In Unificationist circles, there’s a recurring tension: should the church focus on growing membership, or on the broader social/peace mission (UPF, media, policy work)?
Hendricks’s answer: this is a false choice. Church growth funds peace work. A growing church becomes financially self-sustaining and capable of resourcing global mission. A shrinking church depletes resources and becomes a burden on external donors.
The proof case: Pentecostalism. Started in Los Angeles in 1905 with a flat, populist structure and zero institutional backing. Now numbering in the hundreds of millions globally — and funding enormous social and humanitarian work.
The counter-intuitive claim is that evangelism is the peace mission’s infrastructure. Neglect it and the mission eventually runs out of people, energy, and money.
This reframes Sunday service design entirely. Leading worship, choosing songs, designing the service for both members and guests — this isn’t a distraction from the broader Unificationist vision. It’s one of its primary engines.
A growing church is a self-sustaining one. A stagnant church, no matter how noble its ideals, eventually closes.