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What Types Of Churches Will People Stand In Line For In The 21st Century?, Russell Chandler
What Types Of Churches Will People Stand In Line For In The 21st Century?, Russell Chandler
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
Noted journalist and author, Dr. Russell Chandler uses his broad understanding of churches to answer the question, “What Types of Churches Will People Stand in Line for in the 21st Century?” An award winning author, Dr. Chandler carefully discusses issues such as ethnicity and diversity, ages and stages, spirituality and experience, communication and collaboration, and branding and benefits.
The Ancient Celtic Way Of Being And Doing Church For The Post-Modern West, George Hunter Iii
The Ancient Celtic Way Of Being And Doing Church For The Post-Modern West, George Hunter Iii
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
Dr. George Hunter III brings his insight and scholarship to bear on the subject of “The Ancient Celtic Way of Being and Doing Church for the Post-Modern West.” This fascinating article about the growth of the church among Celtic peoples of 5th Century AD is sure to be discussed at length in the coming years.
Yoido Full Gospel Church, Joel Comiskey
Yoido Full Gospel Church, Joel Comiskey
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
Yoido Full Gospel Church in Korea has been one of the main models of church growth for a number of years. Dr. Joel Comiskey presents what is likely the most thorough study of the actual attendance figures at this church ever completed. His findings and conclusions will surprise many readers and be an interesting case study for many church growth classes.
Book Review: Anytime, Anywhere By William L. Turner, Win Arn
Book Review: Anytime, Anywhere By William L. Turner, Win Arn
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
No abstract provided.
Spiritual Factors Impacting Church Health And Growth In The 21st Century, Ray W. Ellis
Spiritual Factors Impacting Church Health And Growth In The 21st Century, Ray W. Ellis
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
The topic of this President’s address at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Church Growth is “Spiritual Factors that Impact Church Health and Growth.” My purpose is to show that church growth is about growth of the Kingdom of God. Numerical growth and spiritual growth are not incompatible. Church growth is about numerical growth. Church growth is about sharpening skills and utilizing technology to carry out the great commission. Church growth is about redemptive growth. Church Growth is more than numbers, it is the supernatural work of God.
Spiritual Formation In The Twenty-First Century, Maria Ovando-Gibson
Spiritual Formation In The Twenty-First Century, Maria Ovando-Gibson
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
In former years we spoke of Christian education in our churches and seminaries today, the words spiritual formation, Christian formation, faith development, spiritual maturity, the Spiritual life and disciplines are terms used to describe the developmental, processing, growing, and intentional maturing of the Christian faith in our personal life, journey or pilgrimage. Having characterized the above, the question I am still asked the most is, “but what does this really mean and how would you define spiritual formation?” After years of study and reflection in this field, I would describe spiritual formation as that awesome work of the Holy Spirit …
What Are The Main Boundaries For The Evangelical Church And How Can We Best Address Our Major Issues?, Elmer L. Towns
What Are The Main Boundaries For The Evangelical Church And How Can We Best Address Our Major Issues?, Elmer L. Towns
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
The following question will give direction to this paper. How far into the study of secular leadership can the church go to determine biblical church leadership (the John Maxwell leadership question)? How far into marketing can the church go to determine methods of communicating the church message (the George Barna marketing question)? How far can the church go in stretching its Sunday gathering to accommodate unsaved clientele (the Bill Hybels seeker question)? How far can the church go in heeding intuitive authority apart from biblical revelation (the C. Peter Wagner New Apostolic question)? How far can the church go in …
Perspectives On The Church And Church Growth Theory, Charles Van Engen
Perspectives On The Church And Church Growth Theory, Charles Van Engen
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
Because we will be talking about the church and its nature during this conference, I thought it might be good for us to be reminded of some basic characteristics of the church and the various ways the church has seen itself. At the risk of oversimplification, I would like to briefly survey ten broad perspectives on the Church which one may derive from the Church’s history and relate them to Church Growth theory. The ten perspectives mentioned in this paper are in no way meant to be exhaustive of the multiple ways one may view the Church. I do not …
Developing A Twenty-First Century Church With Integration And Integrity, Eddie Gibbs
Developing A Twenty-First Century Church With Integration And Integrity, Eddie Gibbs
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
The issue of millennial excitement and apprehension is principally concerned not with the calendar but with the culture, for it so happens that Western societies in general, and North America in particular, are experiencing cultural upheavals of gigantic proportions. These shifts are affecting every area of life, including government, business, the military, as well as the church.
