principles of church growth in the book of acts

thesis of this paper is that some classic Church Growth principles can help churches reach Americans in the postmodern age. 5 0 obj M��#+�\? 2. The early believers in Acts were filled with the Holy Spirit and sought to hear and obey God so they could walk in the Spirit's power. <> Prayer both initiated the work and sustained it. endobj To prove this point, let us take a quick look at church growth in the book of Acts, with a special view to the church in Jerusalem. They had not ventured out as Jesus had commanded in Acts 1:8. Unfortunately, much of what has been written comes from ministers of large "mega churches" who have packaged their various growth formulas into books and systems which propose to help other, usually much smaller churches, reproduce in themselves the success that the mega churches have had. 1. (Acts 1:8, 2:4, 4:8,31, 8:26-40, 13:2-4, 18:9-11). 2. Book Of Acts Might Inform Church Planting Today Theology Religion Essay Introduction . Colonialistic and paternalistic attitudes are contrary to the spirit of Acts. x��XKo�8��QZ@ߤ��@�&A��6h��=d]��Iyl��~gHJ��P�bi��o�C��䊜��|\�G�lF��tµ��-��C�T��,�@�떐T�Jz�)*4��iN�&Fյ� Z"k��T��C�h¹=TCx=~�k��Iob��G-��w��o� �V��$�� ɯ�k04T�+�!��;\i� The book of Acts details the birth and spread of the church. Within the modus operandi or Acts of the apostoloi there are theoretical and practical exemplars which the contemporary church may pattern to navigate a pathway 1 to fruitful evangelism and sustainable growth. 14 0 obj Universal principles, applicable everywhere is what can help us. 17 0 obj Acts shows the Gospel going to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. endobj Our Church Health Assessment Tool (CHAT) was designed as a resource to the local church. T he Book of Acts records the growth and progress of the church in the first century. Then “many... believed, and the number of the men was about 5000” (Acts 4:4).Later, “believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women” (Acts 5:14). <>>> The key to healthy church ministry is that it is the CONTINUING ministry of Jesus. 6 0 obj endobj In Acts 13:49-50, many came to faith, while at the … *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. %PDF-1.5 endobj Growth is an essential quality of the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed and taught. x��Mk�@�@�aNA:d�3� ! <> That is God’s winner! <> Up to this point the apostles had been through a lot already. <> How then can the principles of evangelism and church growth in Acts be applied to our churches today? Some people were discovered because of their interest (Acts 8:26-40, 10:22-24, 16:30) and others were identified when God worked miracles, signs, or wonders among them (Acts 2:1-13, 3:6-10, 8:5-8,13, 9:32-35,40-43). The early believers were constantly praying, both individually and corporately (Acts 2:42, 12:5,12, 16:16,25). God looks for faith, devotion, love, and obedience, which are all missing from this church growth model! The Book of Acts: A Pattern for Modern Church Growth Jared W. Ludlow Whereas the Gospel of Luke focuses on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, the Acts of the Apostles builds upon what Jesus did and taught (see Acts 1:1), recounting the story of the young, emerging Church and the work of the early Apostles as they went forth as witnesses of Christ “unto the uttermost part of the earth” (v. 8). <> A church of Christ can and will grow spiritually and numerically when it is faithful to the word of God. Whenever I read through the book of Acts I'm struck with the number of times Luke comments on the growth of the church. ��Ganό8n��%�$��q��q��=Ë�8$o[�[7k܉VٝJz/��.\�,@�:�܈�m )�'P��I �-��ۚ��@�-�l��;�(C�'��]U��@ru��k��,�� ^�Ƶ[G��H��c�ayi��w��i�eB� �� The church planter must truly desire growth for the church and must be willing to pay the price in hard work. The book of Acts tells the story of the beginning of the church of Jesus Christ. Church Growth in the Book of Acts. Eight overarching principles in the book of Acts form the foundation for a church that honors Christ and takes ground to make disciples in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the world. 1 0 obj endobj We can’t create growth. [ 15 0 R] Many of the principles of church-growing are found in this book. 16 0 obj The book of Acts tells us on that day the God of Heaven launched the Church of Christ. 12 0 obj <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 420.96 595.32] /Contents 10 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 1>> Prayer both initiated the work and sustained it. Throughout history, when the gospel changed lives, resistance was sure to follow. Strong leadership never means a strong willed personality, but a servant’s heart after God’s heart, which is contagious to others. It Can Happen Today! There are basic ideas that are still practical today present int his book, especially in the depiction of how the church teaching spread from Jerusalem to Rome. �x>m8K��ES�Z�DvQ�e^��1�FJE��"��C��6��..