Concerns About the Church Growth Movement

Some are enamored by it. Some are intrigued by it. Some are wary of it. Some are repulsed by it. There are many different reactions that people have to what has been called the most important mission development in this century, the Church Growth Movement. One thing that is clear about this movement is that it has to be dealt with by anyone who is engaged in mission work in the 1990’s. It has to be dealt with because it is everywhere. In our zeal to carry out the Great Commission we will inevitably run into Church Growth principles and methods. They are cornering the market in this area. They are printing the books and material. They are offering the seminars. They are producing the tapes, the movies, the videos, and on and on. As we do our best to accelerate our evangelism efforts, however, it is important for us to carefully evaluate the material which is so readily available as well as the implications of using this material. The goal of this paper will be to point out the concerns which we, as confessional Lutherans, have about this movement. I will endeavor to pinpoint the teachings of the Church Growth Movement with which we take issue and why we do so. It is my hope that this paper will help you make some important decisions as you deal with this issue. It would perhaps be beneficial to provide you with a brief outline of what lies ahead. This paper will be divided into the following parts: * The Key principles of the Church Growth Movemen