The Modern Church Growth Movement Howard Culbertson Southern

The Modern Church Growth Movement Howard Culbertson Southern Nazarene University 9/9/2020 1

Donald Mc. Gavran Father of the Church Growth movement n MK, born in India in 1897 n Grandparents were also missionaries to India 9/9/2020 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. ” 9/9/2020 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 9/9/2020 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 9/9/2020 5

Missionary administrator n Director of religious education n Standardized instruction and curriculum n Wrote course outlines n Established Christian Youth Conferences 9/9/2020 6

n Became authority on Hindi language n Translated Gospels into Chattisgarhi dialect n Superintendent of leprosy home and hospital 9/9/2020 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 9/9/2020 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 9/9/2020 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? 9/9/2020 10

Enter: J. Waskom Pickett Mc. Gavran said: “I lit my candle at his fire. ” Who was this man? 9/9/2020 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 9/9/2020 12

n 1936 Pickett was asked to survey central India Mc. Gavran traveled with him 9/9/2020 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 9/9/2020 14

Pickett is one of us n Something not to be overlooked for our theological tradition: n Mc. Gavran’s mentor was a Methodist. 9/9/2020 15

n 1936 Mc. Gavran left administrative position; spent next 18 years in church planting n (15 churches/ 1000 converts) 9/9/2020 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 9/9/2020 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” 9/9/2020 18

n 1965 Moved to Fuller Seminary n Movement went from global to dominated by North Americans n 1970 Published “Understanding Church Growth” 9/9/2020 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? 9/9/2020 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 9/9/2020 21

Lessons from Mc. Gavran 5. Humility 6. Enormous energy Much of his work done after age 65 7. Vision 8. Incredible tenacity 9/9/2020 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 9/9/2020 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 9/9/2020 24

The Modern Church Growth Movement End 9/9/2020 25