The Church Growth Movement: McGavran, Missiology, and the Science of Church Planting

Summary of the Argument

The church growth movement, which emerged from Donald McGavran's missiological research in India in the 1950s and 1960s, sought to apply social scientific methods to the study of church growth and decline. McGavran's The Bridges of God (1955) and Understanding Church Growth (1970) argued that churches grow most effectively when they focus on "people movements"—the conversion of entire social groups rather than isolated individuals—and when they plant churches within homogeneous cultural units. The movement he founded at Fuller Theological Seminary's School of World Mission became the most influential center of missiological research in the twentieth century.

The church growth movement's application of social scientific methods to missiology represented a significant development in the history of Christian mission. Its emphasis on research, strategy, and effectiveness challenged the church to take seriously the question of why some churches grow and others decline, and to develop intentional strategies for evangelism and church planting. Its influence on the megachurch movement, the seeker-sensitive church movement, and the church planting movement of the late twentieth century has been enormous.

Critical Evaluation

The Homogeneous Unit Principle

McGavran's "homogeneous unit principle"—the claim that churches grow most effectively when they target specific cultural groups and plant churches within those groups—has been both influential and controversial. Its influence can be seen in the proliferation of ethnically and culturally specific churches in the United States and worldwide. Its controversy stems from the concern that it legitimizes racial and cultural segregation in the church and contradicts the New Testament's vision of a community that transcends ethnic and cultural boundaries (Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:14-16).

Critics of the homogeneous unit principle, including Orlando Costas and C. Peter Wagner, have argued that while cultural sensitivity is important in evangelism and church planting, the goal of Christian mission is the creation of communities that reflect the diversity of the kingdom of God. The church's witness to the reconciling power of the gospel is undermined when it simply mirrors the cultural divisions of the surrounding society.

The Church Growth Movement's Legacy

The church growth movement's legacy is mixed. Its contribution to missiological research, its emphasis on intentional evangelism and church planting, and its development of practical tools for church ministry have enriched the church's mission worldwide. But its tendency toward pragmatism—the elevation of effectiveness as the primary criterion for evaluating ministry—has sometimes led to the compromise of theological integrity for the sake of numerical growth. The megachurch movement's accommodation to consumer culture, which the church growth movement helped to create, has generated significant criticism from theologians and church leaders concerned about the church's prophetic witness.

Relevance to Modern Church

Contemporary Significance

The church growth movement's legacy continues to shape contemporary missiology and church ministry. Its emphasis on research, strategy, and effectiveness has become standard in evangelical church planting and ministry. Its development of practical tools for evangelism, discipleship, and church planting has equipped thousands of church planters and ministry leaders worldwide. And its engagement with social scientific methods has enriched the church's understanding of the cultural and social dynamics that shape church growth and decline.

For ministry professionals, engagement with the church growth movement provides resources for understanding the dynamics of church growth and decline and for developing intentional strategies for evangelism and church planting. For credentialing in church history and missiology, Abide University offers programs that engage this important tradition.

Implications for Ministry and Credentialing

Engagement with the church growth movement provides resources for understanding the dynamics of church growth and decline and for developing intentional strategies for evangelism and church planting. For credentialing in church history and missiology, Abide University offers programs that engage this important tradition.

For ministry professionals seeking to formalize their expertise, the Abide University Retroactive Assessment Program offers a pathway to academic credentialing that recognizes prior learning and pastoral experience.