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my brothers in Christ---for all you do; for your work, yo.fir sacrifice,
your talents and energies, your very lives! Please remember my father
to all your congregations, and to God in your prayers. Our prayers
are with you all, and with your families and congregations during tQis
coming Holy season!
In Jesus' name,
GARNER TED AR_MSTRONG
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CHURCH COORDINA'l'ING TEAM UPDATE The team Is meeting this morning
(Monday, the 17th) addressed two areas: 1) Mangower as a result of
some necessary changes stemming from the college move; 2) Church
growth. The manpower needs were necessary and immediate, but the
greater attention was focused on Church Growth.
Church Growth: An attempt was made to put the growth concept into
perspective and identify the various parts of the subject. Just
saying the phrase "church growth" sparks different concepts in
people's minds.
The membership, of necessity, must play a very large role in develop
ing church growth; hence our desire to follow up Mr. Ted Armstrong's
comments at the coordinator's meeting of March 20th with more on the
subject.
'rhe Passover season seems the natural time to emphasize personal res
ponsibility in regard to church growth, since it is a time when each
of us focuses in on the meaning of Christ's sacrifice as it applies
to us individually, and conversely, it is easy to recognize our res
ponsibility to Him. We wanted to emphasize the area of our responsi
bility to Christ because this has directly to do with church growth.
'I'he
Church has always emphasized that members are supposed to be a
light to the world. However, to some this came to mean that their only
responsibility was to just quietly glow. The concept was that of a
passive role. As a result, this passive role gradually becomes less
interesting, less stimulating. We need to recognize that people�
to become true Christian "lights" through stimulation, challenge aria
doing!
The
church members are an enormous resource. But before that resource
can be fully utilized it is necessary to develop an understanding of
just how that resource should be used.
To some people member involvement in church growth raises the negative
image of a door-to-door, standing-on-a-street-corner type of prosely
ting through an aggressive, or even obnoxious witnessing. A comment
was made regarding Mr. Ted Armstrong's transcipt that it was hoped
we
were not now going to start "proselyting."
Heally, it's a matter of semantics. The dictionary defines proselyt
ing as converting someone from a religion or opinion to another. On
the face of it, that's what we do. We just aren't obnoxious about
it. But we will never force the truth down anyone's throat -- and
therefore we will never "proselytize" in
the
traditional sense of the
word.
Probably 90% of the members of God's Church today are "proselytes"
in one way or another. Almost everyone on earth is of one or another
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