The Church HealthGrowth Movement Howard Culbertson Southern Nazarene

The Church Health/Growth Movement Howard Culbertson Southern Nazarene University 07 March 2021 1

Donald Mc. Gavran Father of the Church Growth movement n MK, born in India in 1897 n Grandparents were also missionaries to India 07 March 2021 2

Captured by materialism While a student at Butler University. . . “My father has done enough for the Lord. It is time for me to strike out for myself and earn some money. ” 07 March 2021 3

A change of direction n Gave life to Christ n Went to Yale Divinity School n Would finish Ph. D. in 1937 at Columbia University with a dissertation on Hinduism and Christianity 07 March 2021 4

Back to India n Returned to India in 1923 with United Christian Missionary Society (Disciples of Christ) n Placed in charge of mission school system at Harda 07 March 2021 5

Missionary administrator n Director of religious education n Standardized instruction and curriculum n Wrote course outlines n Established Christian Youth Conferences 07 March 2021 6

n Became authority on Hindi language n Translated Gospels into Chattisgarhi dialect n Superintendent of leprosy home and hospital 07 March 2021 7

n 1932 -- became executive secretary of mission n 80 missionaries, 5 hospitals, high schools, primary schools, home for lepers n 20 -30 small churches growing at 1% per year 07 March 2021 8

It wasn’t all office work n Fought off a wounded tiger and a wild boar n Checked a cholera epidemic single handedly n Climbed the Himalayas 07 March 2021 9

Mc. Gavran’s conclusion n Large amounts of money producing relatively small results n “It offended my Scottish nature. ” So, what to do now? 07 March 2021 10

Enter: J. Waskom Pickett Mc. Gavran said: “I lit my candle at his fire. ” Who was this man? 07 March 2021 11

n 1910 -- E. Stanley Jones convinced J. Waskom Pickett to apply for missionary service to India n Interest aroused in “mass movements” to Christ n 1920’s Controversy over mass conversions piques Pickett’s interest n 1930 -31 Pickett surveys mass movement phenomenon throughout India 07 March 2021 12

n 1936 Pickett was asked to survey central India Mc. Gavran traveled with him 07 March 2021 13

Pickett’s legacy n Pragmatic research-based orientation n People movements n Awareness of social networks n Need to reach the masses n Study of converts’ motives n Discipling and “perfection” as part of evangelism 07 March 2021 14

Pickett is one of us n Something not to be overlooked for our theological tradition: n Mc. Gavran’s mentor was a Methodist. 07 March 2021 15

n 1936 Mc. Gavran left administrative position; spent next 18 years in church planting n (15 churches/ 1000 converts) 07 March 2021 16

Birth certificate of church growth movement n 1955 Published “Bridges of God” n Fostering people movements versus mission station approach n Hint of Homogeneous Unit Principle 07 March 2021 17

n 1959 Published “How Churches Grow” n 1961 Church Growth Institute in Oregon n Plan was to educate furloughed missionaries n Began with one student, a Methodist missionary to Bolivia. n 1964 “Church Growth Bulletin” 07 March 2021 18

n 1965 Moved to Fuller Seminary n Movement went from global to dominated by North Americans n 1970 Published “Understanding Church Growth” 07 March 2021 19

Mc. Gavran’s 3 questions n When a church is growing, why is it growing? n What barriers, obstructions or sicknesses prevent the natural life, vitality and growth of churches? n What reproducible principles operative in growing churches can be used elsewhere? 07 March 2021 20

Lessons from Mc. Gavran 1. Value of a few close support people n Wesley / Whitefield contrast 2. Clear focus 3. Optimism 4. Value of edification and encouragement 07 March 2021 21

Lessons from Mc. Gavran 5. Humility 6. Enormous energy Much of his work done after age 65 7. Vision 8. Incredible tenacity 07 March 2021 22

Philosophic Core Material from Elmer Towns n Homogeneous units Main barrier to conversion needs to be theological and not something else n People movements n Focus on receptivity. . . the “good” soil n Use of scientific methodology Wesley’s sanctified pragmatism n Church planting 07 March 2021 23

Mc. Gavran’s use of scientific method n Identify problem n Gather data n Construct hypothesis (potential solution) n Test hypothesis n Establish principle 07 March 2021 24

The Modern Church Health/Growth Movement End 07 March 2021 25

This Power. Point presentation is available along with related materials and other Power. Point presentations at http: //home. snu. edu/~hculbert/ppt. htm 07 March 2021 26