Church growth and the whole Gospel : a biblical mandate /
C. Peter Wagner.
- first edition.
- San Francisco : Harper and Row, (c)1981.
- xvi, 208 pages ; 21 cm.
Includes bibliographies and index.
1. The church, the kingdom and the cultural mandate -- the evangelical resurrection and the kingdom idea -- the kingdom of God in the bible -- Old Testament ideals -- pitfalls to avoid in Kingdom thinking -- church growth and kingdom growth -- preaching the kingdom -- the cultural mandate -- incarnational growth -- the signs of the kingdom -- the signs in Jesus' ministry -- selective obedience -- the disciples and the signs -- the signs and church growth -- notes 2. Christian social ministry in perspective -- the poor and the hungry -- the biblical bias toward the poor -- the poor receive the good news -- facing the problems of poverty -- does God love the rich? -- the church and the cultural mandate -- social service and social action -- church growth and social involvement -- planning for Christian social ministry -- redemption and lift -- vigorous giving prevents redemption and lift -- notes 3. The church and the evangelistic mandate -- the evangelistic mandate -- defining evangelism -- church growth and the evangelistic mandate -- the "church" of church growth -- is it all right to count? -- numbers and American culture -- quantity and quality -- notes 4. Consecrated pragmatism -- the right and duty to specialize -- "fierce pragmatism" -- sources of pragmatism in church growth -- planning strategy for results -- church growth as a science -- computerizing resistance and receptivity -- is church growth the point? -- faithfulness and success -- pouring church growth into theological minds -- notes 5. Holistic mission versus holistic evangelism -- is mission evangelism? -- changing the classical definition of mission -- Lausanne and holistic mission -- potential dangers of holistic mission -- the scope of holistic mission -- holistic evangelism? -- pattaya and holistic evangelism -- giving priority to evangelism -- biblical priorities -- the issues and the advocates -- where does mcgavran fit? -- notes 6. Priorities and their practical consequences -- the social disaster area: reversing priorities -- evangelicals on social change -- missions and social improvement -- the magnetic field of the evangelistic mandate -- the three priorities -- priorities and the collapse of Christian movements -- unprecedented American church decline -- the great priority shift -- effectiveness in social ministries -- the evangelical track record -- notes 7. The gospel, conversion, and ethical awareness -- McGavran on discipling and perfecting -- three kinds of discipling -- why critics call it "cheap grace" -- "obey everything I have commanded you" -- obedience is the key -- the postponement of ethical awareness -- what is repentance? -- conversion and ethics in biblical times -- the point of guilt -- receptor-oriented ethics -- prophets and evangelists -- notes 8. How Methodology influences social perspectives -- waking up to methodology -- keeping the balance: the "ought" and the "is" -- adding phenomenology to theology -- in functionalism and adequate model? -- church growth and socio-cultural change -- civilization before evangelization? -- thinking about conversion: bounded and centered sets -- fundamentalists and radical Christians -- notes 9. The homogeneous unit principle as an ethical issue -- what the homogeneous unit principle really is -- the principle is risky -- the dilemma of the two mandates -- homogeneous units in the kingdom of God -- toward an open society -- the open society and the homogeneous unit -- notes 10. Structuring for Christna social ministry -- choosing political options -- one church: two structures -- are mission structures legitimate? -- understanding each other better -- structures and the cultural mandate -- why social action hinders growth -- social issues in the united.
9780060689421
81047433
Church growth. Church and social problems. Evangelistic work.