496 - Understanding Church Growth (fully revised)

Understanding Church Growth (fully revised)
By Donald A. McGavran
Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1980. 480 pp. $12.95.

The universally recognized "dean of church growth studies" has revised his major 1970 work in an attempt to make this study more applicable to the United States and Western Europe, to answer critics of his earlier book, and to consider the contributions of contemporary church growth specialists like C. Peter Wagner and Ralph Winter.

Central to his understanding of the church is "great commission." He defines mission as "proclaiming the Good News" and "persuading men to become His disciples and dependable members of His Church." Today, one task is supreme: the "effective multiplication of churches in the receptive societies of earth."

He criticizes the church's historic failure to plant and nurture churches in many parts of the world, its tendency to pour millions of dollars into no-growth situations, its wasted effort in "non-receptive" populations, and its failure to study what really makes for growing churches. He issues a missionary call to re-establish the "planting of churches" as our number-one priority. This area must receive the bulk of our time, effort, and money. If we want to succeed in "growing churches," we must not let this goal be obscured by many traditional mission emphases: social action, education, health, and relief efforts.

McGavran's major contribution is his use of statistical, anthropological, and sociological studies. Average pastors and mission workers rarely make constructive use of the information at their fingertips. A zeal for the gospel, especially when wrapped in a package of a different culture, is not enough. Every church and missionary organization must engage in study and planning if it is to succeed in its evangelistic endeavors.

The bulk of the book is case studies and statistical analysis of those factors and techniques which promote church growth and those that do not. He defends the controversial "homogenous unit" principle that "men like to become Christians without crossing racial, linguistic or class carriers," and he points out that Westerners with their emphasis upon the individual religious experience neglect great opportunities in missions when we ignore "people movements" which bring whole tribes, families, or castes to the gospel. He identifies many factors which make a population receptive to the preaching of the Word, and warns that the church often neglects its greatest resource in evangelism-the work of the trained lay leader.

The book is an excellent overview of "church growth" thought and a

497 - Understanding Church Growth (fully revised)

good introduction for the interested pastor. Yet questions of both theological and practical implications are enormous. McGavran is a crusader, so clear in his vision of what is right that he has difficulty allowing others their own vision. Throughout the book action on social justice concerns, emphasis on medical and food relief, and establishment of educational institutions are treated as the villains of mission history. While never actually denying the need for Christian service, he presents mission as either service or evangelism. He cannot seem to reconcile the two.

Growth techniques, if not carefully watched, can lead to a watereddown gospel. Numerical growth is given such importance that many may tend to neglect the "hard" message of the gospel. Though the author wants to make it easy for persons to make a Christian commitment, one hears little of the cross of discipleship.

McGavran emphasizes that Western cultural presuppositions obstruct our "telling the Good News" to Third World peoples, and advises us to be sensitive to their traditions and culture. Yet his own language excludes over 50 per cent of the world's population as he insists upon discipling only "men." His insensitivity to women is only exceeded by his insensitivity to the Roman Catholic Church, which he treats as one of his objects of evangelism.

For pastors, teachers, and mission workers interested in discovering what the "church growth" school has to say, this book is the place to begin. Not only does it outline the definitions and perimeters of his thought, but it provides a good guide for those who want to explore more fully the work of his colleagues. Yet here is missionary zeal, to be read with caution.

Jeffrey I. Myers
Clear Fork Presbyterian Parish
Colcord, West Virginia