On the 8th of May, 293 delegates from nine states met in Augusta, Georgia. Within a few days the Southern Baptist Convention was formed.  Article 2 of the new constitution stated, “It shall be the design of this Convention to promote Foreign and Domestic Missions.” Estep in his book, Whole Gospel – Whole World, writes, “The heartbeat of the Southern Baptist Convention is missions.  It has been so from its beginning in 1845.”  Out of the SBC’s desire to participate in making disciples of all people groups, there were two mission boards created to “promote Foreign and Domestic missions.”
 
170 years later our focus has not changed. The basis for our commitment to the Great Commission is the commitment to biblical truth. For the last 170 years, we have continued to work together to promote biblical truth and participate in making disciples of all people groups.  These two things have allowed us to have a common focus and accomplish more together than apart. 
 
As Baptists, we have a rich inheritance both historically and theologically. What has held us together and will continue to hold us together, in the future, is our common commitment to biblical truth and to making disciples of all people groups.  In the months and years ahead, we will continue to remain loyalty to both.

Another distinction of Associations of the future is their kingdom mindedness.  In our recently expanded structure here at the San Felipe Baptist Association, we did two things.  We set forth a balance of maintaining our theological and historical heritage as Southern Baptists while setting the stage to connect with other Great Commission Christians for Kingdom work.  The San Felipe Baptist Association updated constitution is based on the following.  1) We reaffirmed our theological and historical heritage as Southern Baptists.  We did not want to forget our rich history of theology and Great Commission efforts.  SFBA is and will continue to be an Association of Southern Baptist churches.  We reaffirmed our common statement of faith in the revised SFBA constitution.  David Dockery in Southern Baptists, Evangelicals, and the Future of Denominationalism, states that in the 21st century, “denominations that thrive will remain connected by conviction to Scripture, the gospel, and their tradition . . . So do denominations still matter? Yes! . . . they do matter and they will continue to matter, but only if they remain connected to Scripture and orthodox tradition.”   2) We recognized that God is at work among other Great Commission groups with whom we could join efforts to extend God’s Kingdom.  Dockery again writes, “Perhaps more important for the twenty-first century than the denominational future will be the importance of networks. . . . while working and exploring ways to partner with affinity groups and networks moving out of their insularity and seeking to understand better the changing global context around us.” Christ’s commission to make disciples of all the nations challenges us to partner with other Great Commission Christians with common doctrine and common vision.  A short list of a few examples of partners can be found on the ‘affiliates’ tab of www.starsnetwork.co.

Another distinction of Associations of the future is their flexible design.  Former paradigms of thinking included certain commonly accepted structures.  Such structures were appropriate for their time.  The modern environment in which Associations find themselves is quite different than with former generations.  Today’s Association must deal with situations, which arise out of multi-cultural, multi-linguistic, multi-religious and multi-racial contexts.  The world is at our doorstep like never before.  Associations must be willing to change any structure, which does not allow for continual growth.  Anytime an organization’s configuration becomes inflexible, the organization will become less effective and efficient.  Structures should never hinder the growth and fulfillment of an organization’s purpose.  The fulfillment of purpose is primary and a flexible organizational design helps accomplish the purpose for which Associations exist.  Flexibility is a characteristic of future Associations.  Associational frameworks should be pliable to assist, encourage and resource churches to meet the changing challenges of various ministry contexts.  Such adjustable designs enable the Association of the future to better support churches to fulfill their unique expression of Great Commission efforts.  The Association’s fulfillment of the mutually held purpose statements, core values and priorities must be primary.  Structure or design serves purpose, core values and priorities.  Associations of the future will change any configuration, which does not promote growth and vision fulfillment. 

Associations of the future are driven by vision and affinity.  Vision is defined as the ability to visualize today what can exist and should exist in the future.  Vision is a clear and challenging picture of the future.  Affinity is an inherent likeness or agreement; a close resemblance or connection.  Churches and Great Commission organizations will be drawn to the vision because of their affinity with the vision.  Churches choose to voluntarily cooperate based on a common vision and affinity.  Churches choose to align themselves with organizations and networks, which help advance the God-given vision for their specific congregation.  Because of the limitations of time and resources, churches choose to be strategically connected with those entities that compliment the essence of their unique design.  In other words, churches who desire to live out their Spirit –led DNA are looking to affiliate and participate in like-minded visions.  There is a growing movement, a re-alignment of churches in Associations and networks, along the lines of vision and affinity.  Associations of the future are characterized by those two components and not by geography.  If an Association wishes to be a vibrant part of the future of what God is doing, especially among the younger generations, it must position itself to assist, encourage and resource churches as they participate in the Great Commission and the two Great Commandments.

