Introduction
This article presents the concept of "church growth" next to evangelism, especially in the book of Acts. While the Old Testament evangelism describes as people come to God, the Lucan shows perspective that the servant of God to go to his people. Blauw thesis is that "a centripetal mission consciousness is in Acts centrifugal missionary activity ..." (1974, 34). In George Orwell's Animal Farm, the pigs looked pig and vice versa man but she could not distinguish in the very last page of the text, showing by expanding what happens when the Church could happen, want to imitate the world. One can not replace the methods or principles, brought the church growth in the New Testament in our own era.
TYPES Church growth
1. Internal: This is the spiritual growth of Christians. established right relationship with God and men. Many Christians quote John 3:16, who loves without regard to I John 3:16 God made man show that focuses on people's love for his fellow man.
2. Expansion: This is performed by the evangelization of non-Christians in the area of operation of the church or ministry.
3. Extension: This is the growth of the Church through the establishment of daughter churches within the same general homogeneous group and geographical area.
4. Bridging: This focuses on the construction of churches in different cultural and geographical areas.
CHURCH GROWTH: TOWARDS INCREASING
1. Organic growth of existing children members who come to church.
2. Transfer growth- members of a church to unite with another church.
3. Conversion growth in the church of people around the world the coming of which are converted as Lord and Savior by receiving Jesus Christ.
THE TERMS DEFINITION
Evangelism: Evangelism in Acts is the communication of the good news of Jesus Christ through verbal proclamation and lifestyle witness, with the intention of a person or a group to salvation in Christ to lead.
Church Growth: This is the quantitative and qualitative development of the Church. It differs from "swelling", the spread in the Church today and is dangerous. The African church is wide as a mile and had an inch deep, which means that other parameters except for figures account for church growth. Church growth could also be seen as an application of the biblical, anthropological and sociological principles communities, denominations and their communities in an effort to make the greatest number of people for Jesus Christ disciples. Believing that it is God's will that his Church to find his lost children, church growth efforts grow and develop strategies to develop goals and apply proven principles of growth to individual communities, denominations and the worldwide body of Christ.
Church Growth Eyes: This is a feature of the Christians who have attained a skill that possibilities for growth, to see and appropriate policies apply to gain maximum results for Christ and his Church.
Church Growth principle :. After McGavran and Ann, this is "a universal truth that, if properly interpreted and applied, contributing significantly from churches and denominations for growth It is a truth of God who leads his church's Good News, plant Church after church, and raise his body "(1977, p 15) to spread.
PRINCIPLES
1. Prayer or Spiritual Warfare
Prayer is the indispensable church growth. John Stott says that after the ascension of Jesus, the prayers of the disciples had two characteristics that "are two essential elements of true prayer, namely, that they persevered and were of one mind" (1990, 10). The principle of unified prayer or prayer with one mind and purpose is a thread that runs throughout Acts. Lukes first description of the 120 (1: 5) shows that they followed Christ's command to wait for the Holy Spirit, praying with one accord by obediently as a group. See also Acts 4:18 (Sanhedrin); Acts 12: 5 (Herod); Acts 11:11 (Peters Rescue).
2. A clear and unique vision
is made in the King James Version, Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, people perish the". Vision God's dream of what he wants to accomplish in and through our lives and the lives of our churches. Several churches have mission statements, they never use. What God blesses with success in one place is not necessarily his plan for all others. Every growing community has a sense of unique vision and purpose - a clear direction. The planters Church and the laity share a common vision for what God wants the church to reach. In most cases, the church planter and people clearly define and articulate their vision. This gives people a sense of direction. They move toward a goal. Not only are they available.
3. Management
A strong growing community is catalyzed by dynamic leadership that pulls the whole Church into action. For the church planter to function as a good leader, s / he must have certain characteristics and perform certain management tasks. The planters Church must really want growth for the Church and must be willing to pay the price in hard work. The leadership must work out the mission to organize, set goals, develop plans, and to mobilize people to power. S / he must be creative, innovative and assertive in terms of the vision and mission God has for his work.
