Critics of the church growth movement have often emphasized the need for quality congregations. We should not focus on numerical growth, but rather, we should concentrate on qualitative growth.\nChristian Schwarz has done extensive research world-wide and found that healthy, growing churches seem to share eight quality characteristics. These characteristics are:\nEmpowering leadership 
Gift-oriented ministry 
Passionate spirituality 
Functional structures 
Inspiring worship service 
Holistic small groups 
Need-oriented evangelism 
Loving relationships 
Schwarz uses the illustration of a barrel with eight staves to symbolize the eight quality characteristics. The barrel can only hold water to the height of the lowest stave. So too, Schwarz argues, a church can only grow as far as their 'Minimum factor,' which is the lowest of the eight quality characteristics in their church. He challenges churches to resist the temptation to work on improving areas in which they already excel, for by doing this they do not increase their minimum factor or their church quality.\nThis revised version of Natural Church Development now includes Schwarz's "3 Colors" teaching.

Natural Church Development : A Practical Guide to a New Approach

Schwarz, Christian A.

BCGA

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Books by BCGA

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Natural Church Development : A Practical Guide to a New Approach