GROUND
OF TRUTH BIBLE INSTITUTE
NO 1, ABODERIN STREET AGBAJE ORITA
CHALLENGE IBADAN OYO STATE NIGERIA
Tel: 08056008526
HANDOUT
CHURCH GROWTH
ADVANCED
CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP
(100 LEVEL)
CHURCH GROWTH
INTRODUCTION:
The student of church
growth should be aware of the founder, the builder of the church and the
foundation upon which the church is built.
A building without solid foundation,
as it starts growing will surely collapse.
Jesus Christ the Founder.
Matt. 16:20
Jesus Christ the
Builder. Matt. 16:18-20
Jesus Christ the
Foundation. Matt. 16:18-20
LOCAL CHURCH
The Local Church of Christ
constitutes a body of believers who gather together in His name in a given
locality and who expresses love and care for each other. Matt. 18:20.
 |
The Universal church of Christ
A LIVING
ORGANISM
The
church is primarily a living organism and secondarily an organization.
Everything about the church involves life. Jesus Christ, the Head of the church
is a living Saviour. The church includes individuals who have been made alive
spiritually as a result of the new birth, John.3: 3, Ehp.2: 1-3. Both
individuals and corporately the church are inhabited by a living Spirit
John.14, 1Cor.3: 16-17. A living book governs its affairs. Heb.4: 12.
DEFINITION OF CHURCH GROWTH
A.
Church Growth
means the complex process by which God
expands the church
of Christ
B.
Church growth is the balanced increase in quantity, quality and
organizational complexity of a local church. By this definition we can see that
there are three components of church growth.
TOTAL CHURCH GROWTH
1. Quantitative Growth.
2. Qualitative Growth.
3. Organizational Growth.
Failure to grow in any one
of these areas develops an unhealthy situation in the health of the church.
EXAMINING
THE CHURCH GROWTH COMPONENTS
A. Quantitative Growth or Numerical. This happens when the individual Christian or
corporate body of Christian present the gospel message into the world, and more
people are attracted to the church life. Quantitative growth is biblical, but
methodology varies from church to church.
B. Qualitative Growth or Spirit Growth: This means the progressive development of the body
into the likeness of the Head-Jesus Christ. Growth in Christ likeness in its
corporate behaviour and character. The quality of unity in the church life.
Such growth occurs as believers are exposed to excellent teachings and are
given opportunity to apply Scriptural principles within the family, the church
and the world.
C. Organic Growth:
Organic growth is reflected in the organizational and structural development of
a church. As the church effectively absorbs
new
members into its life, as the number grows, so must the organization. More
officers are added with physical facilities, money, staff, and enlargement in
mechanism of government of the church.
Much can
be learned on Church Growth through a study of the records in the New
Testament. Though the church began in the midst of persecution yet they grew
tremendously.
Paul
explains church growth comparing it to the process of agricultural cultivation.
“I plant, Apollo watered, but God gave the increase {growth} 1Cor. 3:6. Just as
careful planting watering and cultivating are necessary for crop growth, fruit
bearing and harvesting, so are evangelism, discipleship and leadership
development are necessary for church growth. Man has his own part as he is
guided empowered by the Holy Spirit and God gives the growth. So church growth
comes from human. It is God’s co-operation in Christ building His church.
HOW TO IDENTIFY SPIRITUAL GROWTH OF LOCAL CHURCH
1. A local church or congregation made up of Christian as
members. Which makes clear distinction between members and ordinary casual
attendants to service or meeting Acts. 16:4-5, 2:41-47.
2.
A congregation who
meet together in a special way on the first day of the week. 1Cor. 16:2,
Acts.20:7.
3. A church which foresters spiritual maturation for all
converts and members in general. 1Cor. 6:19 -20,
1Pet.2:2, Eph.4:11-16, 2Tim2:2
through
effective discipline training.
4.
A church with burning passion for lost souls
and takes church growth
seriously Acts. 1:16 .
5. A church,
which makes the Bible the authority and rule of faith and Christian practices.
6.
A
church, which emphasizes the need for the baptism of the Holy Spirit for
service and filling for holiness.
7.
A church with biblical and evangelical
beliefs and practices.
8. A
church, which is organized in a unified, orderliness in exercise of spiritual
gifts in love, unity and maturity without strive. Eph. 4:16, 1Cor. 12:1-31.
9. A
church, which practices two sacraments of, water Baptism and the Lord’s
Supper.
10. A
praying church.
11. A church or congregation who can define and
examine ministerial call of its ministers or workers and provide adequate
preparation training for its ministers add workers.
12. A
congregation with a group of disciplined elders who shoulder the
responsibilities of the local church {Acts. 14:23 } and deacons or deaconess who are
responsible for community of the church in the area of materials things. Acts.
