In last week’s Message About Purpose and Strategy, I mentioned a meeting with Growth Group leaders. Let me tell you about something cool we did together, besides eating dessert. In our training meeting, I tried to get the group facilitators to picture the potential of exponential growth. I don’t want to boggle any anti-math minds, but a comparison between arithmetic progression and multiplication is eye-opening. When you start with one and add one nine more times, you end up with a grand total of 10. But if you start with one and start to double it, look what happens: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1,024! The difference between arithmetic progression (adding) and exponential growth (multiplying) is amazing. In 20 generations, the total is 1,048,576!

The potential for growth of this kind can be illustrated by folding a paper in half and in half and in half over and over. Incredible as it may seem, after 30 folds its thickness would be beyond the limits of the atmosphere! (Do the math!)
 
Why the emphasis on numbers? Someone will say: numbers aren’t important. I’d answer: it depends what the numbers represent. If we’re talking about numbers of people, then yes, numbers matter! Think and pray about the potential of spiritual reproduction and reach people who can reach people for Christ! As I wrote last week, follow Christ in a way that leads others to follow. Disciples are disciplemakers.