Background information for Growth Design and Growth Map


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Background information for Growth Design and Growth Map [view feedback blog]

The Growth Design and Growth Map are an attempt to reduce the whole Discipleship and Church Planting / Growth processes into simple words and pictures.

The Growth Design is our core philosophy statement communicating our understanding of the essential processess / structures each human being needs to go through in order to become the complete human being God wants them to be. It is in effect our "motto": enjoying and passing on abundant Life across five Growth Planes through dynamic Mission around a covenant Framework.

The Growth Map is our Growth Design transformed into a chart which maps out the "spiritual" modules or elements a person should be involved in depending on their age and level of spiritual growth. A similar map could be developed for the intellectual plane. We believe the other three planes are "fulfilled" as the spiritual and intellectual are carried out well.

The Growth Design and Growth Map are basically the synergy of seven models of ministry, in conjunction with life experience, discussions, and the writings of various people. They were developed as an outworking of how we can apply our personal growth (as outlined in the six steps approach) to the forming of a genuine Christian Community. (For a detailed thesis which forms the basis for the six steps approach, and why we consider this a major step towards world's best practice, see Building a better life: leader's guide). Since the core of the six steps is "Family of God", it is only natural that we should be able to define how the "Family of God" functions in order to be able to help all people come to experience abundant life! And in our day and age, with 2000 years of hindsight and the benefit of information technology, we believe that this task is possible. The ifcc.online website provides our result!

The expanding of the Establishing phase into two phases came firstly as a result of understanding what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. In the Spiritual plane, there seemed to be definite division of Establishing into a second phase: after we start using our gifts (Equipping), we need to be prepared for opposition from those who do not like what we are doing (Establishing phase 2). It remained to be seen if indeed the four phases of Enlightening, Establishing, Equipping, and Empowering were appropriate across all the Growth Planes of human development, and if this splitting of the Establishing phase was also justified there. It was noted in particular that in the level of relationships there was a definite fivefold process culminating in marriage (Awareness, Friendship, Courtship/Dating, Engagement, Marriage). Upon reflection, this "extra" phase began to appear in all the planes: in the Intellectual, it was realized that a phase in which we learn how our specific talent / skill fits into the big picture of the economy would lead to a much more wholistic understanding of the work we do; in the Emotional, maturity comes after we have done a lot of analysis of our previous experiences and integrated them into our understanding of who we are; in the Social sphere, we need to learn to have a good balance between casual friends and close friends (after the exciting phase of focussing all our energies and spare time on our new wonderful close friends); in the physical plane, whilst after puberty we now have an adult body, people really need time to adjust in their thinking about who they now are when it comes to gender! - our thoughts about our sexuality are radically different after puberty to what they were beforehand, and these "new capabilities" need to be responsibly integrated before one is truly adult in a mature sense.

Now whilst in all the above this extra "Establishing phase" (phase 2) is not necessarily needed (it could all be taught / communicated in "phase 1"), there seemed to be some logic in the above to giving it a definite place.

The final justification for dividing up the Establishing phase into two phases came when we noted how the New Testament itself seems to be divided into these divisions: the letters of Paul for basic establishing in the Christian faith (1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians), followed by a block of "Pastoral Epistles" for gift development and use (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon), and finally a second level of establishing - those which help address serious problems within the church and serious problems from outside the church (Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 & 3 John, Jude, Revelation). Perhaps this dividing up into two is "only necessary" because of the fallen world in which we live!

The Growth Map then expands the Growth Design Concept into a chart which takes seriosly the different educational needs and capabilites of different age groups. It starts to become clear that there should be a goal for which all education / growth is heading toward. From a Christian perspective, our goal is to be mature and living like Jesus Christ; expressed differently, we start off being "in Christ" at conversion, and at maturity the hidden but real truth of "Christ in you" is obviously visible to those around us! However, since not all of us learn "ideally", the different curricula or groups for each age bracket should have a wide range of flexibilty in what they teach / communicate.

It is also clear to us that if we as humans do not develop according to God's original time plan for our lives, then what needs to occur as an adult is a Recovery process, hence Recovery Ministries.

If there is a goal for which all eduation / growth is heading, we also believe we can draw an ideal development path. To us this makes logical sense. Again, let us consider the fact of our physical development. If God has made us physically capable of producing children by the age of 15-17, it stands to reason that we should also be capable of having the life maturity and wisdom to begin to raise these children God�s way at that age. That is to say, our educational and spiritual growth "systems" should be seeking to equip all people for such life maturity at that age, and also be designed to help people achieve such life maturity, now matter how far they have "fallen behind". It also stands to reason that what is entailed in "life maturity" cannot be hugely complex (for it must be able to be grasped by 15-17 years old). We believe our six steps is such a simple, true, wholistic, comprehensive system.