5:1-6
13
A church which follows specific and
biblical qualification s for its
ministers, elder deacons and workers. 1Tim. 3: 13; Titus 1; 5- 9.
14. A
church, which takes discipline seriously.
1Cor. 5: 1-5.
15.
A congregation where all affairs are
handled perfectly and in order.
1Cor. 14-40.
CHURCH GROWTH
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
God
is not only interested in planting churches, but desires that it should grow. A
growing and healthy child is the joy of his parents.
Jesus
established the church for the continuation of his redemptive ministry. To do
this he gave the great commission of world Evangelization to the church.
CHURCH GROWTH
AND HEALTH
Since the church is born and continues to
live with the life of Christ, we expect the church to grow naturally and
spontaneously.
If the church doesn’t grow, it means that the
growth is inhibited by disease and if not cured, it may die.
Our
responsibility then is to maintain the heath of the church, and then it will grow, as it ought to.
CHURCH GROWTH ATTITUDE
GOD IS NOT
INTERSTED IN:
1.
Luke:5:4-11. Fishing without catching.
2.
Lk.14:15-23. An
Empty Banquet Table.
3.
Matt .13:3-9. Sowing without Reaping.
4.
Lk.13:6-9 A fig Tree That Bears No Root.
5.
Matt.18:11-14. Lost Sheep That Bears No Brought Into the
Fold.
6.
Lk.15:8-10. A Lost Coin That Is Sought But Not
Found.
7.
Matt.9:36-38. Ripe Harvests Without Response.
WHY CHURCHES DIDN`T GROW?
INTRODUCTION:
We have to face
the fact that some churches are not growing or their growth is minimal. In
order to plan for church growth, it is necessary to understand what hinders growth.
As we look at the negative side of church growth, we not that the following
list of hindrances is not exhaustive and that there will be variations and
combinations of reasons why a church is not growing. Churches need to watch out
for the followings:
1.
Some churches blow uncertain trumpets:
They are not sure of their
mission.
2.
Rigidity: Rather than
depending on the Holy Spirit’s guidance, rules
become the hardened
institutional standard. Rigidity limits relationship
among
believers.
3.
An
eye is always open to observe deviation: much like the Pharisees.
It binds, burden too have to be borne.
4.
Traditions.
Rom.1: 5-6. There may have been a golden age under a
certain pastor. His style
and attitudes become set of incorrect
traditions.
5.
Lack of relevance in today’s world.
6.
Community changes result in lack of
numerical growth. Yet there are
some unreached people always there, some
new ones moving in.
7.
Lack of leadership:
Build on Christ, not dynamic personalities. Learn to
identify and develop
leaders.
8.
The Church May Have Lost Her “First Love”:
A
church may have lost her vision and reason for existence. Members
may be concentrating on a building programme
to the neglect of other
programme, or they may be content to go on
doing the usual routine.
They may have lost their evangelistic zeal
and become lukewarm.
9.
There May Be A Spiritual/Moral Problem:
There
may be division in the fellowship. If a break in the fellowship not
quickly
mended, or if a pastor or influential member continues long in sin
without
disciplinary measures, the church loses control and is rendered
impotent.
It is God who gives the “increase”, but sinful vessel hinder
God’s
work.
10.
The Church Has Not Considered Growth:
The
church has never critically evaluated her progress and realized the
need for
growth, and thus has made no plan for growth. This lack of
direction can be compared to a bright youth who is not sent to
school
and
meekly accepts his handicap of illiteracy without a thought.
11. The
Church Members Resists Change:
The leading members may resist change in their programme. Them may
say, “What is wrong with our church? We like it the way it is.”
This
attitude gives no consideration to what is best for the church and
the
work of the kingdom
of God
12. The Pastor Is Too Busy:
In
some churches the pastor does not utilize his members well, but does most of
the work and cannot add any new activities because he is too busy. In other
churches member may not want to assume responsibility to help with the work of
the church, as they should. In either case, extra programme that contribute to
church growth, are omitted, “Let pastor do it.” Is the greatest heresy that has
plagued the church?
13. Church
Member Are Not Interested In “Outsiders”:
The membership is a closed fellowship with
little or no interest in
“outsiders”. Visitors may not be welcome
enthusiastically or invited back, especially if they are not native of the area.
Members do not consider it their duty to reach out to the lost and needy souls
in the community.
14. The
Members Do Not Support Trained Leadership:
The members do not value trained leadership
enough to provide adequate support to a trained pastor who could lead the
church to growth.
15. The
Church Is Controlled By An Individual Or Family:
The church may be controlling by an
individual or a family. In order to be a New Testament church, members must be
a co-operation group of believers who are free and equal, but united by love
for Christ. Christ, the Head, should control the church, not of its members.
