Being a lecture delivered at Methodist Theological Institute, Shagamu, on the 21st of June, 2013 by 11.00 am.
Unveiling the Concept of Church Growth
Biblical Principles or Missionary Strategies
Introduction
Tremendous Church Growth is going on in the world today. We live in the age of most rapid forward advantage of Christianity that history has ever known. As the years go by, the proportion of Christians to non-Christians is gradually increasing, especially in the Third World. Today the Church Growth Movement is recognised as one of the most influential movements of the 1970’s. At many major theological institutions it is now established as a discrete academic field of study. It has strong sociological and anthropological foundations, as well as an ongoing emphasis on being a pragmatic rather than a purely theoretical discipline (Moreau 2008:2, 3). Since the advent of the modern Church Growth Movement – which dates from the 1950’s – pastors and local churches have been under great pressure to do something to facilitate church growth.
The movement was founded primarily by two people, independently of each other, namely, Donald McGavran and Robert Schuller. Donald McGavran wrote The Bridges of God in 1955, which, according to C. Peter Wagner, launched the Church Growth Movement. Rick Warren cites McGavran‘s book as being influential early in his ministry. About the same time Robert Schuller started his ministry in California, which became the Crystal Cathedral. Later, in 1970, Schuller founded the Robert Schuller Institute for Successful Church Leadership, where he has trained many key leaders in the Church Growth Movement including Bill Hybels and Rick Warren. It is accurate to say that McGavran is the intellectual founder of the movement and Schuller the most visible populariser of the movement (DeWaay, 2005:1-2). Nonetheless, it can be stated that, although its theoretical roots could be traced back to the nineteenth century, the modern Church Growth Movement has been an entirely twentieth century movement.
By and large, it has had a largely positive impact on the twentieth century which is a reflection of the twenty – first century church, even in Nigeria. It suffices therefore to say that this movement that started in America was imported (with its disadvantages) into Nigeria with reckless abandon. This lecture will therefore unveil the concept of church growth taking cognizance of biblical principles rather than missionary strategies.
The Concept of the Church
One can hardly unveil the concept of church growth without first unveiling what the church stands for. The Church can be identified first as “an assembly” from the root meaning of the word . An implicit definition of the Church is suggested by at least six descriptive pictures or metaphors in Scripture: (1) The body of Christ,
(2) The building for God,
(3) The bride of Christ,
(4) The flock of God,
(5) The garden of God, and
(6) The family of God.
The word Church shall be used in this work as “An assembly of baptized believers, in whom Christ dwells, under the discipline of the Word of God, organized to carry out the Great Commission, administering the ordinances, and evidenced by spiritual gifts”. Implied in this definition is growth, for when a church carries out the great commission it will make disciples, baptize them and instruct them in Christ’s words. This process brings new people to a church, causing it to grow. According to Erickson, “the whole body of those who through Christ’s death have been reconciled to God and have received new life … while universal in nature, it finds expression in local groupings of believers that display the same qualities as does the body of Christ as a whole” (Erickson, 1998:1044). The church is an assembly of professed believers under the discipline of the Word of God, organized to carry out the Great Commission, administer the ordinances, and minister with spiritual gifts (Towns, 2008:187).
Conceptual Clarification on Church Growth
Church growth is the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20), a theology‐centred process including both spiritual formation and effective evangelism strategies (Christian Growth: 2008). Church growth is the science that investigates the nature, function, and health of Christian churches as they relate specifically to the effective implementation of God’s Commission to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19). Church growth is simultaneously a theological conviction and an applied science, striving to combine the eternal principles of God’s Word with the best insights of contemporary social and behavioural sciences, employing as its initial frame of reference the foundational work done by Donald McGavran and his colleagues (Towns 2008:187). Types of Church Growth
The four types of church growth according to Towns, (2008:187-188) are: (1) Internal-growth of Christians in grace, relationship to God, and to one another; (2) Expansion-growth of the local congregation through evangelization of non-Christians within its ministry area; (3) Extension-growth of the church by the establishment of daughter churches within the same general homogeneous group; and (4) Bridging-growth of the church by establishing churches in different cultural areas.
