Church growth

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Church Growth describes a wide movement within Christianity to aid and encourage the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Movement makes its beginnings with the publication of Donald McGavran's book "The Bridges of God." McGavran was a third generation Christian missionary to India, where his observations of "How Churches Grow" (the title of another of his books) went beyond typical theological discussion to discern sociological factors that affected receptivity to the Christian Gospel among uncoverted peoples. In 1965, he organized the School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA, which was the institutional homebase for Church Growth studies until after his passing. Tens of thousands of pastors and missionaries from over a hundred denominations came to study at Fuller, and the concepts shared have revitalized missiological discussions and practices worldwide.

Two key attributes of Church Growth are a passion for the Great Commission and a willingness to apply research, including statistical methods. Though often criticized as being "only about numbers", most advocates have a real concern for the salvation of the individuals represented by the numbers. Frequently caricatured by apologists for complacency as "slick" and "success" oriented.

Scholars and leaders from many denominations continue to meet annually to discuss the implications of these insights as the American Society for Church Growth.

The criticisms of Church Growth can be attributed to several large churches resorting to using more secularized and occasionally-frowned upon methods in order to draw a larger crowd of youth and/or adolescents. These methods, while on the surface show promise, may or may not provide the framework for maturation of key spiritual and logical foundations when dealing with modern ideas, leaving room for error.

[edit] External link

• Church Growth Center