Paul E. Engle, series editor for Counterpoints Church Life, is an ordained minister who served for twenty-two years in pastoral ministry in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Illinois, and Michigan. He is an adjunct teacher in several seminaries in this country and internationally. He serves as associate publisher and executive editor in the Church, Academic, and Ministry Resources team at Zondervan. He and his wife Margie, live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dr. Gary L. McIntosh teaches at Talbot School of Theology, is a professor of Christian ministry and leadership, leads 20-25 national seminars a year, serves as a church consultant, was president of the American Society of Church Growth in 1995-1996, and has written over 95 articles and 10 books, including Finding Them, The Issachar Factor, Three Generations, One Size Doesn’t Fit All, Overcoming the Dark Side, and Staffing Your Church for Growth. He has over 15 years of experience as a pastor and Christian education director. He is a graduate of Colorado Christian University, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, and Fuller Theological Seminary. He is editor of the Church Growth Network newsletter and the Journal of the American Society for Church Growth. Elmer Towns (DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary) is cofounder with Jerry Falwell of Liberty University, where he currently serves as vice president and dean of the school of religion. He is an author and editor of popular and scholarly works, a seminar lecturer, and the creator of over twenty resource packets for leadership education. Dr. Towns has published over fifty books, including four CBA bestsellers and the 1995 Gold Medallion Book of the Year, The Names of the Holy Spirit. A visiting professor at five seminaries, he has received four honorary doctoral degrees. He and his wife, Ruth, have three children. Gailyn Van Rheenen ( PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the facilitator of Church Planting and Renewal at Mission Alive (www.missionalive.org), adjunct professor of missions at Abilene Christian University, and former missionary to East Africa. His website is www.missiology.org.

• CONTENTSIntroduction: Why Church Growth Can’t Be Ignored: 7 Gary L. McIntosh1. EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM VIEW: ELMER TOWNS 29Church Growth effectively confronts and penetrates the cultureA Centrist Response 54A Reformist Response 58A Renewal Response 62A Gospel and Our Culture Response 652. GOSPEL AND OUR CULTURE VIEW: 73 CRAIG VAN GELDERChurch Growth lacks a sufficient view of the church, which hinders it from effectively engaging the cultureA Centrist Response 103A Renewal Response 107An Effective Evangelism Response 110A Reformist Response 1133. CENTRIST VIEW: CHARLES VAN ENGEN 121Church Growth is based on an evangelistically focused and a missiologically applied theologyA Renewal Response 148An Effective Evangelism Response 151A Reformist Response 154A Gospel and Our Culture Response 1584. REFORMIST VIEW: GAILYN VAN RHEENEN 165Church Growth assumes theology but ineffectively employs it to analyze culture, determine strategy, and perceive historyA Centrist Response 190A Renewal Response 195An Effective Evangelism Response 198A Gospel and Our Culture Response 2015. RENEWAL VIEW: HOWARD SNYDER 207Church Growth must be based on a biblical vision of the church as the vital community of the kingdom of GodA Centrist Response 232A Reformist Response 237An Effective Evangelism Response 241A Gospel and Our Culture Response 2466. PASTORAL REFLECTIONS 253David C. Fisher 255Douglas Webster 258Roberta Hestenes 262Afterword: Gary L. McIntosh 265Selected Bibliography 269About the Contributors 273Discussion Questions 277Index 281

Paul E. Engle, series editor for Counterpoints Church Life, is an ordained minister who served for twenty-two years in pastoral ministry in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Illinois, and Michigan. He is an adjunct teacher in several seminaries in this country and internationally. He serves as associate publisher and executive editor in the Church, Academic, and Ministry Resources team at Zondervan. He and his wife Margie, live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dr. Gary L. McIntosh teaches at Talbot School of Theology, is a professor of Christian ministry and leadership, leads 20-25 national seminars a year, serves as a church consultant, was president of the American Society of Church Growth in 1995-1996, and has written over 95 articles and 10 books, including Finding Them, The Issachar Factor, Three Generations, One Size Doesn’t Fit All, Overcoming the Dark Side, and Staffing Your Church for Growth. He has over 15 years of experience as a pastor and Christian education director. He is a graduate of Colorado Christian University, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, and Fuller Theological Seminary. He is editor of the Church Growth Network newsletter and the Journal of the American Society for Church Growth. Elmer Towns (DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary) is cofounder with Jerry Falwell of Liberty University, where he currently serves as vice president and dean of the school of religion. He is an author and editor of popular and scholarly works, a seminar lecturer, and the creator of over twenty resource packets for leadership education. Dr. Towns has published over fifty books, including four CBA bestsellers and the 1995 Gold Medallion Book of the Year, The Names of the Holy Spirit. A visiting professor at five seminaries, he has received four honorary doctoral degrees. He and his wife, Ruth, have three children. Gailyn Van Rheenen ( PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the facilitator of Church Planting and Renewal at Mission Alive (www.missionalive.org), adjunct professor of missions at Abilene Christian University, and former missionary to East Africa. His website is www.missiology.org.

