Jump directly to the content

Topic

Church Growth

It’s no surprise that American evangelical congregations are concerned about size; after all, we live in a society where bigger is better when it comes to organizational success. But as Christianity Today has reported in the past, church growth is more than the number of bodies sitting in the pews. Below we’ve gathered articles that report on how churches have been fulfilling the Great Commission, both in expanding their numbers and in creating communities that promote healthy spiritual growth.

Community Is Their Middle Name

As Willow Creek Community Church turns 25, it is bigger than ever, drawing 17,000 a weekend. But what really makes Willow tick is what comes after the seeker services.

The New Evangelism

Crusades and personal witnessing are no longer the cutting edge of evangelism.

Learning to Count to One

New math for those addicted to getting higher and higher in their churches.

More on Church Growth

Multisite Evolution

What should be the 'new normal' for multisite churches?

The Beauty of Life in Small Places

City-focused evangelicals have much to learn from Rod Dreher's memoir of small-town life.

The Troubled State of Christian Preaching

What Giglio got right and the church often gets wrong.

Why Churches Worship Illegally—In Paris

Evangelical churches are multiplying but lack space to grow.

Why Denomination Matters to Church Growth

A recent study suggests orthodoxy doesn't draw church crowds on its own.

Nontraditional Believers Recover Christian Community

Renewal in the post-war Balkans comes from outside the God box.

Tsunami Aftermath: Second Chances in Japan

One year after disaster, sacrificial giving gains churches new credibility.

Out of Africa  Subscriber access only

Rwanda exodus shows challenge of global Christianity.

Will Immigration Slowdown Prompt a Bilingual Ministry Bust?

Churches retool Hispanic outreach after recession impact.

A Spanish Service Is Not Enough: It's Time to Feed the 'Hellenized Latinos'

Spanish-speaking ministry models are designed to preserve the preferences of the foreign born.

The Kingdom in Columbus

Why the world's largest Vineyard church is drawing people from 104 nations in central Ohio.

Persecution Prompts Missions Agency to Transform

Operation Mobilization India transforms itself into a local witness.

Growing in the Word

What the Ethiopian Orthodox have learned from the expansion of evangelicals.

Missional Church Mergers

New report: More congregational combinations driven by mission, not survival.

City Parish: An Australian Builds NYC Networks

Jon Tyson plants neighborhood churches in New York City.

The End of Church Planting?

A look at whether churches should expand through a missionary model rather than relying on professional entrepreneurial pastors to plant churches.

India's Grassroots Revival

With its people turning to Christ in waves, India hosts more believers now than at any time in its 4,000-year history.

Multi-Site Churches Go Interstate

Megachurches expand across state lines.

Urban Planters: Building off Believers?

Who fills the pews of the Big Apple?

Magic Words: Ghanaian Churches Confront Fake Pastors

Ghana's church planting boom has left denominations struggling to keep opportunists out of pulpits.

Pushing Back the Desert: Niger's Christians Get Creative for Daily Bread

'Give us this day our daily bread' is both a prayer and a project for Christians living in one of the world's poorest countries.

Illegal Immigrants in the Church?

Christian thinkers weigh in on what churches should do about meeting the sojourner.

Learning to Count to One

New math for those addicted to getting higher and higher in their churches.

Christian Decline Stalls

Reports of U.K. church's death may be premature.

215 Baptist Churches Planted in Haiti

New fellowships will 'preserve the harvest' of new Christians.

A Different Kind of Tent Revival

How one pastor is tackling Haiti's complex challenges.

A Ministry Grows in Brooklyn

Messianic leaders explore new strategies for reaching the Jewish community in the U.S. and Israel.

The Refugee Pastor That Could

As a teen growing up in Tennessee, Chansamone Saiyasak vowed to return to Thailand. And he did—with remarkable results.

How to Become a Successful Religion

A marketing consultant advises early church leaders.

God's Word for Each Person—Worldwide

Should Christians continue to smuggle Bibles into China?

Higher Goals

Brazilian evangelicals will be ready when nation hosts 2014 World Cup.

Sheep Stealing Studied

Presbyterians weigh guidelines for reformists.

Ethnic Violence Buffets Kyrgyz Christians

Unrest in southern Kyrgyzstan undercuts hopes for evangelism boom under new government.

What We Learned About Africa

The Pew Forum issued an extensive report on the world's "most religious" continent.

Ministry at the Center of Violence

Russ Stendal, held hostage for months by narco-terrorists, now ministers in their midst.

Holy Subversion

Allegiance to Christ in an age of rivals.
News Feed
Chinese scholar to Americans: Let go, and let the church develop in its own way
Missionaries have often tried to recreate their version of church abroad. But for Christianity to flourish in another land, it must adapt in its own way, says Xi Lian on Christianity in China. (Faith & Leadership)
Mainline Protestants not going quietly
As flocks shrink, denominations that once defined America fight to stay relevant with new ways of reaching out. (OC Register)
Assemblies of God tends to a rapidly growing flock
The Assemblies of God is the fastest-growing religious body in Minnesota at a time when other Protestant groups are shrinking. (Star Tribune)

Recommended Resources

Don't Miss

Want to Change the World? Sponsor a Child

Want to Change the World? Sponsor a Child

A top economist shares the astounding news about that little picture hanging on our refrigerator.
Bumbling the Great Commission

Bumbling the Great Commission

Is our discipleship too narrow?

The Sightless, Wordless, Helpless Theologian

The Sightless, Wordless, Helpless Theologian

How our daughter's brief life showed us eternity.

more | current issue

Books & Culture

Our Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred Honor

Our Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred ...

The grand debate that...

Today's Christian Woman

The Perfect Wife Scorecard

The Perfect Wife Scorecard

I just knew I was failing...

Small Groups

Silence and Solitude

Silence and Solitude

These spiritual disciplines...

Out of Ur

Superman: Sermon Notes from Exile

Superman: Sermon Notes from Exile

Why I wrote sermon notes...

Facebook

CT eBooks & Bible Studies


Shopping