“Church growth follows where Christians show faithfulness in finding the lost. The purpose is not to search, but to find…Church growth follows where the lost are not merely found but restored to normal life within the fold…When existing Christians, marching obediently under the Lord’s command and filled with his compassion, fold in the wanderers and feed the flock, then churches … Read More
Happy Birthday, Donald McGavran
Happy 120th Birthday to Donald McGavran! Donald McGavran was one of the premier missiologists of the twentieth century and considered the father of the Modern-Day Church Growth Movement. He is the single most influential thinker on how we do ministry today. I never met Dr. McGavran. But I discovered his wisdom through those who came after him — through books … Read More
11 Reasons Churches Lose Momentum and Decline
Today’s guest post comes to us from Richard Frazer for ChurchCentral.com. Max De Pree wisely stated that the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. It is often the most difficult thing to do as well. Churches have to directly face the reasons for decline and confront that which has been holding them back. Though there are numerous … Read More
5 Church Growth Essentials from the Apostle Paul
Today’s guest post comes to us from Charles Stone for ChurchLeaders.com. When I was in seminary, Church Growth 101 was a required course. I took interest in the whole field and became a student of church growth. I read a pile of books and attended most of the big church growth conferences. Some of the principles I’ve applied have worked. … Read More
The Time to Start Your Easter Planning is NOW
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking there’s a lot of time between today and Easter, now that it’s in April this year. But I’m raising the flag to tell you that NOW is time to start planning! Here are some tips to help you start preparing to double on Easter: Start praying for your Easter service now. Don’t wait … Read More
Study: Conservative Doctrine as Church Growth Strategy
Today’s guest blog comes to us from Owen Strachan for Patheos.com. The best way to grow a church is to hold conservative theology, and preach it. At least that’s what a recent Washington Post article states. David Millard Haskell (professor at Wilfrid Laurier University) just reported his peer-reviewed research on Canadian churches for the Post, here’s what he found (emphasis … Read More
Donald McGavran on Church Growth
“Church growth follows where Christians show faithfulness in finding the lost. The purpose is not to search, but to find…Church growth follows where the lost are not merely found but restored to normal life within the fold…When existing Christians, marching obediently under the Lord’s command and filled with his compassion, fold in the wanderers and feed the flock, then churches … Read More
Remembering Peter Wagner – Part 1 of 2
10 days ago today as I was returning home from my 2-Day Assimilation Intensive I heard the news: Peter Wagner is with the Lord. As I was traveling, I was in touch with several mutual friends who all knew Dr. Wagner and we had a nice time reminiscing and talking about his influence on our life. For me, his primary … Read More
John Wesley’s Rules for Preachers
Today’s guest post comes to us from Nathan Finn for BetweenTheTimes.com John Wesley (1703-1791) was one of the key leaders of the Evangelical Awakening in Britain during the mid-eighteenth century. Circumstances drove Wesley to adopt itinerant evangelistic preaching, an idea he picked up from his friend and former student George Whitefield. Once Wesley embraced itinerancy, he extended his movement’s influence by … Read More
Global Megachurch Growth
Small churches out number U.S. megachurches nine to one. Each has their own unique local and global tasks. When John Vaughan, founder of Church Growth Today (1980), wrote the book, The World’s 20 Largest Churches (1985), there were only 27 known non-Catholic churches in the world with 6,000 plus weekend attendance. Eleven were in the United States. Today, more than … Read More