Whilst the left hand side of the Growth Map outlines the curriculum elements or groups that people can progress through in order to achieve abundant life, the right hand side maps out the complementary other activities that they can / should be involved with. For example, someone who is at Level 2 in the Junior Youth Group can also be involved in serving in the background at evangelistic events, attending weekly worship, and perhaps also involved in a same sex "cell group" for mutual encouragement, accountability and growth. Someone at Level 4 in the Senior Youth Group should also be serving in the foreground at evangelistic events, attending weekly worship, being part of a mutual encouragement and accountability same sex cell group, and in accordance with God's direction also specifically using his/her gifts to bless the community.

(A PowerPoint presentation outlining the above can be read here: English Deutsch )

Finally, as mentioned earlier, much of the above is a synergy of seven models of ministry. These come from the following places:

Youth Ministries Australia
St Marks Anglican church, Emerald, Australia
Process of Discipleship, Bible College of Victoria, Australia
Church Planting Workbook (by Philip Bryant, published by Baptist Union of Victoria, Australia)
Ten Church Plant Distinctives (by Dietrich Schindler, Church Planter with TEAM in Germany)
Riverside Training Pathways (Riverside Community Church, South Morang, Australia)
Apostolic Church-Planting Team Strategy (Grace Brethren International Missions)

It is very interesting that when you combine all these models, the systems discovered and developed by Rick Warren and Bill Hybels for human development, church growth, and church planting, match perfectly! We have tried to indicate this by the words in green, violet, and blue on the right hand side of the Growth Map. Other systems by successful churches and church planting groups, like Morning Star International (Every Nation), ICF Zurich, and Christliches Zentrum Buchegg also fall into the same map. Praise God!

The seven models now follow.


	1. Youth Ministries Strategy


	2. St Marks Emerald strategy


	3. Process of Discipleship, Bible College of Victoria


	4. Steps in planting a new church. Church Planting Workbook (by Philip Bryant, published by Baptist Union of Victoria, Australia)


	1. "Conception" Phase of Vision 1.1 Feasibility Study and Selection of Target Group 1.2 Selection of the Church Planter 1.3 Confirmation of Sponsor Church or Group 1.4 Developing the New Church's Project Plan 1.5 Defining the New Church's Purpose Statement 1.6 Defining the New Church's Values 1.7 Developing the New Church's Vision Statement 2. "Gestation" Phase of New Church Development 2.1 Selection of Steering Committee 2.2 Selection of Prayer Team 2.3 Selection of Name and Meeting Place 2.4 Determine Financial Support 2.5 Define Accountability and Relationships 2.6 Advertising the New Church 2.7 The Public Interest Meeting 3. "Prenatal" Phase of New Church Development 3.1 Establishing a Core Group 3.2 The Core Group Studies 3.3 Selecting, Equipping, and Mobilizing Leaders 3.4 Determining Evangelism and Discipling Method 3.5 Developing Community Contacts 4. "Birth" Phase of Church Development 4.1 Develop a Plan for the First One Hundred Days 4.2 Develop a Two Year Plan 4.3 Plan the First Public Worship Service


	5. Ten Church Plant Distinctives (by Dietrich Schindler, Church Planter with TEAM in Germany)


	1. Create an image of ministry that is greater than present reality. "You have no second chance to make a good first impression" 2. Diversify evangelism venues. "He who sows bountifully, will also reap bountifully" 3. Spare almost nothing to provide quality and excellence. "People expect quality from the business community but not from the church, therefore surprise them!" 4. Prayer and fasting open hidden doors. "Hidden sacrifices secure public victories" 5. Create your future, by setting challenging reachable goals. "The most important step is not the next one, it's the one after that" 6. Enlarging the leadership base will lead the way to greater quantitative and qualitative growth. "If you want height and depth, then expand your width" 7. Grow big, but remain small. "Great churches have great community" 8. Difficult people disciple congregations. "Poor qualities in people bring out the best in healthy congregations" 9. Anticipate growth barriers and induce birth pains. "The impetus for current growth can be the blockage for future growth" 10. Work toward initiating a church planting movement. "We need to move from church planting by addition to church planting my multiplication"


	6. Riverside Training Pathways (Riverside Community Church, South Morang, Australia)


	7. Apostolic Church-Planting Team Strategy (Grace Brethren International Missions)


	Step One: Contact Discovery (Finding the spiritually sensitive) Step Two: Process Evangelism (Presenting the authentic person and work of Christ) Step Three: Discipleship (Developing Growth Disciplines) Step Four: Spiritual Community (Forming spiritual families) Step Five: Leadership Development (Identifying and training potential leaders) Step Six: Corporate Worship (Celebrating God's presence and power) Step Seven: Organization (Establishing the structures for long-term growth)

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