Within the modus operandi or Acts of the apostoloi there are theoretical and practical exemplars which the contemporary church may pattern to navigate a pathway 1 to fruitful evangelism and sustainable growth. Book of Acts . Begin a prayer ministry which demonstrates commitments of time, money, and people resources to the priority of prayer. Strong leadership never means a strong willed personality, but a servant’s heart after God’s heart, which is contagious to others. 2. Lead the church to a commitment to give … Colonialistic and paternalistic attitudes are contrary to the spirit of Acts. Basing church growth numerically is prone to judging churches’ growth superficially. 17 0 obj [ 15 0 R] God looks for faith, devotion, love, and obedience, which are all missing from this church growth model! That is God’s winner! 1. They had been. There is no way it can be reduced to a simple formula or a canned program.”4 Given the complexity of Church endobj In this article I will share the first principles which I have found. endobj %PDF-1.5 endobj <> The early believers were constantly praying, both individually and corporately (Acts 2:42, 12:5,12, 16:16,25). endobj Paul repeatedly faced resistance to his work, while at the same time many responded positively to the gospel. This growth, from the center out, is what was supposed to happen back in the Garden of Eden. Throughout history, when the gospel changed lives, resistance was sure to follow. Knowledge alone was not sufficient for the mission. )�'P�����I �-���ۚ��@�-�l��;�(C�'��]U��@ru��k����,����� ^�Ƶ[G���H���c�ayi��w��i�eB� ����� While I was teaching the session Revelation that took place in Ukraine, one of the pastors asked me which are the principles of organization of the local church from the New Testament. We have developed a powerful web-driven assessment tool based on the above research-based characteristics of a healthy church. Whenever I read through the book of Acts I'm struck with the number of times Luke comments on the growth of the church. Prayer led to greater breakthroughs. Eight overarching principles in the book of Acts form the foundation for a church that honors Christ and takes ground to make disciples in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the world. Hello, Sign in. 樖0�D�=�`Ap\GC�� ����νE��W���@�����B�Zv{�ؠ�%������3���\ҙ. <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 420.96 595.32] /Contents 19 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 2>> It is upon that arena of evangelism and church growth that Luke would have us focus. The early church experienced dramatic <> 3 0 obj 14 0 obj endstream Jared W. Ludlow, “The Book of Acts: A Pattern for Modern Church Growth,” in Shedding Light on the New Testament: Acts–Revelation, ed. <> Acts is not just the acts of the apostles but the empowering continuing work of Jesus. 15 0 obj endobj x���Mk�@�@�aNA:d�3� ! 9 0 obj Up to this point the apostles had been through a lot already. Church growth and development is a field of study that has produced many theories, books and seminars. endobj M��#+�\? Read the book of Proverbs! : Principles of Church Growth from the Book of Acts . In church growth, we should not copy the methods, but the spirit and the principles. The book of Acts provides a detailed, orderly, eyewitness account of the birth and growth of the early church and the spread of the gospel immediately after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Perhaps the points below could be a starting point for discussion. <> Its narrative supplies a bridge connecting the life and ministry of Jesus to the life of the church and the witness of the earliest believers. Church Growth in the Book of Acts. Evangelism and the resulting church growth, in that sense, would be a subactivity of the total mission of the early church. And development is a field of study that has produced many theories, books and seminars principle of proclamation... Details the rapid growth of the total mission of the early church experienced dramatic church growth is understood be. That it is faithful to the spirit of Acts this growth, in control of the early church her... And church growth model about growth the points below could be a subactivity of the total mission of the.. The church planter must truly desire growth for the church in the it..., 4:8,31, 8:26-40, 13:2-4, 18:9-11 ) thesis of this post we! 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