preview

Ethics Of The Church Growth Expert

Decent Essays

Gary McIntosh holds several degrees, two of which are a Ph.D and a D.Min from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is best known for his work in the area of church growth and ministry. His areas of research range from pastoral ministry to generational change. McIntosh is affiliated with the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education, the Society of Church Consulting, and the Great Commission Research Network. As well as publishing Growth Points, he has authored a plethora of books and articles. His most recent work is What Every Pastor Should Know: 101 Indispensable Rules of Thumb for Leading Your Church. It goes without saying that he is recognized as the “church growth expert.” Statement of Purpose McIntosh desires that Taking Your …show more content…

This makes sense as readers come understand that the church is made up of living members, therefore the church itself is a living organism. The life cycle of the church is known as St. John’s Syndrome. McIntosh illustrates this phenomenon by using a bell curve, moving through all the stages of life. St. John’s Syndrome has patterns and characteristics that are easily recognized and occur at predictable times. McIntosh spends the rest of time in part one introducing the reader to the various stages of church congregational lifecycle. Readers learn what key characteristics are so that they are able to analyze their own congregations. McIntosh presents several challenges that must be overcome as well. Readers also learn how to lead their church congregations during times of growth to avoid decline, looking for “choice points.” McIntosh discusses the different stages of church growth in part two. The chapter divisions are based on the size of a church: 15 to 200, 200 to 400, 400 to 800, 800 to 1,500, and 1,500 plus. Within each chapter McIntosh provides key characteristics and key points of transitions. As one move throughout the chapters they come to understand that things must change if a church is to grow. For example, a small church will have a relational pastor who does a great job making his congregation feel welcomed, while a larger church needs a pastor who leads like a manager. As the church grow they will not be able to be as relational

Get Access