Donald McGavran - Father of the Church Growth Movement and Missionary Extraordinaire
Explore the life of Donald McGavran, the pioneer of the Church Growth Movement, from his early experiences in India as a missionary to his impactful work in growing churches and challenging the status quo. Witness his transformative journey that reshaped modern ministry approaches and inspired generations to come.
Uploaded on | 0 Views
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
You are allowed to download the files provided on this website for personal or commercial use, subject to the condition that they are used lawfully. All files are the property of their respective owners.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Donald McGavran and the Church Growth Movement for Ministry, Church and Society Howard Culbertson Southern Nazarene University 19 March 2025 1
Donald McGavran Father of the Church Growth movement Born in India in 1897 Parents and grandparents were missionaries to India 19 March 2025 2
Captured by U.S. materialism As a student at Butler University . . . My father has done enough for the Lord. It is time for me to strike out for myself and earn some money. 19 March 2025 3
A change of direction While at the university, gave life to Christ Felt call to ministry 19 March 2025 4
Back to India 1923: Returned to India as a missionary with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 19 March 2025 5
Missionary administrator Director of religious education Superintendent of leprosy home and hospital Translated Gospels into Chattisgarhi dialect 19 March 2025 6
It wasnt all office work Fought off a wounded tiger and a wild boar Ended a cholera epidemic Climbed the Himalayas 19 March 2025 7
1932-- became the head of mission Under him: 80 missionaries, 5 hospitals, high schools, primary schools, home for lepers 20-30 small churches growing at 1% per year 19 March 2025 8
McGavrans conclusion Large amounts of money producing small results It offended my Scottish nature. So, what to do now? 19 March 2025 9
Enter: J. Waskom Pickett McGavran said: I lit my candle at his fire. Who was this man? 19 March 2025 10
1936: Pickett was studying the validity of mass movements to Christ McGavran traveled around India with him 19 March 2025 11
1936 McGavran left administrative position; spent next 18 years in church planting (15 churches/ 1000 converts) 19 March 2025 12
1955 wrote book: Bridges of God Importance of family/friendship networks Hint of Homogeneous Unit Principle People like to become Christians without feeling they have to cross racial, linguistic, social or class boundaries. 19 March 2025 13
1961: founded Church Growth Institute in Oregon; 1965 moved to Fuller Seminary Plan: educate furloughed missionaries 1970 Published Understanding Church Growth 19 March 2025 14
McGavran and the scientific method McGavaran used the scientific method in his studies of church growth and decline Gather data Construct hypothesis (potential solution) Test hypothesis Establish principle 19 March 2025 15
McGavrans 3 questions 1. When a church is growing, why is it growing? Look beyond superficial evaluations and get the right answer 19 March 2025 16
McGavrans 3 questions 2. What barriers, obstructions or sicknesses prevent the natural life, vitality and growth of churches? Examples: Ethnikitis, holy huddle, ghost town problems, people blindness, First Church syndrome, out of space issues, pew paralysis 19 March 2025 17
McGavrans 3 questions 3. What reproducible principles operative in growing churches can be used elsewhere? Examples: identify receptive people, reach out through social networks, multiply recruiting units, minister to people s needs, strategic planning 19 March 2025 18
McGavrans 3 questions When a church is growing, why is it growing? What barriers, obstructions or sicknesses prevent the natural life, vitality and growth of churches? What reproducible principles operative in growing churches can be used elsewhere? 19 March 2025 19
God wants His lost sheep found How can we do the most effective job in serving Him to accomplish that task? 19 March 2025 20
The Modern Church Growth Movement MCS edition 19 March 2025 21
This PowerPoint presentation is available along with related materials and other PowerPoint presentations at http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/ppt.htm 19 March 2025 22