Another distinction of Associations of the future is being a church-first organization.  Associations do not exist for themselves.  They exist to serve churches as churches fulfill their God-given calling of making disciples of all the nations.  Associations do not compete with churches for ministry.  Churches do the ministry and Associations assist, encourage and resource those churches.  Its purpose statement justifies the very existence of an Association.  In other words, to assist, encourage and resource churches to participate in the Great Commission and the two Great Commandments is the purpose for existing.  When Associations do not fulfill their purpose, to be church-first, they violate their very essence.  Associations of the future will always remain a church-first organization not an Association-first organization. 

As one Baptist leader stated, “We are seldom comfortable with change, but someone has observed that if the external changes exceed the internal changes of an organization, it is moving toward irrelevance and ineffectiveness.”

Associations must adapt to meet current and future challenges if they are to survive and even thrive in the future.  The classical design of Associations of the past was successful to meet the challenges of its time.  A new paradigm of thinking is needed.  To restate the quote above, if the changes in the world around us exceed the adaptations within the Association, the Association is moving toward irrelevance and ineffectiveness.  This is a stark reality, which is facing all Associations in the United States.  The vast majority of Associations have not made the transition into a new model.  These Associations seem to be prisoners of the past.  The future does not look bright for such Associations.  The Association of the future cannot be the Association of the past or in many cases of the present.

There are a number of characteristics, which describe Associations of the future.  A number of Associations have made the transformation and exemplify the following characteristics.  One distinction of Associations of the future is not being limited by geographical boundaries.  Tomorrow’s Associations will be characterized by vision and affinity not by geography.  Under the former paradigm, in which many still operate, Associations were and are characterized by geographical boundaries.  Yet, our current technology allows us to remove geography as a barrier.  Individuals can ‘facetime’ or ‘skype’ each other on a cell phone or computer while being on different continents.  Because of modern technological advancements, Associations of the future are characterized by a global vision and affinity.  Associations must see themselves as making a global impact.  Associations are able to create partnerships with other Great Commission Christians worldwide.  Such partnerships help churches within a given Association broaden their ability to implement an Acts 1:8 strategy.

The purpose of the local Association is to assist, encourage, and resource churches to participate in the Great Commission and the two Great Commandments.

There are two central truths that define the Association and help clarify what the local Association is and what it is not.  First, the Association is not a church.  It is a para-church organization.  The Association is a network of churches, which voluntarily work together in cooperation to accomplish more together than apart.  Churches give to and receive assistance from the Association and each other.  The Church, the Bride of Christ, in the New Testament, is God-ordained to carry out His purposes on earth.  Second, the role and function of the association is to assist, support and resource the unique, God-given vision of churches to carry out the Great Commission and the two Great Commandments.  The role of the association is to ‘assist’ in ministry and not to ‘do’ ministry.  Associations do not compete with churches to fulfill ministry.  Churches ‘do’, associations ‘assist and resource.’

Jerry Rankin in his booked titled, To The Ends Of The Earth, correctly identifies the purpose of the local Association.  He states the following “Every SBC entity – whether an association, a state convention, or missions agency – exists only to serve, equip, and enable churches and the people of God to fulfill the Great Commission.” He further clarifies, “The Holy Spirit can empower the growth of the kingdom. But it is the role of the denominations at every level to empower the churches in the sense of facilitating, equipping, and enabling them to fulfill God’s purpose.”

When the Southern Baptist Convention formed in 1845, it divided Great Commission efforts into two priorities: at home and abroad. The Home Mission Board and the Foreign Mission Board were formed to address those needs. 166 years later Southern Baptists today are re-evaluating how best to work together to fulfill the Great Commission. SBC life and work is in a time of transition here in the US and around the world. Re-alignment of relationships and refining of vision are taking place on a national level. There has been a movement among Southern Baptists for the last several years, which is identified by two characteristics. Churches and leaders are re-evaluating their relationships and are clustering around common doctrine and common vision. Those two items, common doctrine and common vision, are reshaping the outward expression of Christianity in the United States.

