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Hypotheses
- The
faith is largely spread through enthusiasts, or "active"
believers. These are active in recruitment distinguishing them
from "inactive" believers who play little role in recruitment.
- Most
conversion growth comes from contact between an enthusiast and
an unbeliever. The numbers converted being proportional to the
numbers of both.
- The
enthusiastic phase of a believer only lasts a certain length
of time, after which they become inactive
Results
- There
is a threshold over which large scale "revival-type"
growth occurs. This depends on the number of unbelievers.
- The
number of enthusiasts does not affect whether such substantial
growth occurs. If there are smaller number enthusiasts the same
growth occurs over as longer period..
- The
threshold depends on the number of people converted per enthusiast. Thus
it is the "amount of enthusiasm" that governs the growth.
- Growth
will end because the church runs out of enthusiasts, not
because the number of unbelievers runs out. As people are converted
enthusiasts are less likely to meet unconverted people, leading
to a failure to make sufficient enthusiasts.
- It
is more beneficial for growth to increase the effectiveness
of enthusiasts than to increase their numbers. A small number
of effective evangelisers are better than a large number of less
effective ones.
- When
the population of a church is small compared to the surrounding
unbelieving society it can be a long time before a revival among
believers can see significant growth in the church.
- In
summary it is the spiritual vitality of the enthusiasts that
drives the growth of the church. More life gives more growth,
provided that life is directed into contact with unbelievers.
Read
Acts 2:42-47 & 4:12-16 for a Biblical understanding of this
principle.
- Go
to Summary of Results for more.
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