Growing A Healthy Church The Sonlife Strategy

Sheep Swapping. Shuffling of the Saints. Whatever you call it, many churches are growing only because Christians transfer from one church to another. What's more, many churches aren't growing at all. The problem, according to authors Dann Spader and Gary Mayes, is that too many church calendars are filled with outdated, mediocre programs that have become more of a burden than a blessing. That, coupled with the fact that these programs minister almost exclusively to Christians, leaves little for the non-Christian 'seeker' to get excited about. Growing a Healthy Church is not a list of trendy new programs for your church agenda. It is a journey of rediscovery. Dann Spader and Gary Mayes look closely at the four stages of spiritual growth in relation to outreach. Using the innovative 'M-level' system, these gifted men show how a church can minister to all individuals regardless of their levels of maturity in potential service. This helps eliminate the mistakes of forcing new Christians into service that may overwhelm them or may leave the mature Christian unchallenged. Proven successful through SonLife and churches who have used this system, this resource will help you focus on the simplicity of Christ's ministry, enabling you to build an effective discipling strategy for your church.

DANN SPADER (B.A., Moody Bible Institute; M.R.E., D.Min., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is director of Sonlife Ministries and a former youth pastor. He and his wife, Charlene, have two children. c.1991 GARY MAYES (B.A., Biola University; M.Div., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is a pastor at Faith Community Church in Santa Ana, California. He has served as consultant and trainer with SonLife Ministries. He and his wife, Margaret, have two children. c.1991