 |
|
 |
Church Growth, Inc. (formerly the Institute for American Church Growth) was founded in 1973 by Dr. Win Arn. Having studied at Fuller Theological Seminary under Dr. Donald McGavran, Dr. Arn determined that the principles and insights from the church growth movement had considerable relevance to the American Protestant Church. Prior to 1973 the study of church growth had been focused almost exclusively on the third world. The School of World Mission at Fuller Seminary (which McGavran founded in 1965) had faculty representing expertise in China (Arthur Glasser), Columbia (Peter Wagner), and ------ (Ralph Winter.) Dr. Arn, at the time serving as a denominational executive with the Evangelical Covenant Church, realized that the church growth principles being taught to foreign missionaries by McGavran, Glasser, Wagner, and Winter had cross-cultural applications and implications. The first American church growth “media” was a series of 2’ x 4’ color posters developed by Dr. Arn for a class project. Later that year at Dr. Arn’s suggestion, he and Dr. McGavran co-authored the first book in American church growth — How to Grow a Church. The book was written in dialogue format with Arn asking McGavran about his church growth principles and how they might be applied to a Western context. (This groundbreaking book sold over 200,000 copies before being discontinued in 1994 by its publisher, Regal Books. A limited number of “collector’s copies” personally signed by Win Arn are available through Church Growth, Inc. See Growth Products and Resources elsewhere in this web site.) When Dr. Arn’s term of office with the Evangelical Covenant Church expired, he determined to begin a ministry dedicated to the dissemination of church growth principles throughout North America. He founded the Institute for American Church Growth in 1974. Donald McGavran served as the chairman of the board of directors until his death in 1995. The first church growth clergy conference was conducted in early 1995. Following this, Dr. Arn and his son, Charles, designed the Basic Growth Seminar. This was a 10-hour, Friday night/Saturday seminar for lay leaders sponsored by and conducted in local churches. In the next ten years, Dr. Arn would spend much of his time traveling across the country leading sharing the principles and speaking the vision to thousands of church leaders that “it’s God’s will that His Church grow, that His lost children are found.” As the lay and professional church leaders responded to the principles of church growth, more films were produced, seminars and training sessions developed, and books written. The first magazine on American church growth was produced and edited by Charles Arn — Church Growth: America. The publication later evolved into The Growth Report, which is still an influential and pace-setting communication vehicle in the American church today. In 1985 the Institute for American Church Growth and Win Arn, Inc. (founded by Dr. Arn in 1972 to manage the production and distribution of 16mm films) were consolidated into one organization — Church Growth, Inc. (CGI) The organization continued and expanded its commitment to resourcing churches through the production and distribution of products and services in the field of church growth. In May, 1988 Dr. Arn (64 years old) was taken to the Arcadia Methodist Hospital with a cerebral hemorrhage. In the months he spent in the hospital Dr. Arn was regularly visited by his friend and mentor Donald McGavran. These visits would conclude with Dr. McGavran putting his hand on Dr. Arn’s shoulder and saying, “Win, your best days are still ahead.” As Dr. Arn recalls, “I was so sick, I believed him!.” With his mental and most of he physical capacities intact following three months of rehabilitation, Dr. Arn was released form the hospital and returned to continue leading the Institute for another six years. During and since that time Dr. Arn has devoted much of his time to the research and study of church growth principles applied particularly to the senior adult population. He and his son, Charles, have authored several books and numerous articles, produced a variety of videos to help churches more effectively reach and apply the principles of church growth to this rapidly growing segment of the population. (See “Senior Adult Ministry” elsewhere in this web site for more information on resources and services produced by the Arns.) In 1994 Dr. Arn retired as president of CGI and founded a new ministry organization — L.I.F.E. (Living in Full Effectiveness) — which works closely with CGI to produce and provide additional resources. Upon Dr. Arn’s retirement his son, Dr. Charles Arn assumed leadership of CGI and continued to lead the organization in the research and dissemination of church growth principles to North American church leaders. Charles Arn — a widely published and respected authority on church growth in his own right — continues to lead CGI as a leading para-church ministry organization dedicated to the research, dissemination, and understanding of how and why churches grow. The Mission Statement of CGI is available elsewhere in this web site.
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
(c) Copyright
1977-2005 Church Growth, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
