Church Growth: Revd Dr David Goodhew - Session 1

Diocese of Winchester

Church Growth: Why it Matters and How it can Happen by Revd Dr David Goodhew Session 1 Tuesday 21 March 2017 How do we grow as Christians and as churches? ‘Church growth’ rightly raises many questions. Is it merely ‘an unspiritual bigging yourself up’ as one Cranmer Hall ordinand once said? ‘Growth’ in the Christian life always includes growth in personal Christlikeness and growth of service to the wider community, but the New Testament, the Christian tradition and the Anglican Communion outside the UK are deeply enthusiastic about the numerical growth of churches. So how can we think about growing churches in a godly, theologically nuanced way? And if we can create a theology of church growth, what specific practices help congregations grow? Or is church growth a holy mystery? During the two Lent Lectures we’ll work on a theology of church growth that could work for churches of all traditions and the actions that foster growing churches of all traditions.