Church Growth Movement
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What is the difference between Biblical church growth and the “Church Growth movement“?
In an effort to increase membership in the church, thousands of churches have become involved in using techniques and strategies to maximize “church growth“. “Church Growth” itself is defined as, “striving to combine the eternal principles of God’s word with the best insights of contemporary social and behavior sciences…” (“The Church Growth Movement” Part 1: Sciences, Marketing, Surveys, and Demographics: Following God? January 1, 2000 By Greg DesVoignes. )
This translates into churches being ruled by, and following theories. These include the theories of sociology, anthropology, psychology, statistics, marketing, cultural relevance, and the ideal within each one.
Gone is growing the church through the word of God and Biblical teaching and the power of the Holy Spirit. Enter in the church consultants with their church advertising and marketing strategies.
Church Growth participants do not refer to their principles as Biblical truths, but “worldwide truths which, when properly applied with other principles contribute significantly to the growth of a church”. (Ibid., pg. 284). Therefore, churches that follow the principles of this movement are actually being governed by the philosophies that the world holds to, and not God and his Word.
In attempt to combat church decline, new methodologies and strategies to fill the pews have been adopted.
The churches who follow the Church Growth movement are incorporating the same “sciences” and tactics that the corporate world is using to attract consumers, and much more. Through a slow transformation process, the structure and character of these churches eventually manifest a “business” and “entertainment” look. Something they say is more culturally relevant and appealing to the modern “baby boomer”. This transformation process is sold through church growth sermons, staff and lay leadership training, and required membership classes and “accountability” groups, with materials and “consultants”, primarily out of Willow Creek Community Church and Fuller Institute of Church Growth.
However, as we look at scripture, we find that man’s techniques of the world cannot build a church that God warned us not to follow the principles of the world, and not to add to His word.
What is Biblical church growth?
Did Jesus call his disciples with sociology, psychology, anthropology, marketing, or any “world wide truth”? Is this how the early church in Acts 2 grew? Did Jesus preach a social gospel, an evolutionary gospel according to anthropology, or train his disciples to use the principles of the world along with His eternal principles? Did Jesus launch social media campaigns on Facebook and Myspace and send out friend requests to his followers?
Why is this happening today? Why is it that these Church Growth ideas experts can call God’s principles eternal, but then reject them as being relevant and powerful today? Christian writer and preacher John McArthur assessed it well. He said:
“Contemporary evangelism has been beguiled and sabotaged by a ruinous lack of confidence in God’s word… They have accepted the notion that scripture does not contain all we need to minister in these complex times. So they turn to human expertise in the fields of psychology, business, government, politics, entertainment, or whatever they think might supply some recipe for success that’s lacking in scripture”. (John McArthur, Our Sufficiency In Christ, Word, 1991, pg. 117)
Israel had this same problem and frequently took assistance and combined the behavioral sciences from the world of the nations around them, including those from Babylon. For while they were supposed to go in and take the land God had given them by His power, they themselves were many times converted to following the world. The results were disastrous. They were seduced, turned away from God, and then taken over and ruled by the very systems they were intrigued by. As we will see, the same thing is happening in this system!
In the church at Pergamos in Revelation 3, Satan leavened the body with false doctrine and false believers. Overnight the “church” exploded but it wasn’t because of the Word of God transforming lives, it was because of politics, business and philosophy. It was socially acceptable to be a “Christian”. Satan had infiltrated God’s church with a watered down, false version of what was called Christianity. This is still the make up of many “churches” today.
There is a message watered down. The Word of God has been compromised in order to not offend anyone. The gospel is not being preached and many churches have departed from the Lord. The church has become an entity focused on serving people’s carnal desires and not God. One of the biggest problems is the churches biggest problem is being self-centered. Needless to say, in the modern church growth movement, there is lack of or no interest in discipleship or spiritual growth. The focus is on creating the next megachurch and these do not make for healthy churches!
“I know something about building a church”… One of the great problems as a church we have today is being turned inward rather than outward. We are focused on our selves, consumed with being self-centered issues instead of self-sacrificing… Most people are self centered instead of self sacrificing.” Missionary Clifford Clark
Could this be the heart of the church growth movement today?
April 8th, 2011 at 7:56 pm
I think Paul often did things to be culturally relevent for the sole purpose of reaching people For example, when in Greece he complimented the people and then started talking about the “unkown God”. This was a great bridge for him to introduce Jesus Christ.
Satan is craftie than ever and I believe that churches need to try new things in an effort to reach the seeminly unreachable.