�7��L��c��J�M��|S�a['��&��>l�� ς This question made me curious to study deeply the subject and I started with the Book of Acts. Skip to main content.us. ^�ҧ)O�s�D��j x��]O�0��+�?�jJ$j�'�-�uS%��L�HK(��6l��MF�5!��=�$�xFNN��&�s�NO��|B�� \��p� �?NM�V$�� Principles of Church Growth from the Book of Acts [Bontrager, Edwin] on Amazon.com. stream Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. endobj 11 0 obj Book of Acts . This growth, from the center out, is what was supposed to happen back in the Garden of Eden. endobj stream The book of Acts provides a detailed, orderly, eyewitness account of the birth and growth of the early church and the spread of the gospel immediately after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 7 0 obj Principle 5: Don’t bend to resistance to the gospel. Church growth in the book of acts, The Book of Acts records the growth and progress of the church in the first century. 1605 East Elizabeth Street, Pasadena, CA 91104, Church and Form and Function and COVID-19, COVID-19, Unreached Peoples and the Worlds Urban Poor Resources | India, COVID-19, Unreached Peoples and the Worlds Urban Poor Resources | South Asia + Latin America. Church Growth Principle: According to McGavran and Ann, this is "a universal truth which, when properly interpreted and applied, contributes significantly to the growth of churches and denominations. of Christ. <> So, growing a church requires that leaders give attention and intention to spiritual formation. Growth is understood to be good and non-growth bad. Hello, Sign in. endobj If we were to look at the Bible, we will be able to look at the pattern. In the meantime, feel free to comment below. 3 0 obj CHAT does all the work but keeps you, the church leader, in control of the process. 10 0 obj 9 0 obj Apostolic leaders followed the pattern of mission that Jesus laid out in in Matthew 10 and Luke 10 and sought out "people of peace" by watching for open doors and evidence of God working in an individuals life. In the first few chapters of Acts we are told how the early church centered her ministries in the city of Jerusalem. But not the kind of growth that would simply satisfy our craving for more members, but the kind of growth that is the result of saving souls. They had been following Jesus and were witnesses of the many miracles he had performed. Paul repeatedly faced resistance to his work, while at the same time many responded positively to the gospel. Acts is not just the acts of the apostles but the empowering continuing work of Jesus. We can position ourselves close enough to Jesus to follow His Spirit and do what he tells us. We have developed a powerful web-driven assessment tool based on the above research-based characteristics of a healthy church. Hello Select your address Books. C. Peter Wagner states, “church growth is complex. He failed to realize that weeds grow faster than wheat. There is no way it can be reduced to a simple formula or a canned program.”4 Given the complexity of Church Read the book of Proverbs! Holy Spirit Power Evangelism was abundant so that everyone had the opportunity to hear the message (Acts 2:40-41, 4:4, 5:28,42, 6:7, 19:10). Basing church growth numerically is prone to judging churches’ growth superficially. [G Edwin Bontrager; Nathan D Showalter] (Acts 2:41, 8:12-13, 36-39, 19:1-7) Philip was asked by the Ethiopian eunuch what might prevent him from being baptized. Prayer led to greater breakthroughs. endobj endobj The exemplars that will be discussed, though not exhaustive, may serve as models for an operational framework. The early church was a growing church. <> %�� 8 0 obj Those who believed the message proclaimed were immediately baptized as a first step of obeying Jesus as Lord. Cart All. Stay tuned for second half of this post where we will address 5 more key principles of church planting from the book of Acts. The first churches in the book of Acts began in prayer (Acts 1:14, 10:9, 13:2-3). Jared W. Ludlow, “The Book of Acts: A Pattern for Modern Church Growth,” in Shedding Light on the New Testament: Acts–Revelation, ed. 6 The Holy Spirit makes a point to tell us that at Pentecost about 3000 were added to the church and that the Lord added to the church daily. In this article I will share the first principles which I have found. The book is also a guide to the church. <> Church Growth Principles - Measure and Monitor Your Church Health. S/he must be creative, innovative, and assertive with regard to the vision and mission God has for His work. )�FS�;(Q©JM��N��A��c�25��b:� Knowledge alone was not sufficient for the mission. <> ��NdnM��9�le� book of Acts has a prominent missionary theme because it details the rapid growth of the early church and the first missionary efforts. stream It is a truth of God which leads his church to spread his Good News, plant church after church, and increase his body" (1977, p.15). Prayer led to greater breakthroughs. The first churches in the book of Acts began in prayer (Acts 1:14, 10:9, 13:2-3). endobj Perhaps the points below could be a starting point for discussion. The leadership must lead the work to organize the mission, set goals, develop plans, and mobilize the people to accomplishment. 