When you apply for a job, offer service to a customer, or try to get a license ... you will need to show your credentials. You will need to prove that you are who you say are and that you have the skills and abilities to deserve the job or get the license. The word "credential" is based on the Latin word credo that means "believe." Your credentials make you believable — credible.

My evangelism visits to prospective members are often very revealing. Lately, I have noticed that many of them are asking me a similar question. They want to know, "Is your church growing?" They want me to show them my credentials, the proof and the evidence that I have a growing congregation. Everyone wants to be a part of a successful organization. No one likes to be associated with a loser. Ten years ago the I…