What Apostles And Prophets Taught Me About The Church, David Cannistraci
What Apostles And Prophets Taught Me About The Church, David Cannistraci
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
One of the most influential books in the last few years has been Dr. David Cannistraci’s The Gift of Apostle. Dr. Cannistraci’s article “New Apostolic Churches and Evangelical Theology” will answer some of the questions that may have been raised by it.
Index To The Journal Of The American Society Of Church Growth 1990-1997, Gary L. Mcintosh
Index To The Journal Of The American Society Of Church Growth 1990-1997, Gary L. Mcintosh
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
No abstract provided.
The Homogeneous Unit Principle Revisited Part Two: A Biblical Validation, Walther A. Olsen
The Homogeneous Unit Principle Revisited Part Two: A Biblical Validation, Walther A. Olsen
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
Walther A. Olsen presents new perspectives on the most criticized principle of the Church Growth Movement in his article The Homogeneous Unit Principle Revisited. His experience as a missionary, pastor and professor allow him to address the issue with fresh insight. The reader will see the homogeneous unit principle with new “church growth eyes” after reading this article. This is the second part of a two-part series.
Motivation To Participate: Understanding Students' Reasons For Participating As A Help In Growing A Youth Group, Ken Garland
Motivation To Participate: Understanding Students' Reasons For Participating As A Help In Growing A Youth Group, Ken Garland
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
Why do high school students participate in church activities? The question has been asked and answered abstractly and anecdotally for years. Still, no one working in church ministry with high school students really understands what motivates those who participate regularly in church youth group activities to do so. It seems that understanding these motivations would be a rather high priority considering what seems to be increasing disinterest in church among contemporary high schoolers.
Missions In Multi-Cultural America: A Study Of Acts 15:1-35, M. Rodney Webb
Missions In Multi-Cultural America: A Study Of Acts 15:1-35, M. Rodney Webb
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
The culture milieu of the American Christian scene during the latter part of the twentieth century is in a constant state of flux. By revisiting the experience of the early church in its multicultural world and how it grows in that world of pluralistic cultures, philosophies, and theological understandings, the American Church is able to prepare, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to win this pluralistic nation for Christ.
The Pastoral Evangelism Of Charles Grandison Finney As A Model For Contemporary Pastoral Evangelists, Daniel B. Forshee
The Pastoral Evangelism Of Charles Grandison Finney As A Model For Contemporary Pastoral Evangelists, Daniel B. Forshee
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
The church today needs pastoral evangelists who will lead their congregations in evangelistic activity. Areas “where the gospel has never been heard” desperately need pastoral evangelists to penetrate their mission fields with the salvific message of Christ. If there were no more additions to the world’s population, it would take four thousand years “to evangelize the world through current soul-winning efforts.” Also, pastoral evangelists are needed in the United States. Church growth is not matching population increases. Church membership in the United States increased 28 percent from 1960 to 1990 while the total population increased 39 percent.
Biblical And Theological Issues Of Church Marketing, Mark J. Belokonny
Biblical And Theological Issues Of Church Marketing, Mark J. Belokonny
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
Mark J. Belokonny asserts that it is biblically and theologically sound to market the church of Jesus Christ in culturally relevant ways. Looking at this controversial issue with the eyes of a church growth pastor, Mark responds to several of the most common criticisms of church marketing in his article Biblical and Theological Issues of Church Marketing.
Numerical Growth In The Theology Of Acts: The Role Of Pragmatism, Reason And Rhetoric, John Mark Hicks
Numerical Growth In The Theology Of Acts: The Role Of Pragmatism, Reason And Rhetoric, John Mark Hicks
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
John Mark Hicks argues persuasively that Luke’s fondness for numbers is part of the theological purpose of Acts. His article Numerical Growth In The Theology of Acts: The Role Of Pragmatism, Reason and Rhetoric explores the issue in depth. He concludes that Luke is not simply recording numbers as a matter of historical record but as an integral part of the overall argument of Acts.
