Church Growth (Research Paper Sample)

Church Growth
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Institution:
Executive Summary
This paper evaluates the effective and ineffective factor of church programs that determine it growth. The study was conducted in True Faith Alliance Church and other big churches in the locality. The research was sponsored by the true faith alliance church. The researcher started by defining the statement of evaluation purpose and then formulating the research hypothesis. Formulation of research hypothesis was facilitated by carrying a literature review of previous studies and analysis. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in the collection and analysis of data. Collection of data was done using observation, interviews and survey in the churches. The researcher also used nominal and ordinal data to facilitate the research. Factors that led to the growth of True Faith Alliance Church were also put in consideration. The final part of the paper gives the conclusion and the recommendation of the research study.
Table of Contents
 TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc371761214"
Executive Summary  PAGEREF _Toc371761214 \h
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Statement of Evaluation Purpose  PAGEREF _Toc371761215 \h
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Purpose of the study  PAGEREF _Toc371761216 \h
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Research Questions  PAGEREF _Toc371761217 \h
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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW  PAGEREF _Toc371761218 \h
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Background Information  PAGEREF _Toc371761219 \h
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Theological Concept of Church Growth  PAGEREF _Toc371761220 \h
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The Management Concept of Church Growth  PAGEREF _Toc371761221 \h
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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY  PAGEREF _Toc371761222 \h
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Research Method  PAGEREF _Toc371761223 \h
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Research Design  PAGEREF _Toc371761224 \h
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Target Population  PAGEREF _Toc371761225 \h
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Sample and Sampling Techniques  PAGEREF _Toc371761226 \h
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Data Collection and Instrumentation  PAGEREF _Toc371761227 \h
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Data Analysis  PAGEREF _Toc371761228 \h
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Assumptions and Limitation in the Study  PAGEREF _Toc371761229 \h
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CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION  PAGEREF _Toc371761230 \h
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Response Rate  PAGEREF _Toc371761231 \h
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Demographic Information  PAGEREF _Toc371761232 \h
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Church Programs at True Faith Alliance Church  PAGEREF _Toc371761233 \h
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Leadership in Church  PAGEREF _Toc371761234 \h
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Challenges Facing the Church  PAGEREF _Toc371761235 \h
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CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION  PAGEREF _Toc371761236 \h
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Conclusion  PAGEREF _Toc371761237 \h
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Recommendations  PAGEREF _Toc371761238 \h
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References  PAGEREF _Toc371761239 \h
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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Churches have dominated many parts of the world for many years. Since the establishment of churches, there has been a significant increase in the number of members worldwide. A number of church dominations have been established and gained popularity among the locals in many countries. The primary mission of the church is to spread the gospel and ensure moral teaching among the members of the society. It is assumed that God wanted the church to grow. Therefore, it is the objective of every Christian leader and missionary to advocate for the growth of the church all over the world (Brown, 2010).
A number of theological researches have been conducted on church growth, to ascertain the driver behind church growth. Most of these studies have depicted that two aspects drive church growth. There is a biblical concept that the church should continue growing by attracting new members to the church, through the spread of the gospel. According to the biblical concept, church growth means in-depth growth of personal holiness and transformation, increase in the number of discipleship, and transformation of the society to follow biblical teachings. The other concept is based on the management and leadership in churches. According to this concept, church growth means increasing the number of membership and opening of many church branches in different regions by reaching as many people as possible. Research has shown that good leadership in church encourages their growth whereas poor leadership kills the church (McGavran & Hunter, 1980).
According to Dreyer (2012), churches have a primary objective of serving the community. Specifically, the church has the following mission: to proclaim the good news of the kingdom, to teach and nurture new believers, to respond to human needs through loving service, to transform and adjust the society, and safeguard the integrity of God’s creation. This paper will evaluate the effective and ineffective church program that contributes to its growth. The study was conducted in True Faith Alliance Church and other big churches within the reach of the church committee. The research is sponsored by True Faith Alliance Church hence all factors that led to their growth were put into consideration. (Brown, 2010).
Statement of Evaluation Purpose
The True Faith Alliance Church sponsored this study on church growth after experiencing a stagnant growth for the past decades. Despite the growing popularity and acceptance of the church by many Christians, the growth of the church has not been as significant as expected over the last few decades. The slow growth of the church has triggered True Faith Alliance Church committee to sponsor a research study to evaluate factors, which determine church growth. Numerous theological researchers on church growth have conducted many studies to evaluate church growth, but very few of them have established the effective and ineffective factors of church programs that contribute to its growth. Many books, publications seminars, and conferences on church growth, renewal, and vitality have not given the expected result simply on church growth. Many factors have triggered the study of church growth from the past. Some of these factors include an increasing number of stagnant churches, crises, and breakaway in churches. Others include numerous fatigued and admonished church leaders, numerous church oriented without corresponding Christianity among others (Brown, 2010).
Church growth is becoming one of the significant studies nowadays. Many Christian leaders committed to fulfillment of the Great Commission and spread of the gospel has shown tremendous interest in the growth of their Churches. For the last few decades, many previous non-Pentecostal and spiritual churches have been converting to full gospel and Pentecostal churches. However, many pastors, church leaders, and ministers who have shown keen interest in growth of the churches are yet to see the desired growth of their respective churches. These church leaders are confused and at a dilemma on how to encourage growth of their respective churches (Brown, 2010).
Some previous studies show that church growth has been slow or stagnant due to a number of factors. These include negative passion of church leaders, conflict of interest among the Christian leaders, patriarchs and matriarchs ruling, resistance to change, oppression of church workers, lack of a clear vision by the church, and ignorance on the management of the church (Brown, 2010). Some researchers have also indicated that demonic activities are also affecting church growth in one way or the other. The primary concern, which has lead to this study, is that about 80% of the churches worldwide are experiencing a decline in vitality, dynamism, and growth. One of the primary signs of declining church growth is the loss of church members. Most of the churches are losing their members daily, and this phenomenal has not been clearly been understood.
A research gap exists between the theological concept and the managerial concept of the church growth. Some researchers argue that church growth is motivated by the biblical teachings of the gospel and programs in the church. They argue that proper church programs on the biblical teachings will attract many members to the church hence it growth. Missionary also encourages the growth of the church (Dreyer, 2012). Missionary means moving from one border to the other spreading the gospel. Therefore, more people are reached and become transformed into Christianity. On the other hand, church growth is associated with the leadership and management of the church itself. Studies have indicated that the church is like any other organization. Among the many studies that have been conducted by previous researchers, none of them has been able to fill the research gap, which exist on church growth. It is expected that this study provide adequate information that will be helpful in understanding church growth (George, 1993). This research will use several tools in data collection and analysis. Some of the data collection approaches will include observations and interviews. A survey will also be conducted on the members of the church who include elders, pastors, and church staffs. This research will apply a blend of qualitative and quantitative methods in data analysis. Eventually, this ...