Pioneer Christian Monthly - September, 1976

Church Growth: An Imperative In Edmonton
Art Zeilstra

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always to the close of the age." Matt. 28 : 18-20.

These are very familiar verses to all Christians. In the Seventies there is a renewed emphasis that church is not a "holy hut" but that the purpose is to glorify God by bringing the gospel of freedom to everyone.

Rev. Chester Droog, field secretary for the Synod of West, was in our congregation June 12, 13, 1976 with a Church Growth Workshop. The Synod plans to start fifty new churches in the next twenty-five years. Scripture states emphatically that we are to grow in quantity as well as quality.

The Weekend of films, lectures, discussions, and feedback may be organized under contact, conversion, and discipline.

A. CONTACT

The basic principle of Church Growth is that the Consistory with the congregation want to grow. As an observer of a number of congregations, I feel that most churches don't grow because they don't really want to grow. Numerous churches have the philosophy "Come Unto Me" the door of the church is always open, instead of "Go Get Them' or "How are we going to reach individuals with the gospel?"

We feel in Edmonton that we can have an effective ministry to the entire city of 500,000. From there we have already formulated a method of approach. We are finding the most receptive individual, determine needs, and beginning to meet these needs.

The best method of contact is the person to person approach where members of the congregation are sharing their faith in their everyday life. From there there are a number of avenues: a church program structured for growth, publicity, Bible Studies, busing, strong preaching, special emphasis Sundays, telephone evangelism, day care centers and numerous others.

An interesting idea that came out of the workshop was that every program needs to be evaluated from the angle of how many people became members in the church because of say Sunday School, Worship hour, Bible Studies, Youth program or others.

Another honest evaluation that needs to be done is that although we are making contact with individuals, the community may see our church and the program, especially in the light of increased inflation, as the most inexpensive babysitting service in town.

B. CONVERSION

A key area to Church Growth is looking over the entire church program and asking "If I was a non-Christian and desire to know Christ where would I be confronted with Jesus Christ and have an opportunity to accept Him as Saviour?" To me often it is assumed that somehow or somewhere in someway a person will have that opportunity. The Southern Baptist Churches have an invitation after every service, which we may feel is extreme, but in numerous RCA churches if the question regarding personal salvation could be raised it would probably meet with an "I don't know".

In a number of churches there is training of the laiety in the "Kennedy" method of evangelism. Two questions are asked which are followed by a gospel presentation and a person can accept Jesus Christ as his Saviour usually right in his home.

Another popular method "The Four Spiritual Laws", by Campus Crusade is used extensively whereby you share with an individual a booklet which presents the gospel in a clear way. Again, the person has an opportunity to accept Jesus Christ.

Conversion needs to take place if a congregation is to experience Church Growth.

With conversion there is an initial understanding that there needs to be a Biblical understanding of man. He is lost without the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and we need to bring the gospel of freedom to him.

C. DISCIPLING

'A growing church is effectively discipline individuals in the church. Christianity has lost its "Churchianity" and young people and adults desire to grow in the faith. In the Edmonton congregation I find that young people and adults "demand" that they be taught Biblical truths as well as trained in how to share their faith.

Continually basic courses on Sunday and throughout the week for both young people and adults should touch on basic areas such as salvation, opportunities as a church member, the Christian Life, the Sacraments, sharing one's faith, distinctives of the Reformed faith, the Heidelberg catechism and other areas.

The outstanding part of our congregation is that no one "graduates" from Christian training. Our Sunday School has always at least three or four classes for adults and this coming fall there will be sixty adults beginning to take the mid-week Bethel Bible Series.

Discipling also means continually providing training for members of the consistory youth sponsors, women organizations, teachers and large numbers of people on how to share their faith. Discipling is a movement of the Church body and the days of letting "Clerical George do it" has passed. Everyone wants to be part of a growing church. Each congregation needs to have a number of "soul"' winners who are leading persons to Jesus Christ.

To keep a balance, continued evaluation needs to be made as to the number of hours spent by the membership versus the number of hours that are spent in outreach. Typical church members spend nine out of every ten hours involved in maintaining the church program.

As congregations of the RCA, but even bigger, as churches of Jesus Christ, we have unlimited opportunities, unlimited resources, unlimited challenges. This is the Church of 'Jesus Christ' finest hour - let us use it to glorify God and spread the "good news".

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