Church Growth: catalyst or method?

Church Growth should not be taken as a synonym for soul winning, evangelism, or mission. Rather, it is a science that involves careful study of the methods used in Christian outreach and of the people the outreach is trying to win. Its purpose is to arrive at recommendations as to which methods will procure the best results.

Until 1972 Church Growth methodology was applied mostly to foreign mission work, but in recent years churches in the United States and other Christian countries have begun to apply its principles, often with great success. In Seventh-day Adventist circles, Church Growth has been warmly received by many, while some have criticized it for being too results-oriented, and others have treated it like just another program for evangelism. How should we relate to this movement? Does it bode boon or bane for Seventh-day Adventist pastors? And how can we use it if it is boon?

The essence of Church Growth

First of all, I would like to examine some of Church Growth's salient points, then look at how they can be applied by Seventh-day Adventists. 1 have taken my list of five main points from the writings of one of Church Growth's leading advocates, C. Peter Wagner.¹

1. A combination of the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the responsibility of man must result in the growth of the church. God expects His church to preach the gospel to every creature and to persuade men to be disciples of Jesus Christ. This task is for the whole church, not just a few dedicated members. All who are baptized are baptized to witness. The challenge of the unreached millions demands that all Christians shoulder the task.

Numerical growth is not just one task among many; it must have high priority. God is glorified when new members are added to the fold. Effectiveness is measured not in terms of decisions for Christ, nor in people warned or present at evangelistic meetings. What counts is the addition of actual disciples to the Christian church. In evangelism it is not what should have happened, or what the evangelist hoped would have happened, or what was planned to have happened, that counts. The soul winner, in humility and honesty, should realistically face what actually happened and learn from every experience. And it should be kept in mind that in the gospel it is revealed that God is not pleased with: fishing without catching (John 21); an empty banquet table (Matthew 22); sowing without reaping (Mark 4); a fig tree without figs (Luke 13); lost sheep outside the fold (Matthew 18); a lost coin (Luke 15). The implication is that God expects His church, institutions, ministers, missionaries, and laity to produce and increase the number of disciples.

The school of Church Growth has been accused of "numberitis" (an excessive preoccupation with numbers) and "numerolatry" (worship of numbers). McGavran, however, answers such accusations by stating that "the Church is made up of countable people, and there is nothing particularly spiritual in not counting them." ²

When numerical growth has top priority, educational, social, and medical programs have significance only as they result in adding members to the church. It is interesting that McGavran was deeply involved in educational and medical work while in the mission field, but that he pays scant attention to these missionary tools in his writings.

2. Clear objectives are necessary if u>e are to be obedient to the Great Commission. Goals should be discerned from the Bible, put forth in plain terms, and used to measure achievements. No Christian need work under a shadow of doubt as to God's will and objective. Using terms such as "it was not God's will that this effort should succeed" could be a thinly disguised rationalization of evangelistic failure. The command is to make disciples. And whenever a true disciple is made, the church grows. Any method that falls short of making new converts is inferior and in need of correction.

3. A sound, effective strategy for accomplishing the Biblical objectives must be developed. Evangelistic methods must reflect Christian maturity and competence. Efficiency is important because manpower and finances are always limited in the Christian cause. Methods may vary from place to place and time to time, but if the result is growth, the method is approved as long as it is in harmony with a Biblical theology of evangelism. Every outreach program should be scrutinized regularly to find out whether it is still the most efficient way.

4. The social and behavioral sciences have much to contribute to evangelistic planning. As soul winners we must continually study and be aware of what is going on in the world in general and in our area in particular. Activities of economic, political, social, cultural, and religious character affect those we are striving to disciple. Understanding events and implications can help us choose the best strategy for reaching the winnable people in our area.

Social sciences such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology, rightly understood and used, can further the effectiveness of soul-winning activities. One well-known sociological principle applied by the Church Growth school is the homogeneous-unit principle. McGavran puts it this way: "Men like to become Christians without crossing racial, linguistic or class barriers." ³

5. Research is essential for optimum church growth. Research should lead to an adequate understanding of the target audience, the needs of those in it, the methods available for reaching them, what methods are currently producing good results, and how church structure affects growth. It should not be limited to methods in use within one's own church or country.

Honest research will define methods that work, those that don't work, and circumstances that may affect effectiveness. While this kind of objective scrutiny may seem painful or even disillusioning at first, evangelistic plans based upon the objective knowledge gained will lead to results.

Research must be kept up to date. Effective strategies and methods must be updated constantly in the light of new findings and developments. This is especially true today as our Christian witness must be carried out in the midst of constant revolutionary changes that affect every aspect of our lives.

The McGavran Church Growth school is radical in its approaches. It is convinced that unfruitfulness is a curable disease. The cures are "diagnostic research, prescriptive treatment and strategic care." ⁴ It is hot a mystic word or magic method that, when applied, automatically will give results in soul winning. Church Growth is, as C. Peter Wagner says, "that science which studies the planting, multiplication, function and health of Christian churches as they relate to the effective implementation of God's commission to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19, 20). Church Growth seeks to combine the eternal theological principles of God's Word concerning the expansion of the church with the best insights of contemporary social and behavioral sciences, employing as its initial frame of reference the foundational work done by Donald McGavran."

