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| Titre : | Understanding Church Growth |
| Auteurs : | Donald A. McGavran, Auteur |
| Type de document : | texte imprimé |
| Editeur : | Grand Rapids [USA] : William B. Eerdmans, 1973 |
| ISBN/ISSN/EAN : | 978-0-8028-1521-7 |
| Format : | 382 p. / bibliographie, index |
| Langues: | Anglais |
| Index. décimale : | DS/I (Croissance de l'Eglise) |
| Résumé : |
Understanding Church Growth has been written to a curious situation: at the very time that many classes, clans, tribes and other urban and rural societies of men can be won to Christ, vast uncertainty about the propagation of the Gospel has laid hold of many Christians. The book, therefore, maintains that communicating the faith, discipling the nations, and propagating the Gospel is a chief and irreplaceable task of the Church, biblically required and pragmatically sound. The book documents today’s remarkable receptivity and shows why the prevailing pessimistic estimate of missions is both untrue and sub-Christian. It exposes the current massiye structure of half truths which deceive Christians into despair and retreat in missions. It proposes ways of advance.
Understanding Church Growth declares that the process by which God multiplies His churches throughout the world is extremely complex and must be understood with care. It shows how the many varieties of church growth can be seen and described. It assumes that understanding church growth is essential to effective evangelization and shepherding and hence is the business of all Christians. It examines the social and anthropological milieus in the midst of which churches multiply and shows how knowledge of social structures aids obedient servants of God to be faithful. Understanding Church Growth emphasizes the vital importance of revival and its relationship to church growth, maintaining that if revival is to serve its God-given ends, the more Christians and missionaries know about church growth the better. The book affirms that God desires that great numbers of the common people be brought to faith and obedience and shows how Churches and missions from the West can avoid the grave danger of by-passing the receptive masses. Introversion of churches which prevents their growth is examined carefully to see how it can be overcome — how sealed off churches can be liberated to play a significant part in the redemption of the world. Understanding Church Growth believes that slow growth is often unnecessary — is in fact a curable disease. Methods which limit missions and Churches to inch by inch advance should be abandoned. God is providing new ways to bring the peoples of earth to faith and obedience (Romans 1:5 N.E.B.). These should be understood and mastered. Hence Understanding Church Growth sets forth indigenous church principles and people movement principles as major ways of advance. Other ways which work better in other populations are also described. The world is an intricate mosaic of cultures, languages, peoples, and ethnic units, in which knowledge of each piece and of the methods which operate best in it is essential to the maximum growth of the Church and the maximum flow of God’s grace there. |
| Note de contenu : |
PART I - BASIC CONSIDERATIONS 1. The Complex Faithfulness Which Is Church Growth 2. God’s Will and Church Growth 3. Today’s Task, Opportunity, and Imperative in Missions PART II - DISCERNING THE OUTLINES 4. A Universal Fog 5. The Facts Needed PART III - CAUSES OF CHURCH GROWTH 6. Discovering the Why of It 7. Sources to Search for Causes of Growth 8. Helps and Hindrances to Understanding 9. Revival and Church Growth PART IV THE SOCIOLOGICAL FOUNDATION 10. Social Structure and Church Growth 11. Without Crossing Barriers 12. The Receptivity of Men and Societies PART V - SPECIAL KINDS OF CHURCH GROWTH 13. The Masses, the Classes, and Church Growth 14. Halting Due to Redemption and Lift 15. Discipling Urban Populations 16. People Movements 17. Kinds of People Movements and Their Care 18. Indigenous Church Principles and Growing Churches 19. Hard, Bold Plans for Church Growth |
Exemplaires (1)
| Code-barres | Cote | Support | Localisation | Section | Disponibilité |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS/I 002 | DS/I 002 | Livre | Bibliothèque principale | Livres empruntables | Prêt possible Disponible |