On a local level, it is an exciting time to be a part of SFBA. We see God’s hand at work and we are a part of that change. Locally and nationally, SFBA is continually changing and adjusting to be an active part of what God is doing in His world today. The transitions that have taken place, since our last annual meeting, have been a tremendous leap forward. The updated constitution embodies the essence of where God is leading us. SFBA is keeping pace with the realignment of relationships and refining of vision that is moving through Christianity in general and Southern Baptists in particular. In our recently expanded structure, as presented in our updated constitution, we purposely do two things. We set forth a balance of maintaining our theological and historical heritage as Southern Baptists while setting the stage to connect with other Great Commission Christians for Kingdom work. Our updated constitution is based on the following.

• 1) We reaffirm our theological and historical heritage as Southern Baptists. We have a rich history of theology and Great Commission efforts, which we do not want to forget. We are an Association of Southern Baptist churches. In our revised constitution, we reaffirm our common statement of faith. One author reminds us that in the 21st century, “denominations that thrive will remain connected by conviction to Scripture, the gospel, and their tradition . . .” “So do denominations still matter? Yes! . . . they do matter and they will continue to matter, but only if they remain connected to Scripture and orthodox tradition.”2
• 2) We recognize that God is at work among other Great Commission groups with whom we can join efforts to extend God’s Kingdom. “Perhaps more important for the twenty-first century than the denominational future will be the importance of networks. . . . while working and exploring ways to partner with affinity groups and networks moving out of their insularity and seeking to understand better the changing global context around us.”3 Christ’s commission to make disciples of all the nations compels us to go beyond our denominational relationships and partner with others with common doctrine and common vision.

In conclusion, this balance of theological and historical heritage plus an openness to other believers is important and transformative. One Southern Baptist leader acknowledges this balance, “the future of Southern Baptists can be very bright with such convictional grounding in Scripture and the gospel and with such a cooperative spirit and mind-set.”4 He goes on to say, “We need conviction and boundaries, but we also need a spirit of cooperation to build bridges. We need to understand that denominational heritages and distinctives do matter, but more importantly what is needed
today is a fresh kind of transgenerational and transcontinental approach to the Christian faith. We need a spirit of mutual respect and humility to serve together with those with whom we might have difference of conviction on less important matters.”5

Darrell Horn – Executive Director of Missions

1. Southern Baptists, Evangelicals, and the Future of Denominationalism. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group. 2011. ISBN 978-1-4336-7120-3. Chapter 1, “So Many Denominations: The Rise, Decline, and Future of Denominationalism,” David Dockery. Pg. 25
2. Ibid. pg. 25
3. Ibid. pgs. 29-30
4. Ibid. pg. 25
5. Ibid. pg 30

Our world is shaped by the constant shifts in demographics, urbanization, technology, politics, economics, and lostness.  As churches adjust to their ever-changing contexts, so too must local Baptist Associations adjust to assist, encourage, and resource churches to fulfill the Great Commission.  Current realities and emerging trends demand creative approaches to reach our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.

Reality One - Our world is increasingly urban.

• In 1800, only 2% of the world’s population lived in an urban area. 
• In 1950, it was 30%. 
• In 2008, over 50% of the world’s population was urban – first time in history.
• Almost 180,000 people are added to the urban population each day.  
• By 2015, it is expected that there will be 23 cities with a population over 10 million.
• By 2030, it is expected that 60% of the world population will live in urban areas. [i]

Our geographical region of Fort Bend County and surrounding area is rapidly growing.  Between April 2000 and July 2009, Fort Bend County was the 16th fastest growing county in the United States with a 57.1% population increase. [ii] We are the 4th largest metroplex in the country. [iii]

Current urbanization trends and the subsequent challenges that are created by those trends are significant factors in the consideration of how best to fulfill the Great Commission.  In order to meet the current opportunities in our contemporary context, we must consider innovative ideas.  The reality of urbanization forces us to take a fresh look at how best to assist churches in reaching their Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and ends of the earth.

Reality Two – Our world is increasingly interconnected.

Modern technology allows us to overcome limitations that were once barriers.  Our ever progressing, mobilized society is able to stay connected through technological advancements.  Modern communication systems allow for instant face-to-face connections around the globe.  Communication, which once took weeks and even months, now can be accomplished in a matter of seconds.

