A Pilgrimage Of Faith, J.B. Toews, 1993

r their life, and believe in prayer. Nearly a third of Americans claim to be born again, yet dis- play little evidence of changed lives,41 When a prominent broadcasting vice-president, in charge of network variety and comedy specials, dedicated his life to Jesus Christ, he denied that his new outlook would lead to new moral standards in broadcasting. "All it does is give me peace of mind in my personal life . ♦ . but whether it will affect my programming, it doesn't. It just makes me think clearer, but that just means that I will probably think more commercially than 1 did be- fore."45 American pollster George Gallup notes that declining moral and spiritual values in a society that is so avowedly reli- 254 MENNON1TE BRETHREN EVANGELISM gious can be attributed to a gospel that "does not confront so- ciety, but is conformed to society.*44 A brand of evangelism based on self-fulfillment, with only marginal reference to the absolutes of God, results in a Christianity that is shorn of the central New Testament demand of discipleship: "let him deny himself, take up the cross and follow me" (Matt. 16:24; Luke 9:23). THE CHURCH GROWTH PHENOMENON Church Growth theory has occupied center stage among North American evangelicals in recent decades and profound- ly influenced Mennonite Brethren in their search for greater effectiveness in evangelism. The Academy of Church Growth defines the theory as That science which investigates the planting, multiplica- tion, function and health of the churches as they relate specifically to the effective implementation of God's com- mission to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-22). It strives to combine theological principles of God's Word concerning the expansion of the church with the best insights of contemporary social and behavioral sci- ences/5 Based heavily on the work of Donald McGavran and his missionary ministry in India, the movement pays much atten- tion to social structures, and seeks to identify significant peo- ple groups in a given area. Various grids are used to deter- mine a people's perceived openness to the gospel. Those ap- pearing most receptive are then targeted/6 The theory also holds that numerical growth is a major criterion in determining the health of a church, and if a church isn't growing it is the fault of the members or their leaders. Growth-inhibiting church diseases are described, and cures prescribed.47 255 A PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH The effort to integrate this social science paradigm into a consistent biblical theology has proven difficult. Critics have pointed