Its an exciting ride, from the coming of the holy spirit at pentecost, to shipwrecks and imprisonments, to life changing sermons delivered by exfishermen. Church growth literature indicates that the homogeneous unit principle remains one of the most controversial elements of the church growth movement, but it is generally recognized that this principle is still one of the most useful and valuable contributions of church growth to world evangelism. Church growth advocates contend that the scriptures themselves teach the necessity of wise planning. Commission there will be a tremendous increase in church growth.
Hence such words as pastor, evangelist, minister, overseer, father of the flock a term. Often new methods are needed for evangelism, training, and church planting. Northern caribbean university school of religion and theology the relevance of the biblical book of acts to the contemporary church. Read the 6 top factors in growing churches by the good book blog on christian blogs. Acts bible study the book of acts bible study lifeway. This study investigates the book of acts and covers topics such as preparing your life for evangelism, presenting the gospel, persuading and leading people to faith, and strategies for outreach. The book of acts records the amazing growth in spite of huge obstacles after the disciples were filled. Sadly this has declined, with such events being slowly excluded on the church events calendar. Lessons on evangelism when someone is dying or leaving us, his last words are very important. In this passage, luke is restating the great commission challenge jesus gave in luke 24. Finally, in acts 1819 we will learn about different strategies and means for sharing our faith with others. Evangelism is certainly taking place, but most of this seems to occur through. The book of proverbs describes a wise man as one who looks ahead 14.
The workbook contains 29 lessons, with questions and leaders notes, plus interactive projects for each lesson. The biblical approach to church growth through personal. The you are there narration provides deep insight and understanding of the times in which the acts of the apostles and the general epistles were written. Church growth, persecution, evangelism, growing churches. Jesus said, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Because of the importance of outreach in the church, god has given two ways to evangelize a lost world. The 6 top factors in growing churches the good book blog. An in depth study of the factors that promote or hinder church growth, followed by a strong emphasis on developing specific growth strategies for the local church. This 12week practical study series from crossway orients the student to the near and far context, key questions, gospel glimpses, wholebible connections, and theological and practical implications for every section of the book of acts.
Its an exciting ride, from the coming of the holy spirit at pentecost, to shipwrecks and imprisonments, to life. Jul 10, 2014 although it is rarely taught, preached, or studied, the song of solomon is gods gift to the church. The evangelist can either be a preacher who stands before a crowd imploring people to be saved, or perhaps an individual sitting across from someone on a plane or in a living room. When consulting with churches about developing outreach, church growth and evangelism plans, my goal is to get everyone thinking about winning souls and making disciples. After the ascension of jesus peter was the main leader of the church in jerusalem acts 1. Whenever i read through the book of acts im struck with the number of times luke comments on the growth of the church. This was the start, and the rest of the book of acts tells the story of an exciting, expanding fellowship of men and women who witnessed to jesus christ with power and abandon. Church growth will come when effort is made to reach the unreached. Crusades and personal witnessing are no longer the cutting edge of evangelism. Evangelism in the book of acts new testament church growth is fascinating and all too foreign to our modern church experience. Exploring a missional practice of the church chilcote, paul w. When he makes a decision, he does so on the basis of facts 18. Each study is designed to first teach the leaders the passage and then provide them with questions they can use to lead their group through a process of selfdiscovered learning. The acts of the apostles is the historical account of the initiation of this process.
The book of acts chronicles the birth and growth of the early church. As with his previous books, elmer towns wrote praying the book of acts in poetic style, combining modernday language with a lyrical twist. Abstract tiie biblical approach to church growth through personal evangelism hokyung kim liberty baptist theological seminary, 2000 mentor. The book of acts is an eyewitness account of the birth and growth of the church. Evangelizing will bring persecution, but persecution, as you will read, will also bring about church growth. They had been following jesus and were witnesses of the many miracles he had performed. The concepts of church growth needs to be regularly taught, led in practice daily and actively promoted in the lords body. It would appear that evangelism in acts has been viewed as one of several facets to be studied.
The community is the campus ministrys core bible study content. The language of growth in acts can be grouped into two broad categories. By juxtaposing evangelism and church growth in that era of the church to evangelism and church growth in the contemporary church. For example, the changing times we live in often create a variance between the church and younger generations. When you read through the book of acts, you see numerical growth. Many of the churches are lacking in these qualities. This is an amazing number of books given the fact that the north american church growth movement is only fortyone years old. A church will either evangelize or it will fossilize. When we study the way jesus preached the gospel, we see that he. The book of acts is gods divine book on the subject of church history. The best articles from christianity today on church growth. In addition, there are topical studies on issues such as spiritual leadership, gods redemptive plan, and old testament character studies. When the churchs growth was initiated by pentecost, he stepped forward as interpreter of the event and the preacher of the gospel to the crowd. The book of acts details the spread of the gospel and the growth of the church from jerusalem to rome.
Then i sought earnestly for the gift of tongues, and by this gift and by study, in a hundred days. The leaders guide includes all that is printed in the workbook and also the leaders background notes on the biblical texts and suggested answers to all the biblical study questions. A recent check on discovered that over 25,000 books are listed under the category of church growth. Larry gilbert the greek word euangelistes means to proclaim glad tidings, a messenger of good. Evangelism in the book of acts walnut street church of.