16.The Church May Be
Using Wrong Methods:
Some
churches use the methods of the world to do the work of God, and God will not
bless this disobedience. At other times, churches use methods, which will work,
well in one area or with one group of people
but not
another. For instance, methods will need to vary somewhat from urban areas to
rural and from an educated group to mostly illiterates. When churches do not
adapt their methods to varying situations, growth may be hindered.
17.
{Wrong Location.}
18.
{Bad Message Hinder Church Growth.}
Conclusion:
Someone
has said that lack of growth is a church disease that can be cured. In fact,
most of the above hindrances could possibly be removed, but to be objective,
there are some churches that will likely never grow.
A
pastor should watch out for obstacles to the growth and consider the likelihood
of an early cure. He should recognize that growth can be slow, it can be fast,
or it can be interrupted for a period of time. Church leaders must be alert to
the fact that church growth does not just happen, but is affected by external
conditions such as environment, as well as by spiritual conditions. When a
church understands why it is not growing, that is the first step to a
cure.
PRINCIPLES OF
CHURCH GROWTH
1. PRAY
FOR GROWTH
Since we
can make the church grow, and because it is God who make it grow, then we
should depend on God for growth, we express our dependence upon God when we pray.
a. The Holy
Spirit establishes the church. John. 16:6-11, 6:44 .
B. The Holy
Spirit equips the church. Eph. 4:12, 2Tim. 3:16 -17. 1Cor.12:
4-11.
If
we want to express our dependence upon God, we should pray fervently. Prayer
should be made in faith in God because it is God who makes things happen.
Nothing will happen, if we do not ask.
2.
DIAGONOSE FOR GROWTH:
Church
growth depends on the health of the church. All the things that affect living
things make church grow unless disease affects or hinders the growth: Therefore
health of the church must be maintained. To maintain health depends on
diagnosis.
DIAGNOSIS:
Means to evaluate and analyze vital signs and body functions and thus determine
the state of health.
TWO
TYPES: There is the preventive Diagnosis: This is annual
periodical check up when noting is known to be wrong no ting potential problems
before they arise. Responsive Diagnosis is to respond to a symptom of something
know. This is done to pin point a disease when several symptoms are already
present.
Many churches exist in a state of
perpetual ill health because no one has diagnosis the church’s disease.
1Tim.4:16.
DISEASE
WITHIN THE CHURCH
1.
Toleration of known sin. This is manifested
in lack of growth division,
negative attitude and disunity.
2.
Lack
of desires to grow quantitatively, qualitatively and
organizationally.
3.
Lack of commitment to prayer’s
4.
Lack of leadership development.
8.
Extreme congregational form of government.
9.
Electing unqualified people into offices by
majority votes.
10.
Unqualified people are locked in post until
the next election.
11.
Flexibility is missing.
PRAY
ER AND GUID
ANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
ER AND GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The growth of a church is always
brought about by the action of the Holy Spirit leads in converting the lost,
building up the church and sending out and empowering witnesses. Christian who
are consistent in Bible study and prayer will be open to the leadership of the
Holy Spirit.
A church which emphasis prayer for both
individuals and the corporate body will be in a position to respond to the
opportunities the Holy Spirit presents. A church, which makes prayer, a
priority will be a church that grows.
THE CHURCH GROWTH SURVEY
There is some value in seeing a tabulation of
indicators for a church for
the
current year. However, such a view does not reveal either growth or decline. It
is necessary to gather statistics from a period of years in order to survey the
church over a time period. Such a survey shows clearly the trends of the church
generally and also of each organization.
It is desirable to use data from a
ten-year period, if possible. That is why it is very important for a church to
tabulation an annual report and to keep it safe. Reports are futile if not
used, but their potential usefulness should motivate us to take good care of
this part of our ministry. A pastor should take personal responsibility for his
church annual report.
Even,
if a secretary does the research and fills the form the pastor should check it,
and then use it to challenge member’s improvement and to commend work well
done.
This
form A is an example of a church Growth Survey for a ten-year period. If
information data for ten-years is not available, then record as many years as
possible.
If annual report have not been kept, look for
statistics in the “Preacher’s Book”, Membership Book, Sunday School Records or
whatever record book the church has. When data from several years are set side
for comparison, it is easy to tell whatever the church is making progress,
standing still, or loosing ground.
There is great value in a survey, which diagnoses the health of a
church. Attendance figures are the most obvious indicators of growth. The
number of baptisms is a good measure of the evangelistic effectiveness of the
church.
If
there have been several baptisms each year but the attendance is static, we
must ask ourselves why. Is the church in a transient community, or are we
falling to make disciples of our concerts: We may even discover that we are
baptizing some who have not been converted.