• CONTENTSIntroduction: Why Church Growth Can’t Be Ignored: 7 Gary L. McIntosh1. EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM VIEW: ELMER TOWNS 29Church Growth effectively confronts and penetrates the cultureA Centrist Response 54A Reformist Response 58A Renewal Response 62A Gospel and Our Culture Response 652. GOSPEL AND OUR CULTURE VIEW: 73 CRAIG VAN GELDERChurch Growth lacks a sufficient view of the church, which hinders it from effectively engaging the cultureA Centrist Response 103A Renewal Response 107An Effective Evangelism Response 110A Reformist Response 1133. CENTRIST VIEW: CHARLES VAN ENGEN 121Church Growth is based on an evangelistically focused and a missiologically applied theologyA Renewal Response 148An Effective Evangelism Response 151A Reformist Response 154A Gospel and Our Culture Response 1584. REFORMIST VIEW: GAILYN VAN RHEENEN 165Church Growth assumes theology but ineffectively employs it to analyze culture, determine strategy, and perceive historyA Centrist Response 190A Renewal Response 195An Effective Evangelism Response 198A Gospel and Our Culture Response 2015. RENEWAL VIEW: HOWARD SNYDER 207Church Growth must be based on a biblical vision of the church as the vital community of the kingdom of GodA Centrist Response 232A Reformist Response 237An Effective Evangelism Response 241A Gospel and Our Culture Response 2466. PASTORAL REFLECTIONS 253David C. Fisher 255Douglas Webster 258Roberta Hestenes 262Afterword: Gary L. McIntosh 265Selected Bibliography 269About the Contributors 273Discussion Questions 277Index 281

Paul E. Engle, series editor for Counterpoints Church Life, is an ordained minister who served for twenty-two years in pastoral ministry in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Illinois, and Michigan. He is an adjunct teacher in several seminaries in this country and internationally. He serves as associate publisher and executive editor in the Church, Academic, and Ministry Resources team at Zondervan. He and his wife Margie, live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dr. Gary L. McIntosh teaches at Talbot School of Theology, is a professor of Christian ministry and leadership, leads 20-25 national seminars a year, serves as a church consultant, was president of the American Society of Church Growth in 1995-1996, and has written over 95 articles and 10 books, including Finding Them, The Issachar Factor, Three Generations, One Size Doesn’t Fit All, Overcoming the Dark Side, and Staffing Your Church for Growth. He has over 15 years of experience as a pastor and Christian education director. He is a graduate of Colorado Christian University, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, and Fuller Theological Seminary. He is editor of the Church Growth Network newsletter and the Journal of the American Society for Church Growth. Elmer Towns (DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary) is cofounder with Jerry Falwell of Liberty University, where he currently serves as vice president and dean of the school of religion. He is an author and editor of popular and scholarly works, a seminar lecturer, and the creator of over twenty resource packets for leadership education. Dr. Towns has published over fifty books, including four CBA bestsellers and the 1995 Gold Medallion Book of the Year, The Names of the Holy Spirit. A visiting professor at five seminaries, he has received four honorary doctoral degrees. He and his wife, Ruth, have three children. Gailyn Van Rheenen ( PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the facilitator of Church Planting and Renewal at Mission Alive (www.missionalive.org), adjunct professor of missions at Abilene Christian University, and former missionary to East Africa. His website is www.missiology.org.

• CONTENTSIntroduction: Why Church Growth Can’t Be Ignored: 7 Gary L. McIntosh1. EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM VIEW: ELMER TOWNS 29Church Growth effectively confronts and penetrates the cultureA Centrist Response 54A Reformist Response 58A Renewal Response 62A Gospel and Our Culture Response 652. GOSPEL AND OUR CULTURE VIEW: 73 CRAIG VAN GELDERChurch Growth lacks a sufficient view of the church, which hinders it from effectively engaging the cultureA Centrist Response 103A Renewal Response 107An Effective Evangelism Response 110A Reformist Response 1133. CENTRIST VIEW: CHARLES VAN ENGEN 121Church Growth is based on an evangelistically focused and a missiologically applied theologyA Renewal Response 148An Effective Evangelism Response 151A Reformist Response 154A Gospel and Our Culture Response 1584. REFORMIST VIEW: GAILYN VAN RHEENEN 165Church Growth assumes theology but ineffectively employs it to analyze culture, determine strategy, and perceive historyA Centrist Response 190A Renewal Response 195An Effective Evangelism Response 198A Gospel and Our Culture Response 2015. RENEWAL VIEW: HOWARD SNYDER 207Church Growth must be based on a biblical vision of the church as the vital community of the kingdom of GodA Centrist Response 232A Reformist Response 237An Effective Evangelism Response 241A Gospel and Our Culture Response 2466. PASTORAL REFLECTIONS 253David C. Fisher 255Douglas Webster 258Roberta Hestenes 262Afterword: Gary L. McIntosh 265Selected Bibliography 269About the Contributors 273Discussion Questions 277Index 281