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Summer 2010

The Survival RevivalA Study on Church Growth

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Why Must We

Grow?1. CG= Byproduct of Evangelism:

Matt 28:19-20 (Obedience)

2. Jesus builds it: Matt 16:18

(Spiritual)

3. NT Pattern: Acts 2:47(Theological)

4.Avg. Age = over 50... (Pragmatic)

5. Church Survival (PreserveGospel) (Obvious)

6. You Dont Care About Numbers?Fooey! Do You Care AboutSouls?- Dr. C. Sumner Wemp.

(Love)

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How Do We

Accomplish

This?The Survival Revival is about Facing

Your Fruit- We will either Succeed as a

Church or Fail as a Church. We must

structure for success...

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Our New

InteractiveFormat Your Voice Matters:

Take Notes to be compiledinto Survival Revival byFaith Church

WE will devise the CG planto implement & discuss onWednesdays

Ultimately, we will bediscussing ways to better ourChurch & our impact on this

community in Biblical, PracticalWays.

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Our New

Format We will also include 4 things

we havent incorporated:

1.Homework/ Poll Questions

2.Weekly Scripture Memorization

3.Audio Recording for Future

4.Group Work & Peer Training

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Scripture

Memory:Matt 28:19-20: Go therefore and make

disciples of all nations, baptizing them in

the name of the Father and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them toobserve all that I have commanded you.

And behold, I am with you always, to the

end of the age.

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Poll Question

I Get the Most Spiritually,Intellectually, Emotionally, &Socially Out Of...

1. Sunday School

2. Sunday Morning Worship

3. Sunday Night Worship

4. Wednesday Night Bible Study

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Outline of Survival Revival

Motivat ion

Is Church Growth a Biblical Concept? How will Faith Church benefit from this series? Where is the balancebetween Spiritual Growth & Numerical Growth? What Must We Consider Before Proceeding? How do wemeasure success?

Evaluat ion

Internal- What tools do we have? Where are we located? Are we prepared for the Job? External- How do wereach THEM? What benefits do we have in this area?

Preparat ion

Supporting the Infrastructure. What tools do you need? Training & Establishing.

Implementat ion

Developing a CG Plan. Implementing & Tracking. Continued Training w/ Peer to Peer Training

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Summer 2010

Defining Church GrowthChurch Growth or Church Growth Movement?

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What is Church Growth?

Church Growth must be distinguished from the Church GrowthMovement (CGM). The CGM can be described:

1.Spurred by Donald McGavran in 1954 with Bridges of God

2. It (CGM) is Scientific, not Theologic.

3. Its focus is the implementation of the Great Commission

4. It combines theology with behavioral & social sciences

5. Claim research is essential for church growth

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CGM Defined

Church growth (CGM) is that discipline which investigates the nature,expansion, planting, multiplication, function, and health of Christianchurches as they relate to the effective implementation of Godscommission to make disciples of all peoples. Students of churchgrowth strive to integrate the eternal theological principles of GodsWord concerning the expansion of the church with the best insights ofcontemporary social and behavioral sciences, employing as the initialframework of reference the foundational work done by DonaldMcGavran.- Dr. C. Peter Wagner, former professor of Church Growth

at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA.

The CGM could have once been described as sociological analysis,demographic study, methodological innovation, theologicalcontextualization, leadership guidance, and strategic application.-Rainer, pg. 126

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Brief History of the CGM

Donald McGavran, 3rd generation missionary born in India, writesBridges of God in 1954. Primarily concerned with foreignmissiological methods.

1965, Fuller Theological Seminary (FTS) hires Donald McGavran tobegin courses in American Church Growth.

1971, McGavran hires C. Peter Wagner (His student) at FTS. Wagnerhas carried the torch of the CGM well into the 80s. Wagner haswritten over 40 published books, many of which, are about themodern Church Growth Method.

70s-80s, FTS in Pasadena CA has been the hub of the ChurchGrowth Movement. Many centers have been created including,Institute of Church Growth (Eugene, OR), Missions AdvancedResearch & Communications (MARC), Barna Group, etc.

1990s, CGM gave fame to many ministers including...

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The CGM Has Led To...

Lakewood Church, TexasRick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback

Membership: 20,000

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How Did They Do It?

Saddleback Church sent out a questionnaire in 1980 with only 4questions:

1.What do you think is the greatest need in this area?

2.Are you actively attending any church?

3.Why do you think most people dont attend church?

4. If you were to attend a church, what things would you look for?

From these 4 questions, Saddleback has become one the largestchurches in the world simply by giving the people what they want. So,what is so wrong about sending out a survey? Are large churchesinherently evil? Is there really anything wrong with mixing behavioral

science with theology?

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Theological Errors of the CGM

Church growth leans toward a phenomenological approach whichholds theological conclusions somewhat MORE TENTATIVELY and isopen to revise them when necessary in the light of what is learnedthrough EXPERIENCE.Thom S. Rainer, quoting C. Peter Wagner,pg. 90

1.Doctrine is not tentative. Gal 1:6-10

2. User-Friendly coined by PROPONENTS of CGM: The movement

is using every possible tool to reach its culture on a user-friendlybasis.Rainer, pg. 90

3.Holds doctrine subjectively (Experience), not objectively. That is,Truth or theology, or doctrine changes with a persons experience.Thus, experience molds the Bible instead of the Bible molding

experience...

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McGavrans Theology...

McGavran wrote in Bridges of God that the method does notchange the message. The method we advocate does not andcannot ever replace the message.pg. 92

However, McGavran DOES change the message by makingindividualistic salvation synonymous with a People Movement (orMass Movement): We believe then that in the initial (salvation) of a

people, participation in a group decision is a sufficient following of thelight to confer salvation on each person participating in the decision

pg. 97. Thus, in the Gospel According to McGavran, all a person mustdo to be saved is follow the crowd.

This Has lead to the seeker-sensitive Church Model...

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Theological Errors with the CGM

1. The Development of Seeker-Friendly Evangelism. I dont preachdoctrine, necessarily, I preach how much God loves them.- Joel Osteen

2. Printed in the late 19th Century: Our solemn conviction is that things aremuch worse in many churches than they seem to be, and are rapidly

tending downward. Read those newspapers which represent the BroadSchool of Dissent, and ask yourself, How much farther could they go?What doctrine remains to be abandoned? What other truth to be the objectof contempt? A new religion has been initiated, which is no moreChristianity than chalk is cheese; and this religion, being destitute of moralhonesty, palms itself off as the old faith with slight improvements, and on

this plea usurps pulpits which were erected for gospel preaching. CharlesHaddon Spurgeon, Down Grade Controversy

3. Church of Tares - John MacArthur. Seeker or User Friendly = CheapConversions!

4. 80-90% of those making a decision for Christ will fall away- Way of theMaster

H t G

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How to Grow aChurch of

Tares Dumb down the offensive

nature of the Gospel: Gal 1:6-10

Do market research & give thepeople what they want. Simpleconcept: Customer Service

Satisfy conviction with charity:Matt 7:21-23

Redefine Biblical Justification

Be charismatic, charming, &

conversational

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Is Church

Growth, then, a

Biblical

Concept at All?What does the Bible say about church

growth & how do we implement it here?

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Weekly

Memory

Verse...Eph 2:8-9: For by grace you have been

saved through faith. And this is not your

own doing; it is the gift of God, (v. 9) not a

result of works, so that no one may boast.

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Think Inside the Box...

church growth is not a think outside the box kind of thing. This is the

church growth box...

Proper Motivation: Soul Winning

Proper Means:

The Word of God

Proper Method: True Conversion

Proper Message:

The Gospel