From
a table of basic indicators we could, if it severs our purpose, take the
exercise further by using mathematics to calculate other indicators such as the
Baptism/Membership ratio or income per member, etc. This same type of survey
may also be used to evaluate an association or group of churches.
FORM A - BASIC CHURCH
INDICATORS
YEARS 1980 1981
1982 1983 1984
1985 1986 1987
1988 1989|
Membership 62
|
88
|
119
|
131
|
     173 178
181 242 224
244 |
|
1273Average Morning 42
Attendance
|
72
|
85
|
128
|
138 144
171 209 222
244
|
|
Average Sunday School 41
Attendance
|
69
|
83
|
96
|
102 115
158 192 208
209
|
 Average
Prayer Meeting 25
Attendance
Number of
Baptismal 14
Candidate
Number of other New Member 12
Total Tithes and
Offering 1,800
Total Monthly Offering 32
|
33
28
16
10
750
84
|
41
32
21
10
484
126
|
59
38
08
04
2,000
167
|
70 78 79
93 86 87
41 53 54
58 68 62
27 05 03
28 15 04
15 0 0 16 05
0
4,000 595
3,050 884 3,500
2,400
204 258
293 312 323
343
|
SUNDAY
SCHOOL A VEHICLE FOR CHURCH GROWTH |
INTRODUTION:
The Sunday school provides great opportunities for Church Growth as the lost are exposed repeatedly to God’s word and his claim on their lives. Likewise,
Bible study helps Christian
mature and challenges them with their responsibilities as stewards of the
gospel.
In this section we will discuss five ways the Sunday
school works for church growth. It finds the prospects. It brings the prospect
to the church. It ministers to individual. It imparts the word of God, and it
makes the Bible purpose to be our purpose.
1. It finds the prospects
Jesus said;
For the son of man came to seek and to save the lost” Lk.19:10. The first task
of the church is to see out those who are lost so that they can be brought to
Jesus for salvation. Christ did not tell the lost to go to the church, but he
told the church to go to the lost.
WHO IS PROSPECT?
The first step in using the Sunday school
for evangelism and church
growth is
to find out who are the prospects for the
Sunday school.
There are three obvious sources of
prospects:
a. Un-enrolled members of the church.
b. Family and friends of members, and
C Un-churched men, women, boys and girls in
the community.
You
might ask how enrolling a member in Sunday school would help the church to
grow. It is obvious that enrolling a person and enlisting his attendance would
be an addition of one.
Aside
from that, teaching members the Word of God helps the church to grow qualitatively,
Second, when we enroll a member, we are likely to get some of his family or
friends along with him, Third, being a Sunday member and a Bible student places
him in that pool of potential workers from which we draw leaders.
Every
church member ought to be a regular member of Sunday School, and be ought to be
ever striving to bring all members of his family plus every un-churched friend
or neighbour into the Bible teaching programme of the church.
However,
he may not think of this unless he is told, reminded and urged to do so.
Evangelism is like riding a canoe upstream. Unless you keep growing, you will
go backward. Sunday School leaders must continually place responsibility for
the un-enlisted on the heart of members.
We
have not done our best seeking for the lost until we conduct a community survey
or religious census. We may think we know everyone in the community, but a
census always reveals numbers of unchurch, and usually unsaved souls for whom
Christ died. Our Lord said, “I have other sheep that are not of this
fold. I must bring them also”
2. It Brings the Prospect
Suppose a Church conducts a survey and
finds two hundred and ninety prospects. Will the pastor be able to minister to
each one before they die or move away?
3.
It Ministers To Individuals
Sunday School class members should be used also to
visit one another. Responsibilities may be assigned so that any class member
who absent on Sunday will be contacted by a fellow member to discourage
slackness, sympathize in illness or minister to a need.
4.
It Imparts God’s
Word
The King James Version of Rom. 10:17 says “So then faith cometh by
hearing and hearing by the Word of God”. It also says in Hebrews.4: 12 “For the
word of God is quick and powerful…” We can be confident that if we can
get a Prospect into a Bible class with some regularity and if we look to God to
use our minds and hearts to teach the Word, God Himself will convince that
prospect.
5.
Bible Purpose Is
Our Purpose
The purpose of the Bible is the revelation of God’s
redemption.
Near the end of his Gospel the Apostle John stated the
purpose of his writing, and he could have said the same for all the books from
Genesis
to Revelation. He stated “…These are written
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that
believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
No
person ever graduates from the school of the Bible. Moses advice to a man
concern the book of the Law was, “And
it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the day of his life…” (Deut.17:
19). In fact, the Bible grows sweeter the longer we study it.
Therefore,
the Sunday School helps the Church grow stronger by imparting the truth of
God’s Word and making applications to real life situation of men, women, boys
and girls. God bless you.
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