the empty seat. Across denominations, cities, and continents, much of today’s church growth conversation revolves around numbers: attendance, capacity, expansion, filled auditoriums, and visible success. Pastors worry when buildings are not full. Leadership teams strategise endlessly about how to attract more people. Sermons, programmes, conferences, and experiences are designed often sincerely to ensure that no seat remains empty. On the surface, this seems noble. After all, the Church is called to reach people. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19) . But somewhere along the way, the pursuit of the empty seat has begun to eclipse the care of the already-filled one. The Seat That Is Already Occupied While leaders anxiously scan the room for empty chairs, there is often a painful silence sitting right in front of them. That silence belongs ...