Journal: Reformation and Revival
Volume: RAR 08:3 (Summer 1999)
Article: My Journey Through The Church Growth Movement
Author: Phil A. Newton

RAR 8:3 (Summer 1999) p. 111

My Journey Through The Church Growth Movement

Phil A. Newton

A lady from our congregation recently traveled out of state for a wedding. During her involvement in the wedding festivities, she was seated at a table with a pastor who was in between churches. An interesting dialogue began to ensue.

This “in-between” pastor was a member of a noted Southern Baptist church whose pastor is considered to be one of the Convention’s finest preachers. His conversation went something like this: “We have the most wonderful pastor! He really preaches the Word. He preaches against sin and even calls sin ‘sin’. We have a fast-growing church, with over 10,000 members.”

“That’s interesting,” my friend replied, then asked, “Does he preach on doctrine?”

The pastor looked a bit puzzled at her inquiry and quickly stated, “Oh no! He would never preach against other churches.”

“Oh, that’s not what I mean!” this inquisitive lady responded. “By doctrine I am referring to regeneration, justification, redemption, sanctification and so forth. Does he preach on these subjects?”

With a stunned look, this preacher said of his well-known pastor, “No, he doesn’t preach on those kinds of things.”

If growth strategists could take a tour around my denomination and point out the finest, growing churches,

RAR 8:3 (Summer 1999) p. 112

this one would be among the top of their list. Their pastor has preached at numerous denominational conferences, conventions, and rallies. His picture and name frequently appear in denominational publications, yet the sad assessment is that “No, he doesn’t preach on those kinds of things.”

How can we reconcile a growing church with doctrine-less preaching and still call it a New Testament church? This is precisely where I found myself several years ago.

While in my third pastorate, I grew despondent over the lack of sizable growth in my congregations. I had attended conferences and seminars that promoted growth, growth, growth as being the end-all for pastors. I had listened to the well-respected men in my denomination and often wished that my church could have the kind of growth they had experienced. Finally, my despondency led to action! After making radical changes in my own church organization, I started seeing our numbers rise. I was gratified and motivated to go after more growth. I’m not much for doing things half-way, so I thought that the best move I could make would be to study church growth at the “fountainhead,” Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.

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