It is time to acknowledge the limits of the church growth model for churches in post-Christendom Canada. Acknowledging these limits will prompt us to explore other avenues. Theologians can help us relearn the Gospel and recapture a biblical theology of the church. Sociologists can help us learn from the explosive growth of the church within its first three centuries, and the growth of the church this century in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Missiologists can help us learn how to reach the majority of the population that are not being reached by contemporary methods.
Albert Einstein said, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” The church growth model will not solve the problems of the church in post-Christendom Canada. It’s time to look elsewhere.
one of the many things that UNITES all types of re- people (asserters & appraisers) is a profound commitment to the modern church growth model
new model cathedrals like willow creek, saddleback, fellowship (& even christ church-plano or all saints-pasadena) certainly have their place, but it will be fascinating to see what emerges over the next generation
for my POV, it is why communities like CoTA in Seattle and the UK Fresh Expressions hold so much hope for the Anglican tradition in the West
Hmmnnn…. How to build the Church… Ask some atheists for advice. Like Jesus asked the pharisees for advice. He did, didn’t he? No, wait… Shucks, now I’m all confused again. And we have to worry about when to bring out the Cross and when to tell our prospects the downside of Christianity…
Too much! Too much, I say!!
There’s a book somewhere about a very successful evangelist who sent out 72 non-descript people and told them to take neither purse nor bag, not even sandals, and to ask the Lord to send helpers for them. They were to cadge shelter and food along the way and to not pester anyone who didn’t want to hear their message. They were to heal the sick and preach that the kingdom is near. As I recall, they did pretty well.
But that might not conform with modern theology or our new marketing knowledge of how we should structure a Church to appeal to modern consumers. We need a new model embodying the latest theological, sociological, and missiological sciences to reach the majority of the population which has so far ignored a simple exposition of God’s Word.
Perhaps I forgot to take my anti-cynic pills. Forgive me.
Or, maybe not. I remember my old TEC parish decided to build a new Church. They consulted the best economic planners and received advice from scientific and religious figures, even from the diocese, and bought land way out on the edge of town where all the models predicted most growth of all the “right” and “rich” people. Not downtown where the neediest people live. That was shortly before I left for Rome. (Not because of where they decided to build, but because my pastor tried to convince me the Bible is outmoded and needs to be corrected. But, maybe the two went together???)
Now, almost 4 years later, the land sits fallow and the old congregation is still in the old building. From outside as I pass by they don’t look so crowded any more and there’s room in the parking lot if I cared to enter. My new parish, however, had to raise half a million in one year to double the size of the parking lot (to prevent road rage between Masses, as the pastor explained it ^_^), and to almost double our physical plant. Oh, and we’re in the not-so-nice part of town. We’re dumb, we don’t use models.
Hmmnnn….
In faith, Dave
Viva Texas
I won’t waste any time with words… the author clearly has missed the mega-churches and taken no time before prcoclaiming ‘church growth dead’.