balanced and full growth

HungaryBudapest, Wed 10 October 2011

Kiegyensúlyozottság és teljeskörűen növekedő gyülekezett

Biblical Growth Has at Least Three Essential Elements:

1. Quantitative growth or evangelism (number of those saved).

2. Qualitative growth or edification (spiritual growth of believers).

3. Structural growth (the infrastructure of the church as a body)

QUANTITY

QUALITY

STRUCTURE

Quantitative Growth is Important“So those who received his word were

baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

Acts 2:41 ESV

,,A kik azért örömest vevék az õ beszédét, megkeresztelkedének; és hozzájuk csatlakozék azon a napon mintegy háromezer lélek.”

Apostolok

2:41 (Károli)

Quantitative Growth is Important

“praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. “ Acts 2:47 (ESV)

,,Dícsérve az Istent, és az egész nép elõtt kedvességet találva. Az Úr pedig minden napon szaporítja vala a gyülekezetet az idvezülõkkel.”

Apostolok 2:47 (Károli)

Quantitative Growth is Important“And the hand of the Lord was with them,

and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.”

Acts 11:21 (ESV)

,,És az Úrnak keze vala velök; és nagy sokaság tére meg az Úrhoz, hívõvé lévén.”

Apostolok 11:21 (Károli)

Qualitative Growth is Important And they devoted themselves to the

apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42 (ESV)

És foglalatosok valának az apostolok tudományában és a közösségben, a kenyérnek megtörésében és a könyörgésekben. Apostolok 2:42 (Károli)

What is Qualitative Growth?1. PRIORITY OF THE WORD OF GOD2. TRUE DISCIPLESHIP3. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT4. SPIRITUAL GIFTING VALUED5. BIBLICAL WORSHIP6. EFFECTIVE SMALL GROUPS7. EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM8. LOVING CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER.9. REPRODUCTION BY CHURCH

PLANTING.10.WORLD MISSIONS VISION

Structural or Organic Growth is Important

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. [2] And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. [3] Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. Acts 6:1-3 (ESV)

Structural or Organic Growth is Important

 1 Azokban a napokban pedig, mikor a tanítványok szaporodának, támada a görög zsidók közt panaszolkodás a héberek ellen, hogy az õ közülük való özvegyasszonyok mellõztetnek a mindennapi szolgálatban.     2 Annakokáért a tizenkettõ egybegyûjtvén a tanítványok sokaságát, mondának: Nem helyes, hogy mi az Isten ígéjét elhagyjuk és az asztalok körül szolgáljunk.

    3 Válaszszatok azért, atyámfiai, ti közületek hét férfiút, kiknek [jó] bizonyságuk van, kik Szent Lélekkel és bölcseséggel teljesek, kiket erre a foglalatosságra beállítsunk. Apostolok 6:1-3 (Károli)

What is blocking?What should we do?

DYNAMIC GROWTH

OBSTACLE

Find out what is blocking, solve it and move ahead.

GREATER GROWTH

MULTIPLYING

GOD’S

ANSWER

GREATER

MULTIPLYING

ACTS 6:1aACTS6:7ACTS 6:1b-6

Key PrinciplesFirst, these three elements are linked together and you cannot separate them.

For example, is it true that God is more interested in quality than in quantity?

QUANTITY

QUALITY

STRUCTURE

Key PrinciplesSecond the tendency is that when we have

seen quantitative growth, we emphasize qualitative growth at the expense of continued outreach and evangelism.

QUANTITY

QUALITY

STRUCTURE

Key PrinciplesThird, but to do evangelism (quantitative

growth) without following closely with discipling brings superficiality. The result is this:

Key PrinciplesFourth, but preoccupation with

quantitative and qualitative growth without caring for structural growth creates difficulties. Acts 6:1 to 17.

QUANTITY

QUALITY

STRUCTURE

Key PrinciplesFifth, but creating structures in the local

church without evangelism creates a kind of smothering and institutionalism that creates deadness. The principle is to create structures to help growth and as growth occurs.

QUANTITY

QUALITY

STRUCTURE

Key PrinciplesSixth, structural growth (organic growth)

means creating daughter churches as a means of better quantitative and qualitative growth.

TODAY’S EXPERIENCESPARIS

ORLY

TODAY’S EXPERIENCESFIRST CHURCH PLANT

PARIS

ORLY

Longjumeau 1968

TODAY’S EXPERIENCES2ND CHURCH PLANT

PARIS

ORLY

Longjumeau 1968

Creteil 1971

TODAY’S EXPERIENCES3rd CHURCH PLANT

PARIS

ORLY

Longjumeau 1968

Creteil 1971

Val d’Yerres1973

TODAY’S EXPERIENCES4th CHURCH PLANT

PARIS

ORLY

Longjumeau 1968

Creteil 1971

Val d’Yerres1973

Savigny-le-Temple 1981

TODAY’S EXPERIENCES5th CHURCH PLANT

PARIS

ORLY

Longjumeau 1968

Creteil 1971

Val d’Yerres1973

Savigny-le-Temple 1981

Vigneux 1982

6th CHURCH PLANT & 1st Granddaughter Church

PARIS

ORLY

Longjumeau 1968

Creteil 1971

Val d’Yerres1973

Savigny-le-Temple 1981

Vigneux 1982

Bretigny 1986

Key PrinciplesSeventh, the Holy Spirit is at work in all three

of these areas.

Can you give any biblical examples of this?

Personal experiences?

QUANTITY

QUALITY

STRUCTURE

Key Principles

Eighth, if the qualitative growth does not result in effective evangelism leading to quantitative growth, then it is a “building up” that kills.

QUANTITY

QUALITY

STRUCTURE

Key PrinciplesNinth, quantitative growth is often a

thermometer of qualitative growth.

QUANTITY

QUALITY

STRUCTURE

Questions1. How much time does your church give

to evangelism? Of all the meetings, how many have the goal of winning lost people?

2. How can you have a better qualitative growth? Do you have a plan for this?

3. What do you do to avoid the problems that can come from a lack of adequate infrastructures?

4. How important is it to rework structures as growth comes?

ChallengePut into place a team that has as its goal

the thinking through of these three elements of balance and then comes up with clear planning to put this plan into use.