References and Bibliography on Church Growth
Church Growth References General Church Growth Books Specialist Church Growth Books Books on Growing Churches Church Growth Papers Congregational Lifecycle Statistical Tables and Data Cell Church Books Organisational Growth   Details of Models Limited Enthusiasm  Births, Deaths & Reversion  Renewal   Details of Results Summary of Results Short Term Revival  Long Term Growth Long Term Decline Growth via Renewal   References & Bibliography  Mathematics of Church Growth Church Growth  Revival  System Dynamics  Sociology of Religion Epidemics  Social Diffusion Publications Articles	The church growth models do not depend on any particular church growth methodology and as such endorse none. The models assume growth through contact between believer and unbeliever. However most methodologies discuss contacts between believer and unbeliever, reversion, child retention etc. even though they do not come to any quantifiable and testable conclusions. Thus they provide useful background information. General Church Growth Books Books to help churches grow, or explain church growth principles Gibbs E. (1985), I Believe in Church Growth, Hodder and Stoughton, London. Readable account of church growth principles. The book that defined church growth for UK churches. Gibbs E. & Coffey I. (2001) Church Next, IVP, Leicester. A reinterpretation of church growth principles for a new generation. Emerging church has picked up on some of these ideas . Greig P. (1998). Awakening Cry, Silver Fish Publishing. Picks up on the idea that Christians can be contagious in the way they spread the faith. Holloway D. (1989), Ready Steady Grow, Kingsway Publications. McGavran D. (2009). Understanding Church Growth, Eerdmans. The definitive book on church growth by the man who originated the genre. Pointer R. (1984). How Do Churches Grow? Marc Europe. Out of print but could still be available from British Church Growth Association Schwartz C.A. (1999), Natural Church Development Handbook, Healthy Church. A consultancy programme to enhance church growth, based on on an extensive data set of churches. Thackery C. (2000). An Epidemic of Life, Word Publications. Portrays Christianity in terms of contagion. Wagner C.P. (1987) Strategies for Church Growth, MARC Europe London. Wagner C.P. Church Growth- State of the Art, elmertowns.com. An online book that gives the insight of many church growth experts including Win Arn, Peter Wagoner, Elmer Towns, John Wimber etc. Specialist Church Growth Books Books that seek to analyse why churches are growing or declining Brierley P. (1991), Christian England - What the English Church Census Reveals, MARC Europe (now Christian Research), London. Brierley P. (2000), The Tide is Running Out - What the English Church Census Reveals, Christian Research, London. Brierley P. (2006), Pulling Out of the Nose Dive - What the 2005 English Church Census Reveals, Christian Research, London. McGavran D. (1963), Do Churches Grow?, World Dominion Press. Reprinted by the British Church Growth Association 1991. Ritcher P. & Francis L.J. (1998), Gone But Not Forgotten: Church Leaving and Returning, Darton, Longman and Todd. Return to Top Books on Growing Churches Gibbs E. (1984), Ten Growing Churches, Marc Europe. Probably out of print but could still be available from British Church Growth Association Jackson W. (1999), The Quest for the Radical Middle: A History of the Vineyard, Vineyard International Publishing. Smith C. & Brook T. Harvest, Word for Today Ca. History of the Growth of Calvary Chapel. Towns E.L. (1990), Ten of Today's Most Innovative Churches, Regal Books. For an update on innovative churches see churchrelevance.com Walker A. (1989), Restoring the Kingdom, Hodder and Stoughton. Documents the early years of the restoration churches in the UK. Return to Top Church Growth Papers Anderson, Duane. Estimates of the future membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. An attempt to fit church data to the logistic model - thus using the concept of carrying capacity and limited growth. Doyle R.T. & Kelly S.M. (1979) Comparison of trends in ten different denominations, pp. 144-159, in Understanding Church Growth and Decline 1950-1978, Ed. Hoge & Roozen, Pilgrim Press. Loomis R.D. Church Growth and the Latter Day Saints . Presented at The Association for the Sociology of Religion August 15-17, 2002 Chicago, IL . Uses statistical modelling to examine the future growth of the Mormon Church. Also see details. Orr J. Edwin (2000) The Outpouring of the Spirit in Revival and Awakening and its Issue in Church Growth. Explores the link between the work of the Holy Spirit and church growth. Republished by British Church Growth Association and available here for download in A4 format. By kind permission of BCGA. Watts Michael (1995) Why did the English Stop Going to Church? A paper presented at the "Friends of the Dr Williams Library", and published by the library. Contends that church decline is linked to the decline in the doctrine of hell and eternal punishment. Also argues that through much of history church attendance was never that high, but that the late 18th and 19th century were unusually high. Return to Top Books and Papers on Congregational Lifecycle The congregational lifecycle is a particular model of how a congregation grows, stagnates and then declines as it spends too much time on maintenance and insufficient time on mission.   Arn, Win (1985), Five Stages in the Life-Cycle of Churches, Pasadena, CA: American Church Growth. Davies, Glenn. Understanding Parish Growth Stages, Diocese of Sydney. A practical application of the congregational lifecycle model by the Bishop of North Sydney to his diocese. McIntosh. G.L.. (2009). Taking Your Church To The Next Level, Baker Books. Describes the natural lifecycle of a congregation. Routhage, Arlin J. , The Life Cycle in Congregations, Congregational Vitality Series 2, New York: Episcopal Church Center. http://www.episcopalchurch.org/growth_23206_ENG_HTM.htm, last accessed 25/11/09 Saarinen Martin F. (2001), The Life Cycle of a Congregation, MD:Alban Institute. Schaller, Lyle E. (1997), Survival Tactics in the Parish, Abingdon Press. Return to Top Statistical Brierley P. (1991), Prospects for the Nineties - Trends and Tables from the English Church Census, MARC Europe, London. Brierley P. (1997), Religious Trends 1998/1999 No.1, Christian Research. Brierley P. (1999), Religious Trends 2000/2001 No.2, Christian Research. Brierley P. (2001), Religious Trends 2002/2003 No.3, Christian Research. Brierley P. (2003), Religious Trends 2003/2004 No.4, Christian Research. Brierley P. (2005), Religious Trends 2005/2006 No.5, Christian Research. Brierley P. (2006), Religious Trends 2006/2007 No.6, Christian Research. Brierley P. (2008), Religious Trends 2007/2008 No.7, Christian Research. Contact Christian Research Return to Top Cell & House Church Books Neighbour R. (1990), Where Do We Go From Here?, Touch Publications. Simson, Wolfgang (1998), Houses That Change The World, OM Publishing. House Church Central - gives a more up-to-date view of the movement. Organisational Growth Churches are human organisations. Insights on the growth of organisations generally can give insight into growth and decline of churches, provided it is remembered that there are other factors unique to churches, including spiritual issues. Ichak, Adizes. (1988), Corporate Lifecycles, Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall. Lifecycles of growth, plateau and decline are common to most organisations, and are not unique to churches. Olson, Mancur (1974), The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups, Harvard University Press. Looks at the whole issue of free-riding, people who consume the resources of the organisation but do not contribute. The effect is more pronounced in larger groups. Makes a clear case for size as a limit to growth. Michels, Robert (1961), (first pub. 1911), Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy, NY, The Free Press. Develops the iron law of oligarchy i.e. the tendency for growing organisations, however democratic, to develop an elite who concentrate power with themselves. Although developed for political parties there are clear implications for churches who develop religious professionals. The presence of such elites can stifle grass-roots participation and acts as an inhibitor to growth. Return to Top