Content includes book studies on luke, ephesians, thessalonians, james, 1 samuel, john, and acts. Acts begins with jesus teaching the apostles about the kingdom of god outside jerusalem, and ends, about thirty years later, with paul teaching gentile christians about the kingdom of god in rome. Let people discuss this and grapple with something so. Polhill is the james buchanan harrison professor of new testament interpretation at the southern baptist theological seminary. What other biblical church growth principles should we add to this list. It opens with a greeting to theophilus, who was also the intended recipient of lukes gospel. In our church, whenever we had an evangelistic event, we used to invite our friends and. In this article i have organized every evangelistic teaching or encounter in acts into the following types of evangelism. As we look at acts 17 we will learn how to answer objections and how to make a case for the truth of christianity. Charles stone is the senior pastor of west park church in london, ontario, canada, the founder of stonewell ministries and the author of several books, including most recently brainsavvy leaders.
The importance of the book of acts is seen in the words of acts 1. Evangelism the teaching and promotion of the good news of jesus christ for the purpose of conversion. Ludlow whereas the gospel of luke focuses on the life and ministry of jesus christ, the acts of the apostles builds upon what jesus did and taught see acts 1. The book of acts tells the story of the beginning of the church of jesus christ. Evangelism in the book of acts the church of christ in the book of acts was an evangelist church. Evangelism and church growth are inexorably linked by a directly proportional relationship in the book of acts, so that, as evangelism was practiced, the church grew. Principles of church growth second edition paul young publications of paul young. The course provides ministers with the basic principles and tools promoted by church growth theorists. Dec 11, 2009 pauls church planting principles using the book of acts introduction the working of the holy spirit and the expansion of gods kingdom from jerusalem, judea, and samaria and to the ends of earth called for a radical transformation not just in apostle pauls life but to the direction of mission as a whole. Frank schmitt the greatest commandment of the lord is preaching the gospel all over the world. Passalong small group studies small groups social justice. An indepth study of the factors that promote or hinder church growth, followed by a strong emphasis on developing specific growth strategies for the local church. Over 110 bible studies, written to ensure that everyone involved in our ministry is grounded in our classic, biblical teaching and training.
Church growth in the book of acts a church of christ can and will grow spiritually and numerically when it is faithful to the word of god. Rainer green valley baptist church birmingham, al 35226 wth the exception of m. More preaching, miracles, and the growth of the early church aroused the jealousy of the jewish leaders. Jesus had shown himself alive by many proofs for 40 days. The beginning of the church and its growth t he book of acts records the growth and progress of the church in the first century. Lifeway provides a variety of acts bible studies for your next personal or small group study.
Jesus left his disciples with these last words, telling. Both were written by luke, a physician who traveled with the apostle paul. How did the church grow so quickly and effectively in the book of acts. Besides, we know that all who desire to live a godly life in christ jesus will be persecuted 2 tim 3.
Pdf evangelism and church growth in the book of acts. Church growth and evangelism in the book of acts doc. Davidistre abstract% thistrainingcoursestudiesthebook ofacts toprovideinsightintotheway. But reading the book of acts, one finds that paul used many methods to share the gospel with people.
He has written numerous articles and a widely acclaimed commentary on acts in the new american commentary. If we are ever to understand new testament christianity we must have knowledge of the beginning and growth of the church. And today the life blood of the church is evangelism. New testament church growth is fascinating and all too foreign to our modern church experience. The growth of the church in the book of acts ryan wentzel. Studies in the book of acts previous page next page. June 27, 2014 james is an intensely practical book, filled with exhortations to christians about the way they should live their lives now that they have been given new life in jesus. A history of the early church gene taylor2an outline of the book i. Is it merely that we live in a generation of hard hearted and stiffnecked people, or are there strategies or methods that we are.
Putting the evangelism of acts into practice derek prime on. Church growth should be the same as kingdom growth. Thou shalt not steal and other sermon points i didnt make up. There is a direct correlation between evangelism and church growth. Verse 42 lists four of the activities to which the church devoted itself. As we study acts 812 we will learn how people come to christ and are changed through conversion. I read a pile of books and attended most of the big churchgrowth conferences. To prove this point, let us take a quick look at church growth in the book of acts, with a special view to the church in jerusalem. Evangelism in the book of acts walnut street church of christ. Motivation and facts soul saving tools new convert content. This article presents the concept of church growth alongside evangelism mainly in the book of acts. Acts 11 model for church growth bible study resource centre. Church growth and evangelism in the book of acts monergism.
The book of acts is a record of the growth of the early church, started by jesuss disciples and then expanded by the apostle paul. Greens evangelism in the early church,l the subjects of evangelism and church growth in the book of acts have been unaccountably neglected in recent years. May 19, 2016 church growth in any type of church probably has at least one gifted evangelist involved at the center of outreach, regardless of the church s age or size. In other words, evangelism and church growth are only two out. When considering how to reach a target area, church planters should know the social, cultural, and religious distinctives of the area. Acts refers to the numerical growth of the young movement in the face of external and internal problems. Principles of evangelism from the book of acts truthonlybible. May 23, 2018 the book of acts is a record of the growth of the early church, started by jesuss disciples and then expanded by the apostle paul. Up to this point the apostles had been through a lot already. Christians have often assumed that evangelism means verbally sharing the entire saving gospel message with a person.
Soon the followers of christ reached five thousand 4. Church growth emphasizes the importance of wise planning. At this point in the early church, as described in acts and 14, we see three. Workshop for evangelism study guide page 2 of 17 introduction there was a time when most churches would have an evangelistic campaign or mission outreach with an evangelist on a regular basis. And he will grow his church as we apply the biblical churchgrowth principles we see in the book of acts. Workshop for evangelismstudy guide page 2 of 17 introduction there was a time when most churches would have an evangelistic campaign or mission outreach with an evangelist on a regular basis.