Description: Evaluating the Church Growth Movement by Craig Van Gelder, Paul E. Engle, Gary L. McIntosh, Elmer Towns, Charles Van Engen, Gailyn Van Rheenen, Howard Snyder This careful five-view analysis helps evangelicals understand the Church Growth Movements strengths and weaknesses and arrive at their own conclusions on issues that affect the future direction of the church. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Gaining form and momentum over the second half of the 20th century, the Church Growth movement has become an enormous shaping force on the Western church today. You may love it, you may hate it, but you cant deny its impact. But what exactly is Church Growth? In what ways has the movement actually brought growth to the church, and how effective has it been in doing so? What are its strengths and weaknesses? This timely book addresses such questions. After providing a richly informative history and overview, it explores--in a first-ever roundtable of their leading voices--five main perspectives, both pro and con, on the classic Church Growth movement: *Effective Evangelism View (Elmer Towns) *Gospel in Our Culture View (Craig Van Gelder) *Centrist View (Charles Van Engen) *Reformist View (Gailyn Van Rheenan) *Renewal View (Howard Snyder) As in other Counterpoints books, each view is first presented by its proponent, then critiqued by his co-contributors. The book concludes with reflections by three seasoned pastors who have grappled with the practical implications of Church Growth.The interactive and fair-minded nature of the Counterpoints format allows the reader to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed, personal conclusions. The Counterpoints series provides a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians. Counterpoints books address two categories: Church Life and Exploring Theology. Complete your library with other books in the Counterpoints series. Author Biography Paul E. Engle is an executive editor and associate publisher for editorial development at Zondervan. He has served as a pastor and as an instructor in several seminaries. Among the eight books he has written are Bakers Wedding Handbook, Bakers Funeral Handbook, and Gods Answers for Lifes Needs. Dr. Gary L. McIntosh teaches at Talbot School of Theology, is a professor of Christian ministry and leadership, leads 20-25 national seminars a year, serves as a church consultant, was president of the American Society of Church Growth in 1995-1996, and has written over 95 articles and 10 books, including Finding Them, The Issachar Factor, Three Generations, One Size Doesnt Fit All, Overcoming the Dark Side, and Staffing Your Church for Growth. He has over 15 years of experience as a pastor and Christian education director. He is a graduate of Colorado Christian University, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, and Fuller Theological Seminary. He is editor of the Church Growth Network newsletter and the Journal of the American Society for Church Growth. Elmer Towns (DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary) is cofounder with Jerry Falwell of Liberty University, where he currently serves as vice president and dean of the school of religion. He is an author and editor of popular and scholarly works, a seminar lecturer, and the creator of over twenty resource packets for leadership education. Dr. Towns has published over fifty books, including four CBA bestsellers and the 1995 Gold Medallion Book of the Year, The Names of the Holy Spirit. A visiting professor at five seminaries, he has received four honorary doctoral degrees. He and his wife, Ruth, have three children. Elmer L. Towns es decano de la Escuela de Religion en la Universidad Liberty en Lynchburg, VA, donde ensena a 2.000 miembros Pastores en la clase de Escuela Dominical de la Iglesia Bautista Thomas Road. Es ganador de una Medalla de Oro y entre sus libros se incluyen Liberacion Espiritual a traves del Ayuno y El Hijo. Gailyn Van Rheenen ( PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is director of the church planting ministry Mission Alive , adjunct professor of missions at Abilene Christian University, and former missionary to East Africa. His website is Table of Contents CONTENTS Introduction: Why Church Growth Cant Be Ignored: 7 Gary L. McIntosh 1. EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM VIEW: ELMER TOWNS 29 Church Growth effectively confronts and penetrates the culture A Centrist Response 54 A Reformist Response 58 A Renewal Response 62 A Gospel and Our Culture Response 65 2. GOSPEL AND OUR CULTURE VIEW: 73 CRAIG VAN GELDER Church Growth lacks a sufficient view of the church, which hinders it from effectively engaging the culture A Centrist Response 103 A Renewal Response 107 An Effective Evangelism Response 110 A Reformist Response 113 3. CENTRIST VIEW: CHARLES VAN ENGEN 121 Church Growth is based on an evangelistically focused and a missiologically applied theology A Renewal Response 148 An Effective Evangelism Response 151 A Reformist Response 154 A Gospel and Our Culture Response 158 4. REFORMIST VIEW: GAILYN VAN RHEENEN 165 Church Growth assumes theology but ineffectively employs it to analyze culture, determine strategy, and perceive history A Centrist Response 190 A Renewal Response 195 An Effective Evangelism Response 198 