Unveiling the Concept Church Growth
The term “church growth” has several connotations. First, it is generally associated with churches that grow, both internally and externally; and as such, church growth has a generic meaning that began with the growth of the first church in Jerusalem. Second, the term is associated with evangelism and/or missionary enterprises that imply outreach to the lost of their incorporation into the church, hence causing local church growth. In the light of this, Wagner (1984:19), defined Church Growth as ‘’all that is
involved in bringing men and women who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ into fellowship with Him and into responsible church membership’’. This definition seems to define evangelism, but it is too broad for Church Growth because of the phrase “all that is involved”, which could include the areas of Christian education, pastoral theology, missiology, or other disciplines. In view of the shortcoming of this earlier definition,Wagner (1986:10) writes: Church growth is that science which investigates the planting, multiplication, function and health of Christian churches as they relate specifically to the effective implementation of God’s commission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt 18:19-20 It is generally accepted that the founder of the Modern Church Growth Movement is Donald Anderson McGavran (1879-1989).
His life was influenced by his parents who were both missionaries. As a missionary in India he was unsettled at seeing the slow growth of the churches. He started to wonder what caused church growth. His interest was raised by his research work with J. Waskom Pickett and the publication of Pickett‘s 1933 study, Mass Movement in India. A vast curiosity arose within him. Why do churches grow and multiply? Why do they stagnate and decline? He made this his life study. Spurred on by the results of Pickett‘s study, and equipped with a methodology of survey research from his own participation in the study, McGavran began what turned into a life-long work, involving travel to many countries on every continent of the world to research how churches grow (Moreau 2008:1, 2; Elwell 1984:241). According to Moreau (2008:2, 3), Pickett‘s research resulted in three concepts that were incorporated into a theory of Church Growth: 1. More people came to Christ when mass conversion was allowed than by individual conversion. 2. The quality of mass movement of Christians was equal to the post-baptismal care given to them. 3. The popular belief that the process of forming people into churches must necessarily be long and difficult was not correct.
Biblical Principles or Missionary Strategies for Church Growth For the Church Growth movement, the following principles must be recognized to remain on track: (1) The Word of God is the ultimate standard of faith and practice, and no principle of Church Growth that contradicts Scripture, even if it produces numerical growth, it is a Biblical Church Growth principle. (2) The
Scriptures have not given a systematic presentation of Church Growth principles, but, rather, have given the great commission, described the principles and circumstances of growing churches, given solutions to church problems and dealt with different aspects of ministry that produce growth. From these data, Church Growth principles can be scientifically determined and then applied to various churches. (3) Where the Scriptures are silent, it is possible to gather data from natural revelation to determine or verify Church Growth principles. These principles, however, must be consistent with models, commands and principles that are explicitly found in Scripture. (4) There is a difference in basing one’s Church Growth principles on those that are explicit in Scripture and basing them on those that are implied from Scripture. The Church Growth researcher should recognize the absolute nature of explicit principles, but when principles are only implied he should seek more data, test it through correspondence to other Scripture, test it through internal consistency, and then wait for confirmation through scientific research. (5) Where Scripture is silent, scientific research can determine Church Growth principles. These, however, must be in harmony with those explicit principles previously established. (6) Theological and Church Growth research are not two mutually distinct methods of research that lead to separate sets of principles, Church Growth then being forced to harmonize its findings with theology. Rather, both theology and Church Growth grow out of the same orientation to research, and harmonizing should be integrated in the total process. (7) Church Growth research and principles are not addenda to theological methods and principles but are at the heart of theology and its methods. Once the Church Growth researcher has identified principles, he must be careful to distinguish between them and techniques or programmes. The focus of this lecture is to establish principles, not programmes. When viewing Church Growth we must remember the following: (1) Techniques and programmes are not the same as Biblical principles. While a technique or programme may accomplish a Biblical result because it contains some Biblical principles, techniques and programmes are not absolute truths. (2) Techniques and programmes may be used effectively by certain people at certain times in certain circumstances, but will not be equally effective overall. (3) Principles alone are Biblical; they transcend programmes and techniques. (4) Programmes and techniques tend to change with