The Homogeneous Unit Principle Revisited: Part On, Walther A. Olsen
The Homogeneous Unit Principle Revisited: Part On, Walther A. Olsen
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
Walther A Olsen presents new perspectives on the most criticized principle of the CGM in his article The Homogeneous Unit Principle Revisited. His experience as a missionary, pastor and professor allow him to address the issue with fresh insight. The reader will see the homogeneous unit principle with new “church growth eyes” after reading this article. This is Part One of the study with Part Two to appear in the Fall 1997 issue of the Journal of the American Society for Church Growth.
Book Review: Overcoming Barriers To Church Growth By Steve Clapp, John W. Ellas
Book Review: Overcoming Barriers To Church Growth By Steve Clapp, John W. Ellas
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Selling Jesus: What’S Wrong With Marketing The Church? By Douglas D. Webster, Gary L. Mcintosh
Book Review: Selling Jesus: What’S Wrong With Marketing The Church? By Douglas D. Webster, Gary L. Mcintosh
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
No abstract provided.
A Response To Dr. Litfin, Charles Van Engen
A Response To Dr. Litfin, Charles Van Engen
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
A response to Duane Litfin's (1995) "Understanding Your Critics: An Outsider’s Analysis of a Core Criticism of the Church Growth Movement" (in this issue).
Church Growth At The End Of The Twentieth Century: Recovering Our Purpose, Thom S. Ranier
Church Growth At The End Of The Twentieth Century: Recovering Our Purpose, Thom S. Ranier
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
The thesis of this paper is that a critical element is missing in much of church growth literature and practice today. Furthermore the viability of the movement and the health of churches across our land may very well depend upon our recovery of that missing element. The mysterious missing element is, simply stated, evangelism.
A Response To Dr. Rainer, Larry Gilbert
A Response To Dr. Rainer, Larry Gilbert
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
A Response to Ranier's (1995) "Church Growth at the End of the Twentieth Century: Recovering Our Purpose" (in this issue).
A Response To Dr. Russell, Geroge C. Hunter Iii
A Response To Dr. Russell, Geroge C. Hunter Iii
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
A response to Russell's (1995) article "40 Years of Church Growth: A View from the Theological Tower."
Church Growth-- “Quo Wadis - Whither Goest Thou”, Elmer L. Towns
Church Growth-- “Quo Wadis - Whither Goest Thou”, Elmer L. Towns
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
The philosophy and the strategy of the Church Growth Movement are focused on the homogeneous unit principle, people movements, receptivity, and the use of the social sciences to establish principles and methods.
A Response To Dr. Litfin, Carl George
A Response To Dr. Litfin, Carl George
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
A response to Duane Litfin's (1995) "Understanding Your Critics: An Outsider’s Analysis of a Core Criticism of the Church Growth Movement" (in this issue).
A Response To Dr. Russell, Jerold F. Reed
A Response To Dr. Russell, Jerold F. Reed
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
A response to Russell's (1995) article "40 Years of Church Growth: A View from the Theological Tower."
40 Years Of Church Growth: A View From The Theological Tower, Walter Russell Iii
40 Years Of Church Growth: A View From The Theological Tower, Walter Russell Iii
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
I present these evaluative thoughts about the first forty years of the Church Growth Movement, and especially the first twenty-five years of the movement in North America (1970- 1995), with the humility appropriate to one person’s perspective on so vast and diverse a phenomenon as that of the Church Growth Movement.
Core Values: Backbone Of A Movement, Kent R. Hunter
Core Values: Backbone Of A Movement, Kent R. Hunter
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
In the last 10 to 20 years, the Church Growth Movement has proliferated in at least three dimensions. First, the Movement has proliferated by topics. In the last decade or so, we have seen church growth leaders concentrate on mega-churches, metachurches, philosophy of ministry, understanding secular people, mission statements, the age wave, builders, boomers, busters, lifestyle evangelism, vision, change, small groups, Sunday Schools, breaking barriers, etc. In a second dimension, there has been proliferation in other ways. Not only was there the founding of the American Society for Church Growth, but there Church Growth Associations in other countries. In a …
Understanding Your Critics: An Outsider’S Analysis Of A Core Criticism Of The Church Growth Movement, Duane Litfin
Understanding Your Critics: An Outsider’S Analysis Of A Core Criticism Of The Church Growth Movement, Duane Litfin
Journal of the American Society for Church Growth
A call to proclamation evangelism rather than persuasion evangelism.