A Gospel and Our Culture Response 201 5. RENEWAL VIEW: HOWARD SNYDER 207 Church Growth must be based on a biblical vision of the church as the vital community of the kingdom of God A Centrist Response 232 A Reformist Response 237 An Effective Evangelism Response 241 A Gospel and Our Culture Response 246 6. PASTORAL REFLECTIONS 253 David C. Fisher 255 Douglas Webster 258 Roberta Hestenes 262 Afterword: Gary L. McIntosh 265 Selected Bibliography 269 About the Contributors 273 Discussion Questions 277 Index 281 Long Description Gaining form and momentum over the second half of the 20th century, the Church Growth movement has become an enormous shaping force on the Western church today. You may love it, you may hate it, but you cant deny its impact. But what exactly is Church Growth? In what ways has the movement actually brought growth to the church, and how effective has it been in doing so? What are its strengths and weaknesses? This timely book addresses such questions. After providing a richly informative history and overview, it explores--in a first-ever roundtable of their leading voices--five main perspectives, both pro and con, on the classic Church Growth movement:* Effective Evangelism View (Elmer Towns)* Gospel in Our Culture View (Craig Van Gelder)* Centrist View (Charles Van Engen)* Reformist View (Gailyn Van Rheenan)* Renewal View (Howard Snyder)As in other Counterpoints books, each view is first presented by its proponent, then critiqued by his co-contributors. The book concludes with reflections by three seasoned pastors who have grappled with the practical implications of Church Growth.The interactive and fair-minded nature of the Counterpoints format allows the reader to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed, personal conclusions.The Counterpoints series provides a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians. Counterpoints books address two categories: Church Life and Exploring Theology. Complete your library with other books in the Counterpoints series. First Chapter WHY CHURCH GROWTH CANT BE IGNOREDGary L. McIntoshWhen you hear the term church growth, what words or phrases come to mind? You may think of megachurches, small groups, numbers, contemporary worship, marketing, or a host of other concepts that have occasionally been promoted as popular church-growth theory.In contrast, you may identify the term church growth with effective evangelism, church planting, church extension, making disciples, church multiplication, or other aspects of outreach that seek to win people to Christ and enlist them as responsible members of his church.These differing perceptions of the term church growth, and the emotions that arise from them, clearly point to misunderstanding and disagreement regarding the term, as well as the movement. Church growth is one of those ideas that cause us to draw lines in the sand. We are either for an emphasis on church growth or against it. There seems to be little neutral ground. Donald McGavran, the father of the modern Church Growth movement, recognized early on the divisive nature of Church Growth thought in a letter to his wife, written from Costa Rica on September 8, 1961: It is clear that emphasizing the growth of the churches divides the camp. It is really a divisive topic. How strange when all are presumably disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. McGavrans words still ring true today. Church Growth continues to divide the camp, as the five viewpoints expressed in this book will demonstrate.SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONSThere is agreement, however, among Church Growth critics and adherents alike that the Church Growth movement has made significant contributions to the mission of the church, contributions that cannot be ignored. For instance, one early critic of the movement believes its major contribution is in clarifying of the mission of the church and focusing mission activity on the responsive. Other critics add that the movement has provided a strategy and a set of priorities for mission; a militant, optimistic, and forward-looking approach to the missionary enterprise; and a way to make us all aware of peoplehood and its human diversity as a tool in world evangelization. Another critic suggests two major theological contributions of the Church Growth movement: The first contribution is the theological clarification that the growth of the Church is not something that should be simply an overflow of the life of the Church. Rather, growth must be something that is intentional and embraced at the purpose level of the Church. [The] second contribution is the clarification and development of the Churchs understanding of the leadership qualities and characteristics necessary to catalyze and mobilize a group of Christians.Advocates of Church Growth thought suggest that the movement has contributed even more to the advancement of Christs mission in the world. One Church Growth advocate writes, The Church Growth Movement emerged in the service of a powerful theological vision: to fulfill the ancient promise to Abraham, and to fulfill Christs Great Commission, by reaching the lost people, and peoples, of the earth. He then lists twenty specific contributions from the Church Growth school that have impacted church ministry, particularly evangelism. For