Church Growth
Chapter I
Church Growth: Definition
Introduction:
Tremendous growth is going on in the Christian Church today. For some observers this tends to be obscured by the world population and the increasing percentage of non-Christians which that so far implies. Meanwhile, the fact is that the number of Christians is greater now than it has ever been. With the rise of Churches and the expansion of the Church among non-Christian populations, multitudes of small congregations of less than hundred members have been formed. Consequently the number of congregations is far greater than at any time in history. The Church is even now expanding in numerous cultures and subcultures, languages and dialects, tribes, classes, and kindred. Whereas in the year 1800 it was confined largely to Europe and the Americas, by the last third of the twentieth century it had spread to almost every country on earth. Frequently a Church splits and both sections grow. Sections of the Church, sometimes large, sometimes, small, do of course at times face difficulties or new problems and enter a period of malaise. War, famine, pestilence, the spread of some debilitating theology, adjustment to radically new conditions, migration to new lands or cities, and totalitarian oppression are some of the factors that not only check the church growth but may enervate the people of God for a time. Christians, preoccupied with domestic problems and denominational housekeeping, often fail to see the phenomenon of mighty church growth which God is continually bringing to pass on all six continents. Some persons, surprised at the extent of this growth, may even doubt its reality. But like Mt. Everest, it is there. It is going on all the time. And understanding it is an urgent task.
1.1 Defining "Church"
When a parent says to their 16 year old daughter "Don’t stay out late," the difference between what the parents mean by "late" and what the daughter understands as being "late" is about six hours.
Church Growth: Definition
Introduction:
Tremendous growth is going on in the Christian Church today. For some observers this tends to be obscured by the world population and the increasing percentage of non-Christians which that so far implies. Meanwhile, the fact is that the number of Christians is greater now than it has ever been. With the rise of Churches and the expansion of the Church among non-Christian populations, multitudes of small congregations of less than hundred members have been formed. Consequently the number of congregations is far greater than at any time in history. The Church is even now expanding in numerous cultures and subcultures, languages and dialects, tribes, classes, and kindred. Whereas in the year 1800 it was confined largely to Europe and the Americas, by the last third of the twentieth century it had spread to almost every country on earth. Frequently a Church splits and both sections grow. Sections of the Church, sometimes large, sometimes, small, do of course at times face difficulties or new problems and enter a period of malaise. War, famine, pestilence, the spread of some debilitating theology, adjustment to radically new conditions, migration to new lands or cities, and totalitarian oppression are some of the factors that not only check the church growth but may enervate the people of God for a time. Christians, preoccupied with domestic problems and denominational housekeeping, often fail to see the phenomenon of mighty church growth which God is continually bringing to pass on all six continents. Some persons, surprised at the extent of this growth, may even doubt its reality. But like Mt. Everest, it is there. It is going on all the time. And understanding it is an urgent task.
1.1 Defining "Church"
When a parent says to their 16 year old daughter "Don’t stay out late," the difference between what the parents mean by "late" and what the daughter understands as being "late" is about six hours.