4. The recognition and importance of the laity
The people of the work must be equipped to discover their gifts and use them. You must be willing to take on new tasks and give willingly on various management positions with other people to grow as the church or expanding.
5. Strategic Planning
The idea is still ongoing to develop strategies that will help to achieve the mission of the church. This should the church to move toward realizing the fulfillment of their vision. With specific instructions from the Savior, established the apostles, to achieve a strategy Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth (Acts 1: 8). Nehemiah positioned his people in the areas of interests. Paul entered the synagogue and then the agora that was both a marketplace and center of public life (Acts 7:17). A good church website can help to grow your church. Unfortunately, there is an ongoing war in this technological era: vs. Technophilia Technophobia. Many Rip Van Wrinkle exist at the present time. Several church leaders are still potential of a website to achieve for church growth. Another church site, designed specifically to reach outsiders, integrated with other appropriate outreach strategies, could be an important key to drawing non-Christians to your church.
6. Life Development Group
This could be considered the principle of assimilation are given. Perhaps the most important aspect of this principle is that the church needs to be structured in such a way that an organizational basis for growth develops. The larger the base, the greater are the possibilities for the growth. Life Development groups provide a critical function that a church growth as Sunday school groups, youth community, ministries facilitated (men, women, teenagers, children), etc.
7. indigenization
Paul and Barnabas let the local churches with leadership that the direction after the apostles would have departed. Although the forms of church government vary in the New Testament, they appointed elders their leadership roles continue. The elders in the church ( "in every church" Acts 14:23) completing the indigenization process.
8. Open Gospel
In the early church, some regarded Christians as Jews who have received Jesus as the promised Redeemer. Thus, a Christian needs to be any Gentile desiring first become a Jew. The "closed" gospel was a major concern for the Christians as Paul. This was Jerusalem Council a turning point in the history of the early church. Neither circumcision nor adaptation to the Jewish community would be a prerequisite. Christians today should discover the same attitude towards the unbelieving world. Is the Gospel opened today, or does it carry the baggage of cultural expectations, idolatry of tradition, etc.? One should not necessarily be a member of your tribe before he is a Christian.
9. Follow-Up
The task of the church to win souls. Therefore, evangelism is not treated as a single principle, as this is the primary task of the Church. The related concept of "follow" is crucial for young Christians. According to Acts 15:36, follow-up "a few days after, Paul said to Barnabbas, let us go again and visit our brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord to see, and how they do it." As maternal instinct be considered. This is a deliberate focus on young and new believers for the purpose of spiritual guidance and counseling.
10. Discipleship
According to John Wesley without discipleship program souls leads to Christ, sons is for the devil to witness the growth of the church is enhanced when every member is a part of the body (Eph 4:16; Rom 12: 3-8 ...; I Cor.12: 12-22, etc.) and is at risk if they do not identify with the body. What we are committed to the faithful have learned other need to teach. the importance of Bible study, Sunday school classes, and so can not be overstated.
11. Sovereignty (supreme authority of God)
Despite the plethora of conflicts and setbacks in the early church, Luke tells clearly that God is the final winner. Acts, in perspective, a story of the sovereign work of God in the middle of outer and inner forces which would frustrate "normal" movement each. Although we communicate the vehicles, the gospel are, our strength and power from God. It gives rise to the "planting" and "irrigation" he everything that makes beautiful, not in our, but in his time. One sows, another waters, but God gives the increase. The sound is not questioning the intention of Potter.
LIST OF REFERENCES
Blauw, J. The Missionary nature of the Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.
McGavran Donald A. and C. Winfield Arn. Ten Steps for church growth. New York: Harper and Row, 1977.
Stott, John. The Spirit, the Church and the world. Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter Varsity, 1990.
Wagner, Peter C., ed church growth. The state of the art. Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1986.
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