Historically, the local Baptist Association was based upon geographical boundaries.  However, with the technological advancements of communication, the local Baptist Association can broaden its sphere of influence and “connectedness.”  Geographical boundaries are overcome through technology and the expansion of associational influence to assist churches is limitless.  We are not bound by previous limitations and are able to forge new relationships around the world.

Reality Three – Our world is increasingly lost.

According to the United Nations . . .

• The current population of the world is over six billion with over three billion in urban areas.
• The urban population will continue to grow at an annual rate of 2.4% per year until 2030. 
• At this rate, the population will double every 9 years.

The percentage of lostness compared to the overall population is increasing each year.  If we are not also growing at the same rate, we will not keep pace with our current population growth.  How can we as believers ever hope to evangelize the whole world if we are not even growing at the same rate as population? 

If we desire to see a greater percentage of the population become believers, we must evangelize at a rate higher than 2.4%.  How are we doing?  Are we doubling in number every 9 years?  Are we growing at a rate of 2.4% annually?

Increasing lostness forces us to take a fresh look at how successful our efforts have been.  Lostness should impact everything we do and everything we do must impact lostness.

Baptist Associations must continually re-evaluate their effectiveness in assisting, encouraging, and resourcing churches to reach their Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.  Our contemporary environment challenges us to be more strategic in our cooperation.   New opportunities of collaboration exist for San Felipe and several alliances could develop for greater Kingdom harvest.  A fresh level of affiliation and partnership is emerging on the horizon and San Felipe desires to be at the forefront of what God is doing among Baptist Associations worldwide.

God bless,

Darrell

Executive Director of Missions

[i] http://www.un.org/ga/Istanbul+5/bg10.htm
[ii] http://www.texastribune.org/texas-counties-and-demographics/census/several-texas-counties-among-fastest-growing-in-us/
[iii] http://www.citymayors.com/gratis/uscities_100.html

As Southern Baptists we traditionally consider ourselves to be mission-minded, that is we are concerned about supporting missions.  Almost all Southern Baptist churches believe they are missions-minded and they typically are.  Thank God for the billions of dollars that Southern Baptist churches have given to mission causes for over 150 years.  
 
Yet, I would like to contrast being missions-minded and being missions-active.  To be missions-active means to take the next step beyond supporting missions and to actually become a church or an individual who is involved in a hands-on approach to missions.  There are tremendous mission opportunities in every community. 
 
I want to encourage all of us to revisit the Great Commission, which can be found in Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-49, and Acts 1:8.  God desires us to be active participants in reaching all the peoples of the earth with His Gospel.  Being missions-minded is a great place to start but God wants us to move into being missions-active.
 
I believe that every church, regardless of it’s size, is to be missions-active.
 
May the Lord bless you and your church as you become active in fulfilling the Great Commission in your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the remotest parts of the earth.

And to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow solider, and to the church in your house. Philemon 1:2 

New churches have been started since the early days of the apostles. Yet, a revived emphasis has arisen concerning the multiplication of churches in designated urban areas and among specific peoples groups. the renewed attention being given to starting churches should be not centered around the idea of starting one church at a time, which seems to be the prevailing tendency in North America. In other parts of the world outside of the Untied States, there is a church planting movement taking place.

The Effectiveness of Church Planting
Church planting is a proven effective method of reaching others for Christ and fulfilling the Great Commission. Many methods of evangelism and missions seek to win individuals to Christ one by one, while church planting seeks to win individuals to Christ as a collective group. Peter Wagner clearly states one reason for starting new churches, “The single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven is planting new churches.”ii Such a statement sums up a main reason for church planting, quicker evangelism. Wagner goes on to say, “Without exception, the growing denominations have been those that stress church planting.”iii The Southern Baptist Convention in the United States became the largest Protestant Denomination through starting new churches. Lyle Schaller recognizes that church planting “continues to be the most useful and productive component of any denominational church growth strategy.”iv Any organization or church, which does not intentionally seek to plant new churches, will limit its own growth. In fact, if the starting of new churches in not an intentional part of a long term strategy, then an organization or denomination will eventually stop growing at some point in its future. This is an important topic when considering the large percentages of churches, with or without denominational ties, that are in a state of plateau. Win Arn asserts that 3,500 to 4,000 traditional churches die every year.v That statistic was written about two decades ago. Schaller projects that an estimated 30,000 congregations ceased to exist sometime during the 1980’s.vi Church planting must be a priority if the Church desires continued growth.