time and culture. (5) Programmes and techniques may be effective in one contemporary setting but not the next. (6) Some programmes seem to be effective when used in a specific time frame, but with changing circumstances they become ineffective. The programme, while effective because it applies Biblical principles, becomes less effective when circumstances change. Principles do not change, but the way principles are applied must change. Therefore the church worker must be grounded in Biblical principles and yet to be flexible to determine what programme and technique will best solve his problem and cause his church to grow. McGavran has suggested analytical tools for pastors and concerned laypeople to determine whether their own churches have desirable growth patterns. Biblical principles will lead to Church Growth strategy that is a total approach or tool for carrying out the great commission. Church Growth strategy is based on three things: (1) The Biblical objective of the church, which is the great commission; (2) Application of the Biblical principles of Church Growth; (3) The identification of a Biblical model to evaluate the effectiveness of Church Growth. The NT suggests model as it describes different churches in the pages of Scripture (the church of Jerusalem, of Ephesus, of Antioch, “church in the house”, etc). All of these aspects contribute to a Church Growth strategy Wagner (1986:14) appropriately comments: Missionary strategy is never intended to be a substitute for the Holy Spirit. Proper strategy is Spirit-inspired and Spirit-governed. Rather than competing with the Holy Spirit, strategy is to be used by the Holy Spirit.
Six Key Principles of Church Growth
. The six principles that will be discussed are very closely interrelated. The first, and foundation on which all other principles rest, is the harvest principle.
Harvest Principle
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” (Mat 9:37, NIV). Jesus wants the lost to be found and be brought back to His fold. According to McGavran (1988:108), The Church Growth Movement maintains that the central purpose of all evangelism must be the finding of the lost and bringing them
back to the fold. Kent Hunter, quoted by Wagner (1986:119), puts it this way ’’a person is not evangelised until he or she becomes a responsible member of the body of Christ’’. Wagner simply defines the harvest principle as follows: ‘’Our task is to locate the ripened harvest fields and reap them in Jesus’ name. This is the harvest principle’’ (Wagner 1987:72).
All of this confirms and clarifies McGavran‘s frequently quoted words, ―God wants his lost children found. Church Growth people distinguish between harvesting the crop and merely sowing the seed. Usually they put it in terms of a find theology as opposed to a search theology, and this is a major lacuna of the Church growth movement in Nigeria. This has therefore created room for “membership poaching” or generally put; transfer of membership from one pastor to another, with ruthless and totally unchristian means. A search theology of missions is the conviction that in Christian mission the essential thing is not the finding, but the going to all the places and preaching the Gospel. Search theology sees mission work as broadcasting the seed, without much concern for the harvest. Find theology is, as the term indicates, the conviction that mission work is a vast and purposeful finding (McGavran 1980:27, 28, 32). This is often called reach and hold. Find theology concentrates heavily on bringing in the harvest. Wagner writes ―While God ripens the harvest; He does not reap the harvest. He expects us to be his agents in reaping (Wagner 1984:19). Again Wagner writes: Sowing the seed is not an end in itself; it is a means towards the end of producing the fruit … follow the harvest principle, evaluate our activities in terms … not of how many missionaries we send, but how many lost people we reach and bring to Jesus Christ. We will never be satisfied with good outreach programmes that are supposed to bring people to Christ but do not (Wagner 1987: 60, 62). Church Growth proponents point to the New Testament to support their harvest principle/find theology convictions. McGavran, (1980:33) writes: The New Testament Church… did not pester and border people who resisted the Good News, but hurried on to those who were ready to become believers … Christians besought those who could believe and enter eternal life.
It should be noted that Jesus’ parables often emphasize an actual finding.
