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Tradition, finances, programs, personalities, events, seekers and even buildings can each be the controlling force in a church. But he believes that in order for a church to be healthy it must be built around the five New Testament purposes given to the church by Jesus. "The issue is church health, not church growth!" declares Warren.
The Church Growth movement began with the publication of Donald McGavran's book The Bridges of God.McGavran was a third-generation Christian missionary to India, where his observations of how churches grow went beyond typical theological discussion to discern sociological factors that affected receptivity to the Christian Gospel among non-Christian peoples.
These controls can vary from church to church but all serve the same purpose of keeping group solidarity. As commonly seen strict churches employ various means of keeping their ties in their church strong while limiting excessive access to other groups such as dress code, eating habits, and rituals that prevent mixing with other groups.
NCLS research describe themselves as "an immense cooperative research venture designed to resource congregations for mission" [4] that explores "aspects of both church and community life" The purpose of the National Church Life Survey project is to: [5] Analyse trends into church life comparing with previous surveys
Church planting is a term referring to the process (mostly in Protestant frameworks) that results in a new local Christian congregation being established. It should be distinguished from church development, where a new service, worship center or fresh expression is created that is integrated into an already established congregation.
In a metaphorical sense, just as a body is made up of many cells that give it life, the cell church is made of cell groups that give it life. These groups are known by a variety of other names, including life groups, small groups , [ 3 ] home groups , classes or class meetings (used historically in Methodism ) [ 4 ] and fellowship groups .
The birth rate in America has long been on a decline, with the fertility rate reaching historic lows in 2023. More women between ages 25 to 44 aren’t having children, for a number of reasons.
Within the Catholic Church, the charismatic movement has had much less influence, although modern Christian hymnody is found in some parishes, owing a large part to a movement known as the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. [5] [6] [7] Worship practices in the Eastern Churches have largely remained traditional.