New Churches Grow Quicker Than Established Churches
Aubrey Malphurs cites Win Arn in recognition of a Southern Baptist study, which verifies the fact that new churches grow quicker than established churches.vii According to Arn, the study compared churches, which were started between 1971 and 1981, to churches, which were started prior to 1971. Each of the churches was categorized according to its size: 1-50, 51-100, 101-200, 201-400, 401-600, 601-1000, and 1000+. A percentage of growth for each church was established for the time period 1981 to 1986. The study revealed churches of all sizes were started between 1972 and 1981. The growth rate of those churches started between 1972 and 1981 was 60 to 80 percent. Those churches, which were started before 1971, grew at a rate of 20 to 60 percent. The older and much larger churches grew at a 20 percent average growth rate. “Perhaps the simplest explanation of this pattern is that new congregations are organized around evangelism and reaching people not actively involved in the life of any worshipping community. By contrast, powerful internal institutional pressures tend to encourage long- established churches to allocate most of their resources to the care of members.”viii New churches grow quicker than established churches.

​New Churches Evangelize Better Than Established Churches
Aubrey Malphurs cites a study published in Christianity Today, written by Bruce McNicol of Interest Ministries regarding new churches evangelizing better than established churches.ix McNicol states that evangelical churches under three years of age will win ten people to Christ per year per every one hundred members. Evangelical churches from three to fifteen years of age will win five people per year per every one hundred church members. Once a church reaches fifteen years of age, the number of new converts drops to three people per year per every one hundred church members. As the study reveals, the older the church the less evangelistic it tends to become while the younger the church the more evangelistic it tends to be. New churches must be started for more rapid evangelism to occur.

Reproduction is a Part of God’s Creation
In the world of biology, reproduction is a natural part of nature. The book of Genesis tells us in the Garden of Eden, God told man and all living creatures to be fruitful and multiply. Reproduction or multiplication is a natural part of God’s creation. One basic principle of biology states that all life comes from pre-existing life, this denotes multiplication through reproduction. When applying this truth to the living church, it should be understood that God’s plan is for the church to reproduce itself. Church planting is a valid demonstration of the reproduction of a local church body and is healthy for any local congregation.

New Churches Relate Better to Their Surrounding Communities
New churches are not steeped in tradition and are able to be more flexible in meeting the needs of those they are trying to reach. New churches extend the presence of the visible church into new communities and contextualize themselves to their surroundings. Ethnic churches, especially, meet real needs in this regard. In many situations, established churches are in transitional communities and are unable or unwilling to relate to the people who live around the church building. Over the years, many churches have moved to new areas to escape the transitioning neighborhoods. Spiritual vacuums can be left behind when a church leaves a transitioning neighborhood. Malphurs believes many churches are locked into mentalities and methods that are fifty and sixty years old. According to him, many of these churches feel ministries strategies of the past will continue to work in the future.x

New Churches are not in a State of Plateau
As stated previously, new churches grow quickly. Win Arn believes that between 80-85% of the churches in North America are in a state of plateau or in a state of decline. Many churches have become inwardly focused. New churches are focused on many aspects of ministry, all of which relate to growth. New churches need to grow in order to survive. Growth is a part of a new church’s very existence and survival. Many churches can remain in a state of plateau for decades and do not baptize even one new convert a year. The majority of churches are a part of this statistical category. Starting new churches is one way to offset the lack of growth found in a state of plateau churches.

New Churches Provide More Opportunities to Become Involved
The possibilities of becoming involved in a church are reduced when only one congregation serves a community. Even though involvement opportunities exist, one church cannot serve a community as adequately as a large number of churches. An individual has a greater possibility of finding a place of personal involvement when there are a variety of churches in a community. New churches provide new opportunities for individuals to become a part of a local body of believers. New churches also provide an extended witness to the community and thus provide a new and greater possibility that an unchurched individual might be reached for Christ.

