GROWTH TYPES

George G. Hunter III has a shrewd mind after God's heart, and he has identified several areas of growth that must all occur in a working church:

- Internal Growth: this kind of growth takes place

in the lives of people who are already coming to

the church. When the members of a congregation

are growing closer to God and each other, then

internal growth is taking place.

- External Growth: this kind of growth takes place

when new people are start showing up in the

church. There are three kinds of external growth:

- Biological: people in the church have babies

- Transfer: receiving (not recruiting) people from

other churches.

- Conversion: reaching lost people and bringing

them into God’s family.

- Extension Growth: this kind of growth takes place

when the members of a local congregation reach

into their community. It’s been observed that

Jesus did not tell all the world to go to Church;

He told the Church to go into all the world.”

Extension growth includes: AA, Al-Anon, Kids Hope

USA, and CLC.

- Bridging Growth: this kind of growth occurs when

churches deploy people as “missionaries” to reach

lost people in other cultures. Usually, these

cultures are geographically distant from the

local church. Sometimes, they’re right next

door.