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Studying Church Growth

Studying Church Growth. Considering Fellowship and Group Dynamics. 3 Main Levels of Infrastructure. Level 1- Sharing group, avg. 5-15, spiritual sharing. Helps in fulfilling the following mandates … Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ . (Galatians 6:2 ESV)

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Studying Church Growth

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  1. Studying Church Growth Considering Fellowship and Group Dynamics

  2. 3 Main Levels of Infrastructure • Level 1- Sharing group, avg. 5-15, spiritual sharing

  3. Helps in fulfilling the following mandates… Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 ESV) Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15 ESV)

  4. 3 Main Levels of Infrastructure • Level 1- Sharing group, limited in number, avg. 5-15, stretch to 30-40, purpose? spiritual sharing • Level 2- Fellowship group, limited in number, avg. 30-80, stretch to 200, purpose? acceptance and belonging • Level 3- Assembly group, unlimited in number, Purpose? To worship, encourage, edify, proclaim Christ

  5. How does GROUP DYNAMICS play out in church growth? • Level 1, sharing group, is a small church • 30-40 members with less than 100 attending • Emotionally saturated, difficult to be inclusive • Close, personal relationships are valued and are the greatest barrier to growth • Over 50% of all churches are in this place • Growth is plateaued unless change comes

  6. How does GROUP DYNAMICS play out in church growth? • Level 2, fellowship group, a mid-sized church • Stretched w/100-200 attending • Offers surface sharing, acceptance, belonging… … until emotionally saturated • Saturated fellowship w/nothing to offer is the growth barrier for this group • 80% of churches never go beyond this level • 85-90% churches of Christ never break this level • Most don’t feel “need” to break this f’ship level

  7. How does GROUP DYNAMICS play out in church growth? • Level 3, assembly group, a large church • Moves beyond 300 attending w/small groups • Uses “new unit” principles to encourage growth, i.e. fruit often comes from new vines, new people, and new groups

  8. 2 Part Study on Groups, Growth, and Bible ClassesRichard Meyers, Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, IN • Bible classes were combined to make fewer classes and used fewer teachers • Classes shrunk to their original size • Bible classes were divided to make more classes and use more teachers • Classes grew to their original size

  9. 2 Part Study on Groups, Growth, and Bible ClassesRichard Meyers, Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, IN • A suggested correlation between • number of classes and Bible class attendance • Groups/teachers and attendance • Bible class attendance and overall growth • Conclusions? Churches need to find ways to • Increase Bible classes, teachers, and programs • To get more members working and doing for themselves

  10. Verifies what we’ve always said and encouraged… • Teachers always learn more from a class than the students, • The more teachers a church has the more knowledge and experience is available • The more knowledge and experience that is available the healthier a church will be!

  11. Conclusions from this examination of group dynamics • God desires growth, 2 Peter 3:9. • Every level of fellowship group has strengths that can become barriers to growth. • Some growth barriers are not doctrinal, but personal, traditional, comfort zones. • It behooves every Christian to seek our Father’s agenda above our own comfort zone.

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