Biblical Church Growth: How You Can Work with God to Build a Faithful Church

by Gary L. McIntosh

Every pastor wants to have a vibrant, dynamic church. There are many popular models for church growth based on outstanding churches led by outstanding pastors. But unfortunately, specific models are temporary and go out of style quickly. Author Gary McIntosh explores the biblical principles for church growth and applies them to today's culture. Instead of concentrating on the ephemeral how of church growth, he focuses on the unchanging why.
McIntosh defines church growth as "all that is involved in bringing men and women who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ into fellowship with him and into responsible church membership." In other words, church growth is effective evangelism, not a methodology for increasing membership. According to Biblical Church Growth, growing churches always evidence a desire to fulfill the Great Commission by cooperating with God in building a faithful church.
Using personal stories and current statistics as well as numerous biblical examples, the author sets forth ten basic principles that provide an eternal foundation for helping any church-large or small-achieve lasting vitality and growth.

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2003

Reviews

[Brian Orahood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main title says it all—“Biblical Church Growth.” Genuine, sustained growth in a church happens when the strategies are Bible-based. For the church leaders who grasp what my last sentence says, there’s no need to explain it. For those leaders who don’t understand, this book is for you! There aren’t many new ideas presented in the book. The tried-and-true ideas that are shared will go a long way to revitalize ministries that lack momentum. Action Plan—Take one, just one, key concept from each chapter and apply it to your situation. Just one! You’ll be amazed by the results. While you may not become a mega-church overnight, you will certainly enjoy your ministry/church a whole lot more.

[Brit · Rating 4 out of 5]

McIntosh provides an excellent look at scriptural notions of church growth. While I believe he, like many church-growth gurus, occasionally falls into the trap of writing about local churches through distinctly Western lenses, his insights are nonetheless valuable for pastors wishing to ponder church growth. I would recommend this book, which centers mostly on Scripture, over a thousand church growth books centered around "I did it this way."

[Chris Blaise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful Church Growth Primer

Gary McIntosh writes a succinct, but powerful handbook for church growth: loaded with Scripture, history, & anecdotes for every saved pastor!

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good reminder that "church growth" is not just about having the larger number for numbers sake, but for people's sake.

[Guy Lancour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting that McIntosh doesn't seem to deal much with methodologies but principles. Not all of the 9 principles carry equal weight although all are important. I appreciated that he doesn't say to put all these in practice and voila, all will be well. He recognizes that the right mixture and right focus on these principles are inherently difficult and no congregation gets it fully right. But consistent attention to implementing and working on these principles can set a church on the path of seeing both numerical and spiritual growth.

[Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strengths:

- Tied many well-established sociological Church Growth principles to their biblical basis.
- Extremely clear.
- Succinct.

Weaknesses:

- Did not add anything new to the Church Growth conversation.
- Biblical hermeneutics sketchy at some points
(e.g. attributing the principle of a target audience for individuals, such as Peter and Paul, to a Church as a whole).


Thus, it was an average book. For someone looking for a biblically principled book on Church Growth, Biblical Church Growth provides an adequate introduction into the discussion of Church Growth.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

McIntosh lists 9 principles that address the "why" rather than the "how" a church grows. He is working to equip pastors to answer the question, "will I partner with God in growing His church His way?" by laying out the biblical requirements for the church (rather than this or that methodology). Overall a very straightforward and encouraging book.

[Mike Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. It is not a how to, it is about the concepts.