Church Growth explores how congregations can grow in healthy, gospel-centered ways—both spiritually and numerically. Find practical, Bible-based articles on outreach, evangelism, discipleship pathways, assimilation, small groups, leadership development, and building a strong church culture. You’ll also discover guidance on strengthening ministries, improving communication, engaging your community, and measuring progress with wisdom and humility. Whether you’re leading a church, serving on a ministry team, or helping a congregation move forward, these resources aim to support sustainable growth that honors Christ and forms disciples.
September 15, 2010
Staff We will devote another issue to Medium-Sized Churches in 2011, and we want to include you in that report! It”s easy for you to be added. Just send an e-mail to ch***************@*********ub.com. Put “Medium-Sized Church” in the subject line. We”ll send you the link for the simple survey you can use to submit next year”s data.
September 15, 2010
Kent E. Fillinger Some readers may wonder why there is an entire issue devoted to medium-sized churches with an average worship attendance of 250-499. This special issue featuring medium-sized churches reports on far fewer congregations than we had anticipated. There are obviously more than 32 Christian churches/churches of Christ that fit into the medium-sized church category. We hope to include many more of them in next year”s report! Despite its small sample size, this report still provides a one-of-a-kind, detailed snapshot of medium-sized churches that will serve as a sound starting point to develop in the future. If you are
September 15, 2010
This listing of 32 churches that averaged 250-499 for worship in 2009 includes church name, city, senior minister, Web site, and average attendance. (This is not a complete listing of such churches; it is a listing of Medium-Sized Churches that participated in our survey.) Click here to look at the chart of 2009_MEDIUM-SIZED CHURCHES.
September 12, 2010
By Rick Grover People ask me the same questions they probably ask you: “Is your church seeker-driven, purpose-driven, missional, attractional, emergent, or traditional?” I always find it difficult to answer these questions without getting into lengthy discussions about the meaning of words and terms. And I also dislike the notion of being pigeonholed. Who doesn”t? When I think of labels for churches, I”ve coined one that I especially hope will never be used to describe ours: “Tourist Church.” Are you familiar with this name? You should be, because it is quickly becoming an unfortunate description of the American church. While
September 11, 2010
A Church Planting Hick from French Lick By Kent E. Fillinger Jasper, Indiana, is not likely on your bucket list of places to visit. If you are like me, you need the help of MapQuest to even find it. And Jasper also isn”t the type of town a typical church planter or church planting organization would pinpoint for a new church. But Darrel Land is not your typical church planter. At age 26, he was confident God was calling him to plant a church in this small, rural community of 14,000 people in southern Indiana. Land grew up about 30 minutes
September 10, 2010
Hope on the Road Less Traveled By Kent E. Fillinger “Need hope? Find it here.” That is the message on the LED sign at Twin Oaks Christian Church, Woodhaven, Michigan. The message of hope is needed in this southern suburb of Detroit, given the area”s depressed economic condition. Hundreds of new people have found hope at Twin Oaks since it relocated in 2007. The church”s average attendance has grown from 282 to 738 in three years””an increase of 162 percent. Twin Oaks is the fastest-growing large-sized church during this time frame from among the 75 churches profiled. And most of this growth is
September 9, 2010
By Kent E. Fillinger Shining a spotlight on challenges and successes at three churches . . . More to Discovery Did you grow up going to church? I did. Therefore, I don”t know what it feels like to walk into church for the first time as an adult with no church background. Toney Salva, senior minister at Discovery Christian Church, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, on the other hand has used his personal experience of not growing up in a church to design a church that targets people who do not like church, or who have no church background. Through some internal
September 8, 2010
By Kent E. Fillinger What”s in a name? Abram became Abraham and Sarai become Sarah in the Old Testament, and Simon became Peter and Saul became Paul in the New Testament. Name changes were common in the Bible when God altered the purpose or role of an individual. Christian Standard has reported the average weekly attendance and the total number of baptisms annually for churches that average 1,000 or more in weekly attendance since 1997. Several years ago, the size designation of a megachurch shifted from 1,000 to 2,000 in attendance. Therefore, the term emerging megachurch was developed for churches
September 8, 2010
This listing of 75 churches that averaged 500-999 for worship in 2009 includes church name, city, senior minister, Web site, average attendance, and number of baptisms. (This is not a complete listing of such churches; it is a listing of Large-Sized Churches that participated in our survey.) Click here to look at the chart of 2009 LARGE-SIZED CHURCHES.
August 18, 2010
By Wynne Gillis It was a new church in a midsized Montana city””a seeker”s church””dedicated to taking the gospel to outsiders who have never heard it or who are not even sure they want to hear it. Like many such churches, it was meeting in temporary quarters””a school auditorium or a vacant storefront. But as it grew and strained the capacity of its meeting place, the church dreamed of a building all its own. A good deal of money had been carefully saved and dedicated toward that end. Then the community around the church got into a big fight. Most
April 11, 2010
CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s 2009 megachurch chart lists 114 megachurches and emerging megachurches, including churches with weekly attendance of 1,000 or more.
April 11, 2010
Real Life Ministries’ growth reflects a focus on relational discipleship, community outreach, leadership development, and partner churches rather than a personality-driven or performance-centered model.
April 11, 2010
Compass Christian Church grew through a clear mission, four core values, and a multisite ministry model that opened new doors for outreach, leadership development, and community service.
April 11, 2010
Kent Fillinger reviews a decade of megachurch growth, baptisms, leadership longevity, and sustainability challenges among Christian churches and churches of Christ from 2000 to 2009.
April 11, 2010
Kent Fillinger shares 2009 megachurch growth statistics, including weekend attendance, baptisms, fast-growing congregations, and total income across 114 megachurches and emerging megachurches.
April 11, 2010
Kent Fillinger highlights 2009 megachurch and emerging megachurch attendance averages, fastest-growing churches, new churches crossing key attendance thresholds, and state-by-state reporting trends.
April 11, 2010
Kent Fillinger reviews 2009 megachurch and emerging megachurch data, highlighting attendance growth, senior minister trends, worship venues, multisite ministry, finances, and staffing pressures.
April 11, 2010
Gene Appel’s early leadership at Eastside Christian Church helped spark renewed vision, compassion outreach, baptisms, and 39 percent worship attendance growth in 2009.
April 7, 2010
Mark A. Taylor reflects on megachurch growth statistics and encourages smaller churches to see opportunity, not inferiority, in their own growth and baptism potential.
March 7, 2010
By Stephen Bond “I will build my church . . .” (Jesus Christ in Matthew 16:18) God intends church growth. We know this because there are still people who have not yet embraced God”s grace through faith in Christ. Those people face the specter of eternal separation from the Heavenly Father. Jesus came to seek and to save these lost people. This is not the only message Jesus brings, but it is one of the most important. At the age of 21, I opened the Bible for the first time and discovered a world of truth I had never known.
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