The lost coin is found and likewise the lost sheep. In the parable of the wedding feast, issuing the invitation was not the end: partaking of God‘s feast was. If one group would not accept the summons, then the servant was to find other men who would. Just as Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the lost, likewise the church today should seek and find the lost (McGavran, 1980:33, 34). This principle implies going to where the harvest is ripe, which leads to the second Church Growth principle, Receptive People. Receptive People
Longman (2001:1181) defines the word receptive as, willingness to consider new ideas or listen to someone else‘s opinion. Acts 2: 37, 38 (NIV) provides an example of receptive people: On the day of Pentecost, as the people‘s hearts were prepared by the Holy Spirit, they listened to Peter‘s message and said, Brothers, what shall we do? Peter replied, ―Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. McGavran defines receptive people as a segment of society, friendly to the idea of becoming Christian. Societies he says ripen to the Gospel at different times (McGavran 1980:170, 246). People’s hearts are made receptive by God‘s grace (McGavran & Hunter 1980:26). The key is to be at the right place at the right time, winning the winnable while they are winnable (McGavran 1980:291). Jesus, it is claimed, followed such a strategy in his ministry and taught his disciples to do the same. Wagner quotes Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 10:5, 6: Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel (NIV). He then comments: By doing this, Jesus was sending his workers into a ripened harvest field. At that point the Samaritans were not ready and the Gentiles were also not ready. If the twelve apostles had gone there while Jesus was still alive, they would have had little fruit indeed … God had prepared more Jews to listen to the gospel of the kingdom at that point in time than Samaritans or Gentiles.
Jesus knew this and acted on this information … As a competent strategy planner, Jesus took as many precautions as possible to see that the output of energy resulted in the maximum harvest (Wagner 1987:67, 68). It is clear that Wagner stretches this passage to say more than Jesus intended to say. There is a tendency in the Church Growth Movement to be somewhat slipshod in Biblical exegesis in an attempt to find passages to back up their principles. The parable of the Sower and the Seed is another such example. It is given a novel interpretation to undergird the receptive people principle. Win Arn says that there seemed no doubt in Christ‘s mind that the seeds should be planted in fertile soil (Arn 1982: 26, 27). Wagner speaks of the good soil as ‘’people who have been so prepared that they hear the word and understand it’’. He concludes as follows: One way to increase the effectiveness of evangelistic strategy planning is to determine ahead of time which individuals or groups of individuals have hearts prepared by the Holy Spirit to receive the Word (Wagner 1987:62).
How does one determine who the receptive people are? That leads one to the third Church Growth principle, namely, testing the soil. Testing the soil
The purpose of soil testing is to determine which group of people might be most receptive to the gospel at any given time. Jesus himself taught his church to be soil testers, when he told the Twelve disciples as he sent them out, ‘’whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave’’ (Matthew 10:11, NIV) (Valleskey 1990:7). Wagner indicates that, this is a method of seeking out the receptive (Wagner 1987:67). Wagner (1987:79-86) points out the following three major elements of soil testing: First, look where churches are growing. Identify the geographical area and group of people within that area where this growth is occurring. Then calculate the remaining harvest by subtracting the number of practising Christians from the total population of the people. This group that is left can be fertile soil for planting a church and reaping a harvest. McGavran, (1980:242) calls this, ―discipling out to the fringes. Secondly, look where people are changing, whether it is socially, politically, economically or psychologically.
Changes can be produced by factors, such as war, internal migration, natural disasters, land reforms, change of residence, recession, urbanization or industrialization. People in times of transition, it is claimed, tend to be receptive people. Thirdly, churches should concentrate their work among the masses. Why? Because the masses, that is, the common, working people and the poor, are usually more receptive than the upper classes, that is, those who are more comfortably situated in life. It is clear that soil testing is accomplished by a process of observation and a reliance on the social sciences (What kind of people seem to be the most receptive and under what circumstances?). Even the Church Growth leaders realise that soil testing remains an inexact science; but their goal is to remove as many elements of uncertainty as possible (Valleskey 1990:7). In this regard Wagner states: I dream of the day when some courageous and energetic computer expert will catch a vision of serving God by working out computer programmes for evangelistic soil testing. Given the proper input, the computer, presumably, would be able to direct missionaries to the fields most ready for harvesting.
