The Church Planting Alliance of South Africa published a handbook in 2000 intended to encourage, equip, and guide church planters, pastors, intercessors, and denominational leaders toward the strategic challenge of saturation church planting in South Africa and beyond. The handbook included statistics, strategies, and stories of church planting activities. One of the articles that captured my attention focused on Rapid Church Growth in China.
Rapid Church Growth in China: 1993-1998
From April 1993 to April 1996, growth among house churches in one part of China increased from three churches with fewer than 100 members to over one hundred churches with over 16,000 members. By the end of 1998, they had grown to over 55,000 members. The growth was primarily among second, third, and fourth generation churches planted entirely by local believers, intentionally targeting the least evangelized areas and groups.
- Type of Growth: All growth was from adult conversions rather than transfer or biological growth.
- Reproduction Time: Average reproduction time was six months.
Reasons for Growth
As you read through these reasons for growth, consider what ramifications they present for your ministry in your context.
- Societal Change
The late 1980s were pivotal in XYZ’s history, with rapid societal changes creating a hunger for spiritual change. Traditional religious movements and Christianity experienced growth following these changes. - Government Opposition
Persecution resulted in a church that was relatively free of casual believers, as a Christian commitment potentially had negative repercussions, making believers more serious about their faith.
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- Bold Witness and Trust
Despite persecution, the churches demonstrated boldness in their witness and in their worship. Trust among believers contrasted starkly with the distrust of the Cultural Revolution, making this community aspect attractive to unbelievers. - Love Among Believers
Believers showed great love toward one another, extending to financial help. This love was in sharp contrast to the selfish and materialistic culture, drawing attention to the Christian community. - Baptism of New Believers
New believers were baptized soon after conversion, even in pioneer areas, cementing their commitment and responsibility in the church. - Local Leadership from the Start
When new churches were established, local believers were placed in leadership positions, ensuring local relevance and minimizing dependence on outsiders. - Multiple Leaders in New Churches
Establishing multiple leaders in new churches protected against a leadership vacuum and trained members for outreach. - Unpaid Lay Leadership
Lay leadership prevented an artificial clergy-laity divide, enabling every adult member to participate in outreach and ministry training. - Expected Growth and Fruitfulness
New believers were expected to grow spiritually and be fruitful, following the Lord’s commands and obeying them. - Spiritual Reproduction as Norm
Leading others to Christ, teaching new believers, and planting churches were seen as normal outgrowths of Christian experience. - Necessity of Church Multiplication
Security concerns necessitated church multiplication, preserving intimacy and accountability within smaller groups. - No Dedicated Church Buildings
Churches mostly used homes or shops, avoiding facility expenses and helping believers maintain an outward ministry focus. - Original Hymnody
Churches wrote their own hymns, fostering solidarity and serving as a rallying point during difficult times. - Emphasis on Reproducibility
Teaching and training were kept simple, emphasizing application and accountability to ensure reproducibility. - Application and Teaching by All
Believers were responsible for applying what they learned and teaching newer believers, resulting in mature and stable Christians. - Vision for the Great Commission
The vision of completing the Great Commission was taught at every level, ensuring common direction and purpose among new congregations. - Accountability at Every Level
Leaders of each congregation were accountable to one another, creating solidarity essential in a hostile environment. - Conscious Modeling
Church planters and trainers were aware that their actions and attitudes would be emulated, resulting in great intentionality in key areas. - Cultural Adaptation
Where possible, new work in Mandarin was quickly passed on in XYZese, and XYZese churches imitated this pattern in cross-cultural church planting. - Ethnically Relevant Trainers
Only ethnic Chinese were used as trainers and church planters, avoiding perceptions of Christianity as a Western religion. - Adapted Teaching Styles
Low education levels were catered to through informal teaching styles, with personal interaction as the primary training method. - Focused Prayer
Groups on several continents prayed specifically for the XYZese people, with God responding to the prayers of His people. - God’s Timing
It was God’s time for the XYZese. His sovereign work of grace ensured that no one else could take credit for the growth.
Reflections on the Factors of Growth
My colleague Bob Rasmussen makes the following observations:
“The factors seem to fall into two general categories: those that we can affect and those we cannot. In the first category are things like every believer expected to share the gospel, early baptism, leadership from the beginning, etc. In the second category are factors that are beyond our ability to affect but are left to God and society at large, such as persecution and lack of church buildings.
It is interesting that the obstacles for replicating factors within our control are of our own making—our traditions. This suggests that in seeking rapid church multiplication, one key area leaders should re-examine is traditions that inhibit growth.
New wine demands new wineskins.”
Questions for Reflection
- What insights does reading these 23 Reasons spark in you?
- What traditions do you need to re-examine?
- How can you remove inhibitors to rapid multiplication?
