The church growth movement is a group of pastors, denominational leaders, and para-church ministry leaders who have allowed their ministries to be influenced by certain principles related to the science of church growth. This science seeks to apply observed principles that affect significant growth in local churches and/or groups of churches.  These principles include marketing, social, psychological, and behavioral sciences (sometimes called contextualization).  Coupled with a desire to fulfill the Great Commission, these strategies lead churches to “focus” on reaching the unsaved person.

 

God values our faithfulness above all things.

Large churches (over 500) only make up 4.5% of all churches. This is significant because, if we teach a church growth model, many will never see the numbers and be disappointed when they could be being as faithful to God as He desires them to be. 

Numerical growth cited in the Bible is descriptive not prescriptive (Acts 2:41, 2:47, 4:4, 5:14, 6:7). First of all, it was true. The church had enormous growth, but that growth quickly spread out from Jerusalem, and then (Acts 9:31, 12:24, 16:4, 17:12, 19:20, 28:31) it was descriptive of the entire church universal not just one local church. 

Nowhere in the pastoral epistles is the pastor instructed to pursue church growth. The epistles instruct the pastor to be holy in character, sound in doctrine, faithful in preaching, and God-centered in worship gatherings. These are the goals that every pastor should have while he allows Christ to build his church.