Another Church growth principle relates to increasing the chances of reaping the harvest by carrying on mission work within a specific people group. In Church Growth terminology this is usually called the homogeneous unit principle. Homogeneous Unit Principle
A homogeneous unit or a people group is a section of society in which all the members have some characteristics in common (McGavran 1980:95), for example, language, geography, caste or class. It is perceived as the largest possible group within which the gospel can spread without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance (Wagner 1987:181). In McGavran‘s words: Humanity is a vast mosaic of tens of thousand pieces … Each segment must be won to Christ on its own level. If it is invited to join a church composed of people living on a different level, it will reject the message of Christ very largely, because the Savior is obscured by his congregation … But in each of the thousands of ethnic unit societies of the redeemed will multiply (McGavran 1988:111-113, 116). The rationale for this principle is that human beings think differently. In addition, each segment of society needs to be won to Christ on its own level.
This requires great wisdom and a careful understanding of the different people groups in society. McGavran maintains that, men like to become Christians without crossing racial, linguistic, or class barriers, and that in most cases of arrested growth of the Church, men are deterred not so much by the offence of the cross as by non-biblical offenses, which are caused by forcing people to cross linguistic, class or racial barriers (McGavran 1980:223, 230). McGavran (1955:94) contends that, Christianity like electricity, flows best where there is good contact. The power of God acts best within a people. When a number of people within a specific homogeneous unit, or people group, become disciples of Christ, McGavran (1980:335) calls this a ―people movement, which he defines as: the joint decision of a number of individuals—whether five or five hundred—all from the same people, which enables them to become Christians without social dislocation, while remaining in full contact with their non-Christian relatives, thus enabling other groups of that people across the years … to come to similar decisions and form Christian churches made up exclusive of members of that people.
According to this principle, the contention of Church Growth leaders is that the Christian faith spreads most effectively within homogeneous units, or people groups, has led to a fifth Church Growth principle. New Church Planting
McGavran (1980:75) indicates that, if God‘s plan for the salvation of the world is to be carried out, a mighty multiplication of living congregations must occur in most pieces of the mosaic in most countries. McGavran (1980:406) further contends that, There is no other way, in which the multitudinous pieces of the human mosaic can become Christian … Requiring converts to join conglomerate congregations will hinder the church from rapidly spreading to panta ta ethne (all nations). The principle here is not simply the multiplication of congregations, but the multiplication of churches that serve specific people groups. According to this principle, for example, you would expect more growth in certain congregations in the inner city of Agege in Lagos, if separate congregations were established for the natives and the non-natives or for other cultural groups of people.
They might even share the same facilities. However, two congregations, each composed of its own kind of people, would do much better than one that tries to combine different pieces of the mosaic (Valleskey 1990:9). But what about those pieces of the mosaic in which there are at present no or very few Christians? Church Growth literature calls such units of society unreached people, which is defined as, a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group without outside (cross-cultural) assistance (Wagner 1987:181). It is estimated that there are approximately 17,000 such unreached people groups. They are found not only in primitive parts of the world, but also in the United States. New church planting is required here also, but of a specialized kind. What is called for is cross-cultural church planting. In Church Growth language this is called ‘bridging growth’, defined as, the increase of a church‘s membership through the process by which new churches are planted in cultures different from the culture of the base church (Valleskey 1990:9). This brings us to the sixth Church Growth principle relating to making disciples.
Discipling, Not Perfecting; Disciples, Not Decisions
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). The making of disciples is the responsibility of all members of the body of Christ. On the one hand, the discipling, not perfecting principle is that one should not demand too much from people before baptizing them and taking them into the church. The idea is to get them into the church and then later give them further instruction. In that way one brings more people into the church more quickly. This is not to say that Church Growth spokesmen downplay the importance of nurture. In fact, they emphasize the need for continued post-baptismal instruction. On the other hand, the outlook of the discipling, not perfecting principle is that of ―making disciples, not decisions.
While the former principle cautions against demanding too much, too quickly, of a new convert, the latter principle cautions against being satisfied with too little. The disciples, not decisions principle is directed to a large extent against a crusade approach to Church Growth, which measures results by the number of decisions recorded at an evangelistic meeting (Valleskey 1990:9, 10).