example, the first five major contributions can be described as networks, receptivity, indigenous forms, new units, and people groups. Church Growth has taught us:1. The gospel spreads most contagiously, not between strangers, nor by mass evangelism, nor through mass media, but along the lines of the kinship and friendship networks of credible Christians, especially new Christians.2. The gospel spreads more easily to persons and peoples who are in a receptive season of their lives, and Church Growth research has discovered many indicators of likely receptive people.3. The gospel spreads more naturally among a people through their language, and the indigenous forms of their culture, than through alien languages or cultural forms.4. First generation groups, classes, choirs, congregations, churches, and ministries, and other new units, are more reproductive than old established units.5. Apostolic ministry is more effective when we target people groups than when we target political units or geographical areas.While critics and adherents will no doubt continue to debate the specific contributions of the Church Growth movement, most would agree that the church-growth movement is extraordinarily influential and significant within American churches today. At its best, it should be applauded. Where it is not at its best, it requires criticism so that it might be.A simple way to summarize the current views on Church Growth is as follows: Some people love it. Others dislike it. Many simply misunderstand it. Understanding Church Growth, of course, is more complex than such a simplistic summary, which is why this book has been written. To make certain we all begin on the same page, it will be helpful to look at a brief historical sketch of the Church Growth movement, particularly as it has developed in North America.BRIEF HISTORYChurch growth has occurred throughout the Christian era, of course, and is not really new or modern. Even contemporary Church Growth thought had a precursor, in the thought of the Dutch missiologist Gisbertus Voetius (1589--1676). Voetius believed that the first goal of mission is the conversion of the heathen; the second, the planting of churches; and the highest, the glory of God. These three goals comprise a condensed version of todays Church Growth movement. The particular expression of Church Growth theory and theology under discussion in this book, however, first crystallized in the mind of Donald A. McGavran, during the years 1930 to 1955.EARLY INFLUENCES IN INDIADonald Anderson McGavran was born in Damoh, India, on December 15, 1897. MacGavran was a third-generation missionary; by 1954, his family had served a total of 279 years in India. He attended Butler University (B.A., 1920), Yale Divinity School (B.D., 1922), the former College of Mission in Indianapolis (M.A., 1923), and following two terms in India, Columbia University (Ph.D., 1936).When Donald McGavran went to India as a missionary in 1923, he worked primarily as an educator under appointment of the United Christian Missionary Society of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In 1929, he became director of religious education for his mission before returning to the United States to work on his Ph.D. at Columbia University. After his return to India, he was elected field secretary in 1932 and was placed in charge of administering the denominations entire India mission.During the late 1920s and early 1930s, the stirrings of what would eventually become Church Growth thought began to develop in McGavrans mind. Several forerunners contributed to McGavrans developing insights, such as William Carey, Roland Allen, and Kenneth Scott Latourette. The most direct influence, however, was J.Waskom Pickett, of whom McGavran was fond of saying, I lit my candle at Picketts fire.Pickett and McGavran were both influenced by the ministry of John R. Mott and the student volunteer movement. In 1886, Dwight L. Moody led a missionary awakening at Mount Hermon, Massachusetts, which resulted in one hundred students dedicating themselves to missionary service and the founding of the student volunteer movement. The slogan The evangelization of the world in this generation became a watchword for missions during the first two decades of the twentieth century. As a senior at Butler University, McGavran attended the student volunteer convention at Des Moines, Iowa, during the Christmas season of 1919. Details ISBN0310241103 Short Title EVALUATING THE CHURCH GROWTH M Pages 304 Publisher Zondervan Language English ISBN-10 0310241103 ISBN-13 9780310241102 Media Book Format Paperback Illustrations Yes Year 2004 Author Howard Snyder Audience Age 18-99 Imprint Zondervan Subtitle 5 Views Place of Publication Grand Rapids Country of Publication United States DOI 10.1604/9780310241102 UK Release Date 2004-10-19 AU Release Date 2004-10-19 NZ Release Date 2004-10-19 US Release Date 2004-10-19 Series Counterpoints: Church Life Publication Date 2004-10-19 Alternative 9780310872153 DEWEY 269.2 Audience Tertiary & Higher Education We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:126503083;
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Publisher: Zondervan, Howard Snyder, Charles Van Engen, Elmer Towns, Craig Van Gelder, Gailyn Van Rheenen
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