Weaknesses in Church Growth principles and procedures have been pointed out by opponents. We have referred to some in this article. Generally the Church Growth school is accused of lacking sound Biblical, theological backing for some of its principles. Of course, the past thirty years' history of the Church Growth movement, with more than two thousand students and many Church Growth institutes, has done a great deal to eliminate some of the excesses of the Church Growth school of thought.

Adventists and Church Growth

What can Seventh-day Adventists learn from Church Growth principles? It is my feeling that we often look upon the Church Growth phenomenon as simply another method to win souls. In areas where our church has a zero growth rate, some have embraced Church Growth as if it were a magic formula to fill pews that are slowly emptying. They perceive Church Growth as merely a new term for evangelism and miss much of what McGavran and his school stand for. No doubt, there are methods to be gained from Church Growth, but it is much more than a method. It is a model whereby all outreach methods are critically analyzed. As a church we have developed a legion of evangelistic methods. Almost every department of the General Conference has detailed a variety of outlines on how to win people. Perhaps our greatest need is not new methods but rather a critical, constructive look at what we already have in our arsenal, and then an upgrading, updating, or perhaps modification of the methods to meet present situations. An evangelistic approach that gave good results thirty years ago is not necessarily efficient today, even among the same people in the same place. And here Church Growth principles, rightly used, can help out. As a scientific tool it will honestly reveal weaknesses, suggest how to update the methods, and point to winnable people.

An application of Church Growth principles on a given evangelistic method will not guarantee results. Soul winning is a delicate, sensitive, and complex science. Many factors play a role. However, Church Growth can help to eliminate some of the uncertainties and increase the probability of good results.

Pastors and Church Growth

The major work of soul winning is, of course, carried out at the local church level. So an important question is How can the local pastor apply Church Growth principles to his work? I would suggest four main ways.

1. All activities of the local church should aim at winning souls. The pastor, with the church board, should evaluate all programs the local church is involved in. This should include prayer meeting, Sabbath school, and even business meetings. They should ascertain whether any member would be comfort able in inviting relatives, friends, neighbors, and colleagues to the church. The people responsible for the church building and facilities should aim at making them as attractive as possible and plan a maximum use of the building in outreach programs.

2. The pastor should ascertain his own spiritual gifts and his strengths and weaknesses. In doing this, he must always bear in mind that every pastor should strive to excel in five areas. The pastor of the local church in the Seventh-day Adventist tradition is a leader, teacher, preacher, shepherd, and evangelist. The congregation expects him to be competent in all of these areas. He should seek all of these gifts.

The first four of these gifts are largely church oriented and are essential for helping the pastor lead the congregation in preparing for Church Growth. The gift of evangelism is of prime importance in implementing plans for growth. Steady, sound Church Growth takes place best where evangelism is an integral part of the pastor's and church's ministry throughout the year. Here the pastor must understand his or her own strengths and weaknesses. Some are public evangelists who can draw and reap big audiences in hired halls. Others are more effective when working out from the .church, using its pulpit as a basis. And others' strength is in personal evangelism in the homes or with small groups. Not all these methods are equally spectacular but all can give good results. Manpower, energy, and finances can be wasted if a David tries to fight in Saul's armor.

3. Shared ministry, where the pastor helps his members to recognize and utilize their spiritual gifts, has proved to be a great eye-opener for many pastors. Those who have become involved with this training, motivating, and mobilizing ministry have been amazed at the many hidden gifts they discovered lying dormant in their congregations and how willing a great proportion of the laity were to become involved in ministries where they could use their abilities to God's glory. The churches that are growing steadily and keeping their members are churches where laypeople are involved in evangelism in ways that fit their talents.

4. Attempt to determine who are the winnable people in the district. Church Growth people have pointed out that persons in transition are more apt to accept a new way of life, especially when their felt needs are met. Christianity in the Western world has declined largely because many churches have not only lost their hold on the working classes but really have no meaningful message for them. If the pastor can lead his church in discovering how to meet the needs of the unchurched effectively, this can open new doors for growth.

When the Seventh-day Adventist Church applies the Church Growth principles to improve her evangelistic methods, she must do it on the basis of a sound Biblical theology of evangelism. We must avoid unwarranted confidence in pragmatism. All means (evangelistic methods) employed to reach the end (the conversion of souls) should reflect the perfect means God used to effect the end, namely Jesus Christ. It is true that God has given us our goal: to preach the gospel to the whole world. But He has entrusted us with the responsibility to determine the method to reach this goal. And the method is not a secondary matter. In Jesus Christ, ends are not more important than means. Christ, who is the end, is also the means; and Christ, who is the means, is also the end.