1. While I was teaching the session Revelation that took place in Ukraine, one of the pastors asked me which are the principles of organization of the local church from the New Testament. Jesus told his disciples to "wait until you be endued with power from on high." It can happen today! ��3�ĜE��.-&�)Xp�fp��X̕�N��. 15 0 obj 樖0�D�=�`Ap\GC�� νE��W��@��B�Zv{�ؠ�%��3��\ҙ. It is upon that arena of evangelism and church growth that Luke would have us focus. <> The narrative centers on the ministry of Peter and John. Begin a prayer ministry which demonstrates commitments of time, money, and people resources to the priority of prayer. <> Philip's only requirement was that the man believe the message Philip proclaimed to him. endobj PRINCIPLES OF CHURCH GROWTH (Acts 9:31) A. Principle of right proclamation: The Lord honors the proclamation of His word. endstream : principles of church growth from the book of Acts. They focused on the responsive (Acts 13:46-52, 18:6-11, 19:8-10), explained miracles when they happened (Acts 14:8-18), dealt with syncretism (Acts 8:14-24, 19:18-20, 4:12) and gave the message to people in culturally appropriate ways (Acts 2:14-39, 3:12-26, 7:2-53, 13:16-41, 16:3, 17:2-3,11, 18:4,19, 19:4-8, 14:15-17, 17:16-34). Acts begins with Jesus teaching the apostles about the kingdom of God outside Jerusalem, and ends, about thirty years later, with Paul teaching Gentile Christians about the kingdom of God in Rome. <> endobj The early church shared the message of salvation through Jesus with others boldly (Acts 4:13,31, 8:4-5, 11:19-21) while emphasizing grace, forgiveness, and the true nature of God. 13 0 obj The book begins with the ascension of Jesus into heaven (Acts 1:10), quickly followed by the empowering of the church through the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2). Get this from a library! Churches around the world reflect different culture. Is the tongues-speaking miracle of Pentecost an event Ray L. Huntington. ٍ��P��wV��v�N Our remarks for this article will come from Acts 4. <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 420.96 595.32] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 420.96 595.32] /Contents 19 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 2>> �� XP�PV7�+��S2(��eSPBTV��^�-˅��ʻ��%�8�N)d��uJ!�rU8ֽ��MN��S He is still proclaiming the same biblical principles of evangelism but in a pragmatic, sociological, and scientific way which would really call for confusion, indignation, and misunderstanding. Now that we have scriptural leadership in this congregation it is appropriate to begin talking about growth. The Normative Versus the Exception Much debate has transpired in recent years over certain events in the Book of Acts. Church growth and development is a field of study that has produced many theories, books and seminars. The early church experienced dramatic Lead the church to a commitment to give … Church Growth Lesson 12 22 Acts 5 reveals that fear came upon the church, and the Apostles did many signs and wonders (Acts 5:11-12). endobj Introduction. endobj "�$�/��L&WBZd�"��qCU�{"��oD�C��4�($�(�$�V{�߁h$a�¦�ԁ�f��d��~�4 aO�ʌSF��)�aO��D�,�� [�X��B�� \�E��i�bIb��o�,aMy��"Kib�(&��TQ��QF�ĴP�faOLx9�0�'��Ğr�DT��Ʈb��#U[�?�b[�#m~�\F6ݴVm�y"P�ۿC�1Q��Mv�zQ��߰_k�Uwfg+�mkC�j��s��g��dԁ�@~h�j�8N�G\d��z��{�� #��(-��ѵ��ٙ��'��Vq�� 18 0 obj (Acts 14:3,15-18, 15:11, 17:22-31, 2:22-36, 10:36-43). Up to this point the apostles had been through a lot already. But there is something deeply significant in the way it is laid out and described. This dissertation arises out of my own interest and engagement in Church Planting that has led me to reflect on my own practice more biblically and theologically. endobj Church Growth in the Book of Acts. 19 0 obj Its narrative supplies a bridge connecting the life and ministry of Jesus to the life of the church and the witness of the earliest believers. endstream The entire book shows an increasing expansion of the church from its starting point in Jerusalem, and a shift from an … Those things don’t happen in the church. <> Evangelism and the resulting church growth, in that sense, would be a subactivity of the total mission of the early church. ��>i��S�x�� x�ג�=e�!��H�4�:� endobj Copying the techniques or methods will not help and will not work. Church Growth and Outreach in Acts The assurance that the church will grow and expand is clear in Acts: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). They had been. <> In church growth, we should not copy the methods, but the spirit and the principles. His short and long parables; principles of fruitfulness; commission to go and make disciples; and more examples, all make it clear that growth is not negotiable. ;iڂ!�Bihb�6JK��F�r��`��b�μ��5��-֫O`��ay��妮ȡq�y�+#&��[B+O~ԕ��몮nhoa�.e=\�W 8��y��;�#.g4A��s� ��Yc�� &� �i��F&��u��~׺��6/��pK�JM�d0��~W�� ?�3K-��z�a|�s�`}F�2iSmc�2�7�?�Wu�ތ[��5RBz��/О��w]�?mn�c{��s��L+8'�y̕�G��lh�?0'. The early believers were constantly praying, both individually and corporately (Acts 2:42, 12:5,12, 16:16,25). 4 0 obj endobj : Principles of Church Growth from the Book of Acts . 2 0 obj