New Churches Allow for More Places of Service
In new churches there are new ministries in which believers can participate. Lay leaders are vitally important in this regard. In established churches, most of the continuing ministries are already filled with seasoned believers. New churches create greater opportunities for other believers to become involved in ministry. Greater opportunities for ministry mean greater possibilities of developing new spiritual leaders. New leaders need places of service in order to refine their ministry skills. New churches provide new possibilities of service. As new churches are planted new leadership is needed. Both go hand-in-hand with each other. It is very difficult to expand ministry influence without new leadership.

Christian History is Full of Historical Narratives of Church Planting
Since the twelve apostles to the early Church fathers and on through Church history, the planting of churches has been a vital part of Christianity. The starting of new local congregations is part of our Christian heritage as believers. There is a recognizable pattern in the book of Acts of how the early church and especially Paul impact their world. The pattern is quite simple. First, the Gospel was proclaimed, new believers were gathered together, and church were formed.

The Population is Rapidly Growing
According to the United Nations, half of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas by the year 2007. The actual population of the world is over six billion. This signifies that in the year 2007 around three billion will be living in urban areas. The United Nations also reports that during 1995-2000 the urban population grew at 2.2% per year. It is believed that the urban population will continue to grow at an annual rate of 2.4% per year until 2030. At this rate, the population will double every 9 years. How are we doing as believers? Are we doubling every 9 years? Are we growing at a rate of 2.4% annually? If we are not growing at this average, we are not keeping pace with our current population. How can we as believers ever hope to evangelize our world if we are not even growing at the rate of population? If we desire to see a greater percentage of the population identified as Christian, we must evangelize at a rate higher than 2.4%. We should begin new churches in order to at least keep pace with current population growths.

People are More Open to Change in new Churches
In new churches, people are more open to changes because there are less established traditions. New churches have less traditions to overcome. Traditions are not something to fear. The majority of traditions are benign. The problem occurs when traditions become an obstacle to growth. In new churches the only established methods are those that people first experience and are proven to bring in new people in the beginning. In the establishment of new churches the members tend to be more flexible in their thinking and are more open to be creative in ministry strategies. The author Aubrey Malphurs believes the problem to be one of new wine in old wine skins. He also affirms that Jesus said it is difficult to change established traditions.

New Churches Extend the Visible Presence of God Into Areas Where Little to no Presence Exists
New churches permit the Gospel to be proclaimed in area where there are has been a previous Gospel witness. Each community needs a Gospel witness through a local New Testament church. In reference to this, when new churches are started in local communities, the Kingdom of God is extended. In other words, each time a new church is started, a visible Christian presence become real to the local community.

New Churches Require the Development of new Leaders
There are new ministries in new churches in which believers can participate. Lay leaders are of vital importance in this model. In established churches the majority of ministries are filled with individuals who have been believers for many years. New churches create new opportunities for new believers to involve themselves in ministry. More ministry opportunities mean more opportunities to equip believers to become involved in leadership. New churches provide new possibilities of service. It is very difficult to fill expanding ministries without new leaders.

Conclusion

God is actively involved in the redemption of humanity through His Son Jesus Christ. God’s activity of redemption is called Missio Dei. Each person of the Holy Trinity is involved in Missio Dei. God works through the Body of Christ to fulfill His redemptive plans. One of the most effective evangelistic methods, in which the Body of Christ can be involved, is the starting of new churches. Church starting is a strategic method to rapidly reach the people groups of the earth. New churches are able to overcome many of the problems that face older more established churches. Starting new churches fulfills the Great Commission.
--------------------------------

i This chapter’s materials were previously published in a copyrighted Doctor of Ministry project report in August 2003 titled, Developing A Church Planting Institute Among The Middle Class Population Segment of Mexico City.
ii C. Peter Wagner, Church Planting for a Greater Harvest (Ventura: Regal Books, 1990), 11.
iii  Ibid., 12.
iv  Lyle E. Schaller, 44 Questions for Church Planters (Nashville: Abingdon, 1991), 20.
v Win Arn, The Pastor’s Manual for Effective Ministry (Monrovia: Church Growth, 1988), 14.
vi  Schaller, 17.
vii  Arn, vol. 1, no. 21. Quoted by Aubrey Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches for the Twenty-First Century (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1992), 42.
viii Schaller, 22-3.
ix Bruce McNicol. “Churches Die With Dignity”, Christianity Today, January 14, 1991, 69. Quoted by Aubrey Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches for the Twenty-First Century (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1992), 43. This view is also held by Aubrey Malphurs.
x Ibid., 22.