Is Transfer Growth Bad?

Is transfer growth wrong?

We can all agree that the church of Jesus Christ is a sanctuary for God’s people. It is where God equips the saints for the work of ministry. When a church recognizes its need to grow, it starts encouraging members to invite friends to church. That is usually when the question of transfer growth comes up.

What is transfer growth?

Transfer growth is when a church grows in attendance or membership by taking in believers from other churches. Statistically speaking, a large share of church growth in America comes from transfer growth. The most recent data comes from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research’s EPIC survey (Scott Thumma, 2025). It studied roughly 9,000 people who joined churches between 2020 and 2025. Converts made up 8% of new attenders, switchers 69%, and returners 22%. Returners had a Christian background but had stepped away from church for a time.

Those numbers can look bleak to those of us who want a big heaven and a small hell. After all, the mission of the church is to put Christ’s enemies under his feet. It is also to give Christ the reward of his suffering by proclaiming the gospel to the nations. Only 8% of growth coming from conversions is not a number any of us like to read.

Is church hopping just consumerism?

But what about that 69%? What are we to make of it? Is it right for people to hop from one church to another? Much of the concern is that church hopping grows out of consumerism. People leave their church because another one has a better kids’ program, better worship, or a friendlier atmosphere. Sometimes those preferences really are shallow. When they are, we have a responsibility to build up our own church with the gifts God gave us. Then our church can become everything God intended.

Good reasons to leave a church

Your church isn’t feeding your family

Now suppose your church isn’t feeding your family. The teaching of God’s word isn’t equipping you to glorify Christ, build up his church, and win the lost. The worship centers on man instead of God. Your kids go to church and play games. But no one invests the gospel in them, even though God made them to be little world changers.

Say I joined a church that had slipped into TED Talks and Coldplay concerts. Say I raised concerns, but they fell on deaf ears. I would then have a responsibility to leave for a church where my family could grow as God intended.

Church malpractice

Then there is church malpractice. Financial scandals, heavy-handed leadership, nepotism, and, God forbid, covering up sexual abuse are all completely legitimate reasons to leave.

Doctrinal compromise

There are also doctrinal reasons to leave a church. Even here in Ada, Oklahoma, churches have begun to compromise. Some churches once stood on the biblical foundation of marriage between one man and one woman. Now they have bowed to the culture and become affirming. Other churches in our city claim to be evangelical but teach universal reconciliation. Or maybe a member of a Word of Faith church has changed their views and repented of the prosperity gospel. People in situations like these would also have a responsibility to leave their local church.

Why I don’t lose sleep over transfer growth

In my opinion, for what it’s worth, transfer growth is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be healthy, as long as the new church trains newcomers to be salt and light in their city. Their previous church may not have done that.

Transfer growth may not be a church’s goal, and it certainly isn’t our goal at King’s Fellowship. But virtually all of our members grew up in church. Many came to King’s because they wanted to dive deep into expositional preaching. Others wanted their families surrounded by the sacraments and the liturgy that shape us every week. Some came to an equip night and realized healing, deliverance, and prophecy aren’t just for the spiritually elite or missionaries. Instead, God has given these gifts to his whole church. The teaching of God’s word, the equipping of spiritual gifts, and our sacramental, liturgical worship all drew people in. So most of our people came to us through transfer growth.

I have to confess, it doesn’t bother me one bit. I don’t lose a second of sleep over it. Almost every week, someone tells me, “I think of God differently.” Another says, “I prayed for a sick person for the first time this week.” Most impressive of all, someone says, “I shared the gospel for the first time.” Folks who have followed Jesus for decades have encountered the ministry of King’s Fellowship, and Christ has transformed their lives. I am unapologetically proud of that transfer growth. What started as transfer growth became spiritual growth. People matured into their gifts and callings, then started stepping out to share their faith.

God gives the growth

When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he addressed the divisions there. It turns out some folks believed their spiritual pedigree came from whoever discipled them. Some really liked Paul and claimed him as their spiritual leader. Others claimed Apollos, who was likely the better speaker. But Paul flattens that whole conversation: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

So I thank God for the churches that planted the gospel in those who transferred to King’s Fellowship. We now have the privilege of watering those believers in this season. Later, God may move them to another church, where someone else will water them. At the end of the day, God is the one causing the growth. Whether you sit in the pews or serve on staff, we can all celebrate that.

Visit our home page: KingsFellowshipChurch.com

1001 Tipton Terrace, Ada, OK, United States, Oklahoma