1. Free As Sons
   
2. Does "Go Ye" Mean "Go Me?"
   
3. Are We Really Born Again?
   
4. The Sacrifices of Cain and Abel
   
5. Silence Says Something
   
6. Body Language
   
7. Repentance Before Faith
   
8. I Wonder
   
9. Can I Know?
   
10. Ultimate Logical Conclusions
    
11. Errors in Peter's Sermon
    
12. Did Timothy Need Admonition?
    
13. Jesus' Youth Sermon For Adults
    
14. Why Didn't Paul Reform?
    
15. Christmas
    
16. Let The Unmarried Marry
    
17. A Dialect of Division
    
18. Our Traditions
    
19. Adding Our Safeguards
    
20. According To The Pattern
    
21. A Creed In The Deed
    
22. Samuel Did Not Know The Lord!
    
23. Response From Our Readers
    
24. Cries Of A Troubled Church
    
25. Sharing Without Fellowship
    
26. I Joined A Church
    
27. Open Membership
    
28. Another Last Will And Testament
    
29. Sad Thoughts About Church Growth
    
30. My Four Retirement Homes
    
31. Hook's Points: A Potpourri
    

SAD THOUGHTS ABOUT CHURCH GROWTH

We in the Church of Christ trace our historical roots to what we have called the Restoration Movement of the Nineteenth Century. Thomas and Alexander Campbell began an effort to unite the Christians of all the sects. As the movement began to take root, it merged with another reform group led by Barton W. Stone. They sought to preach the ancient gospel and to restore the primitive unity which it promoted, claiming to be Christians only, but not the only Christians. The appeal and excitement of their plea caught fire in the American frontier, and soon the movement grew to be the fourth largest religious group in America, and also the largest indigenous group.

The thrust of the unity movement was blunted, however, by division. We are a part of that divided movement. At times in this century we have been the fastest growing church in America. However, according to studies made more recently, our growth rate peaked in the 1950's, with a great growth period in the 1945­1965 period. Early in the 1980's we seem to have reached a zero growth rate, and then we began to decline in growth rate.

My years of ministry have been within these periods of highest growth rate and decline of growth rate. I look back in an effort to evaluate my career as a minister in terms of enduring results. Perhaps, this will speak for other ministers, also. Because of lack of record keeping among our people, my statistics may lack in accuracy, but based upon my information and experience, I will make some observations.

As a youthful minister, I sometimes tried to encourage evangelism by explaining that every person on earth could be converted in just a few short years if each convert would, in turn, convert only two other persons each year. That mathematical progression concept seemed like a fantastic idea. Our expediting that process was less than fantastic, however.

Few of us ministers serve churches for more than forty years; so, forty years could represent the lifetime effort and accomplishment of the more enduring preachers. Likewise, a forty year old congregation could well represent the fruits of his life's labors, even though his work had been with several congregations. The church in New Braunfels was just about forty years old when I concluded my eight years of ministry with it (I worked part­time with it for two more years). Some of the churches that I worked with were smaller and some were larger than this one. This one church could well represent my career efforts, plus those of the people who compose the church. We could expect to see a congregation of tremendous size, couldn't we? Less than half of our congregations, regardless of age, have more than seventy­five members.

By our comparative standards, the church here would be considered as a thriving, growing, congregation of 292 members in 1981 when I began my retirement. During my 1973­1981 ministry, 126 persons were baptized (converted is not our word). Even though about two dozen people transferred from it to begin a church at Canyon Lake, the group grew from 188 to 292-a growth of 102, plus the two dozen, in eight years. Of the 126 converts, I would estimate that less than one­third are still in fellowship, either here or elsewhere. Of those baptized who were neither children nor spouses of members, only nine remain, six of them being in one extended family. Of the twenty­one persons converted in two intensive, summer campaigns, only two are still active, to my knowledge, and only two of the thirty­one Hispanics brought in are still enduring.

In spite of these depressing statistics, the church here has continued to grow, with a full house in attendance each Sunday.

To what may we attribute our numerical growth? Strangely, we must give credit to physical circumstance more than to the spiritual. New Braunfels is an attractive, small city with good economy, two spring­fed rivers, in the edge of the beautiful hill country of Texas, near veterans' hospitals and PX's, and near two major cities. People have migrated, including most of our church family.

Do you know of any congregation which is increasing in numbers due to conversions? I hope you do; there are a few. Only about one-fourth of our churches are growing, even by migrations. Isn't it true that most of our growing congregations are increasing at the expense of other congregations? Growth by transfer of membership is not church growth! It is truly sad to see so many of the older churches from which members have migrated, especially in the rural areas, diminished to no more than a fraction of their former size. In too many of them the members who are left are fifty years old, or older. About 25'ho of our churches are declining, and about one­half of our congregations are only holding their own. If a group is larger now than it was in the Sixties, the chances are that it is due to transfers rather than conversions.

I take no delight in making this gloomy assessment. In trying to place the blame for this condition, we may point to the social, economic, and cultural influences of materialism, secularism, humanism, hedonism, urbanization, and sophistication. Yet, if we look at ourselves, we may find that we have not made our message relevant to the needs of our hearers, or had a message to give strength and support to those who accept it. The gospel has power to overcome all of these ills if we will truly let Jesus shine through it instead of emphasizing doctrines and quibbles. Our mindset has led to the development of an oppressive system. The power is in the Christ rather than in the possession of correct answers to puzzling theological questions. Many of our supposed life­and­death doctrinal disputes have brought more death than life. Emphasis on doctrinal issues divides and repels, whereas, Christ draws all men to him, unites them, and sustains them.

The preacher alone cannot claim the credit for the growth of the church, for it also involves the efforts of the members working with him. In making this assessment, my life's work seems pitifully ineffective. Sometimes I wonder if there will be one person in heaven solely as a result of my efforts.

Yes, these are sad thoughts about church growth, the effectiveness of the ministry as we have developed it, and the fruits of a church program for forty years.

It is of some comfort to know that one soul is worth more than the whole world, but we must be concerned with a message and ministry that will reach the masses of humanity. Bright young men are becoming aware of the problem and working constructively toward a remedy. Will our protected congregational systems allow and encourage them, or will they have to go elsewhere to put reform into practice? I hope that, after their forty years of ministry, they are not compelled to have the same sad thoughts about church growth and career ministry that I have.