The Church Is a Ship — And Every Ship Has Holes

The Church Is a Ship — And Every Ship Has Holes

Several people at the Revive evangelism conference and other places recently have asked me about my about my analogy of the church as a ship? What’s the driving image behind the way I approach church growth?

Here it is:

The church is a ship.

Not a cruise ship with endless entertainment… but a mission ship on open water, sailing with purpose — headed for heaven.

And the goal is clear: Get as many people on board as possible.

For a long time, I believed that the most important thing I could do when stepping into a new congregation was to jumpstart evangelism. Get people fired up. Run outreach campaigns. Put every ounce of energy into soul-winning.

And listen — the urgency to save souls hasn’t changed. The mission hasn’t changed.

But what has changed is my understanding of timing and health.

Because here’s the part I was missing:

> Every ship has holes.

Some are visible. Some are under the surface.

And if we don’t patch them — the water will rise fast.

You Can’t Carry More if You’re Already Sinking

I’ve been in churches where morale was low, unity was fractured, leadership was exhausted, and past hurts were never addressed. And yet, we were asking that church to grow.

That’s like asking a ship to take on more passengers while water is pouring into the hull.

It doesn’t matter how beautiful the mission is — if the structure isn’t sound, the ship won’t make it.

We can run evangelism events. We can host guest speakers. We can build beautiful websites and podcasts and branding. But if the heart of the church is leaking — through division, unresolved conflict, spiritual apathy, or burnout — we are sailing straight into failure. And worse… we may bring new souls aboard a vessel that isn’t ready to carry them.

Before the Mission, Comes the Maintenance

This is why my first move in a new ministry isn’t always evangelism.

My first move is assessment. Listening. Healing. Strengthening.

Where are the leaks?

Where are the burned-out volunteers?

Where’s the unresolved tension between leaders and members?

Where has gossip or distrust silently eaten away at the unity?

That’s where the real work begins.

Patch the holes — then chart the course.

When the Church is Strong, the Reach is Wide

Once the church is healthy — emotionally, spiritually, relationally — everything changes.

People want to serve again.

Ministries start working again.

Outreach feels like an overflow, not another obligation.

The ship gains momentum. The crew finds joy again. And we can finally open the doors and say, “There’s room on board — let’s go to heaven together.”

Here’s My Challenge to You:

Stop trying to grow something that’s structurally weak.

Start patching the holes. Have the hard conversations. Mend the relationships. Address the hurts. Reignite the passion.

And then…

Launch. Invite. Evangelize. Sail hard.

Because when the ship is healthy, we’re not just rescuing the lost — we’re bringing them into a community that can carry them all the way to glory.

Let’s stop bailing water with one hand while tossing life preservers with the other.

Let’s fix the ship — and then fill it.

Author: Caleb Sampson