Every semester
This subject covers the principles and practice of church dynamics and growth, and includes a fieldwork component. Students will develop a critical understanding of the theology, principles and procedures of church growth and their significance for contemporary ministry theory and practice; learn the processes of evaluation, strategy development and effective methodologies in a congregational situation; and learn to identify the critical issues of contemporary church growth theories from biblical principles and evangelical perspective.
Directed reading and essay learning tasks
H. Conn, Theological Perspectives on Church Growth (Phillipsburg: P&R, 1977).
D. A. McGavran, Understanding Church Growth (revised ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980).
W. Shenk, Exploring Church Growth (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983).
C. Schwarz, Natural Church Development (St Charles: Church Smart Resources, 1996).
Training for the Kingdom of Heaven