Conclusion
McGavran (1980:215, 223) states that the great obstacles to conversion are social, not theological and that men like to become Christians without crossing racial, linguistic, or class barriers. However, the truth of the matter is that nobody likes to become a Christian. People might like to become church members if the church and its people and its programmes are packaged attractively enough. But nobody likes to become a Christian. The mind set on the flesh is hostile towards God (Rom 8:7, NASB). The great obstacle to conversion lies within the person, not without. The problem is sin; the solution is God‘s grace in Christ. The means to deal with the problem is the means Christ has given to his Church, the law and the gospel. It can be argued that from a biblical perspective the following two key premises that underlie the Church Growth Movement are false: That God‘s Will for Every Local Congregation is Numerical Growth: Church Growth leaders believe it to be axiomatic that Christ wants His church to grow using the parable of the mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds; but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches’ (Matthew 13:31, 32).
While it is true that Christ wants His gospel preached to all people and that His kingdom shall increase throughout the church age, there is an underlying problem with the focus of this argument. It focuses on the relative size of given local congregations or the relative success of various missionary endeavours judged in terms of numbers (either in terms of individual converts or numbers of congregations started). The statistics they cite to justify the need for their principles and practices have to do with local congregations and church attendance (De Waay 2005). Christians need to set their eyes on the church of Christ as a whole, not the size of local congregations. The church is growing worldwide continually, as soul-by-soul God saves people through the preaching of the gospel. Jesus Christ builds His own church. The size of various congregations and whether they are growing or shrinking is a different matter altogether. The missionaries who have only a few converts have played their part in the life of the church, even if people like McGavran have different views.
REFERENCES
Barker K L and Kohlenberger J III (eds) (1994). Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary Volume 2: New Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House. Christian Growth. Christian Growth Resource Network. Online article: www.cgrnonline.com/assets/pdfs/faq.pdf, 2009-02-06. Church Growth Movement. (2008). Online Encyclopaedia: www.theopedia.com/Church_growth_movement, 2009-02-06. Cole SJ (2000).
Snapshot of a Healthy Church (Acts (2:42-47). Online article: http://www.fcfonline.org/content/1/sermons/111900m.pdf, 2008-09-23. Coleman, Robert E. (1994). The Master Plan of Evangelism. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House. Daniels W S K (2005). An Overview of the Biblical Foundations for New Church Development.Onlinearticle:http://www.sermonconnect.com/media/getmedia.php?id=2008031 Deffinbaugh B (2008).Characteristics of a Healthy Church (Acts 2:41-47). Online article: www.biblr.org/page.php?page id=3427, 2008-09-23. DeWaay B (2005). Faulty Premises of the Church Growth Movement. Online article: http://www.twincityfellowship.com/cic/articles/issues84.h, 2008-09-23. Discipling. (2008). Online article: mentor12.com/discipleship.htm, 2009-02-09. 182 Elwell W (1984). Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (2nd ed). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. Erickson M (1998). Christian Theology (6th ed). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House. Frizzel G R (1999). Biblical Patterns for Powerful Church Prayer Meetings. USA: Froise Marjorie (2000). S.A. Christian Handbook. South Africa: Christian Info. Galloway D (1986). How to create a successful Church. Dallas, TX: Scott Publishing. Getz G A (1995). The Measure of a Healthy Church.USA: Moody Publishers. Getz Gene A. (1984). Sharpening the Focus of the Church. Chicago: Moody Press. Gibbs Eddie (1981). I Believe in Church Growth. Great Britain: Hodder& Stoughton. Gladen S and Olthoff T (2008).Spiritual Health Assessment and Spiritual Health Planner. Online PowerPointPresentation:http://www.calvaryaustin.org/documents/life groups/SpHIth/AssessPlnfnl.pdf, 2008-05-14. Godwin R (2008). A Healthy Church.Mt. Zion Baptist Association. Online article: http://www.mtzionassociation.com/Resources/, 2008-05-13. Granberg S E (2008). Natural Church development: A Guide to eight essential qualities of a healthy church. Online PowerPoint presentation: Grudem W (1994). Systematic theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Inter Varsity Press. Heitink G (1993). Practical theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. Henry M (1961). Matthew Henry’s Commentary. USA: Zondervan Publishing House. http://www.kairoschurchplanting.org/content/ncpw2003/sq 03.pps, 2008-05-14 id=117615, 2008-09-23.
McGavran D A & Hunter G G (1980).Church growth: Strategies that work.
