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Robertson, A.

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The group known as the Churches of Christ is one of America’s largest religious bodies with over 1.5 million adherents and congregations in all fifty states. Like many U.S. Christian bodies, the Churches of Christ have entered a time of decline. This article is a case study of the Churches of Christ and describes the group’s growth and decline, with a specific focus on the years 2006 to 2016. The movement’s current state of health is assessed, and the impact of new church planting as the engine for movement growth is described. The article ends by addressing three hard challenges and three bold strategies that the Churches of Christ might employ to promote a new period of growth

Granberg, Stanley E.

English

A Case Study of Growth and Decline: The Churches of Christ, 2006-2016

McMahan, Alan

287great commission research journal
GREAT COMMISSION RESEARCH NETWORK OFFICERS 
(formerly: The American Society for Church Growth)
President:
Dr. James Cho
Board Director
ByGrace Trust
Fullerton, California
(714) 686-8468
E-mail: james.cho@bygracetrust.org
First Vice-President
Dr. Gordon Penfold
Pastor, and Director of Fresh Start Ministries
P.O. Box 178
Eaton, Colorado 80615
(970) 631-6740 (cell)
gordonpnfld@gmail.com
www.startingfresh.net
Second Vice President:
Dr. W. Jay Moon
Professor, Evangelism and Church Planting
E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism
Asbury Theological Seminary
204 N. Lexington Ave. 
Wilmore, KY 40390
(859) 858-3581
jay.moon@asburyseminary.edu
288 great commission research journal
GREAT COMMISSION RESEARCH NETWORK 
GREATCOMMISSIONRESEARCH.NET  
(Formerly: The American Society for Church Growth)
What is the Great Commission Research Network or 
GreatCommissionResearch.net?
The Great Commission Research Network is a worldwide and professional 
association of Christian leaders whose ministry activities are based on the 
basic and key principles of church growth as originally developed by the late 
Donald McGavran. Founded by renowned missiologists George G. Hunter III 
and C. Peter Wagner, the GreatCommissionResearch.net (formally the Amer-
ican Society for Church Growth) has expanded into an affiliation of church 
leaders who share research, examine case studies, dialogue with cutting-edge 
leaders, and network with fellow church professionals who are committed to 
helping local churches expand the kingdom through disciple-making
Who Can Join the GCRN?
GCRN membership is open to all who wish a professional affiliation with 
colleagues in the field. The membership includes theoreticians, such as pro-
fessors of church growth, and practitioners, such as pastors, denominational 
executives, parachurch leaders, church planters, researchers, missions lead-
ers, and consultants. Some members specialize in domestic or mono-cul-
tural church growth, while others are cross-culturally oriented.
Why Join the GCRN?
The GCRN provides a forum for maximum interaction among leaders, min-
istries, and resources on the cutting edge of Great Commission research.
289great commission research journal
The Annual Conference of the Great Commission Research Network 
(typically held in early November each year) offers the opportunity for 
research updates information on new resources and developments, as well 
as fellowship and encouragement from colleagues in the field of church 
growth. Membership in GCRN includes a subscription to the Great Com-
mission Research Journal.
How Do I Join the GCRN?
For further information on membership, the annual meeting and registra-
tion, please visit www.greatcommissionresearch.com
Membership Benefits
•	 Network affiliation with leading writers, consultants, denominational 
leaders, professors of evangelism and church growth, pastors, church 
planters, researchers, and mission leaders
•	 Subscription to the Great Commission Research Journal
•	 Discounts for Annual Conference Registration
•	 Listing of your contact information on the GCRN website in our 
Membership Directory
Membership fees (includes the Journal and all the benefits above):
$49.00/year—Regular Membership / $59.00—Membership outside 
the US
$29.00/year—Student/Senior Adult (65+) Membership / $39.00—
Membership outside the US
290 great commission research journal
The Donald A. McGavran Award
Once a year, the Great Commission Research Network (formerly the American Society for 
Church Growth) presents the Donald A. McGavran Award to an individual who has made a 
significant contribution to the Church Growth Movement in the United States. 
The award recipients to date are:
Win Arn 1989 John Ellas 2003
C. Peter Wagner 1990 Rick Warren 2004
Carl F. George 1991 Charles Arn 2005
Wilbert S. McKinnley 1992 John Vaughan 2006
Robert Logan 1993 Waldo Werning 2006
Bill Sullivan 1994 Bob Whitesel 2007
Elmer Towns 1994 Bill Easum 2009
Flavil R. Yeakley, Jr. 1995 Thom S. Rainer 2010
George G. Hunter, III 1996 Ed Stetzer 2012
Eddie Gibbs 1997 Nelson Searcy 2013
Gary L. McIntosh 1998 J.D. Payne 2014
Kent R. Hunter 1999 Alan McMahan 2015
R. Daniel Reeves 2000 Steve Wilkes 2016
Ray Ellis 2002 Art McPhee 2016
The Win Arn Lifetime Achievement Award
Eddie Gibbs 2011 John Vaughan 2014
Elmer Towns 2012 Gary McIntosh 2015
George G. Hunter III 2013
ASCG/GCRN Past Presidents
C. Peter Wagner 1986 R. Daniel Reeves 1997–1998
George Hunter III 1987 Ray W. Ellis 1999–2000
Kent R. Hunter 1988 Charles Van Engen 2001–2002
Elmer Towns 1989 Charles Arn 2003–2004
Eddie Gibbs 1990 Alan McMahan 2005–2006
Bill Sullivan 1991 Eric Baumgartner 2007–2008
Carl F. George 1992 Bob Whitesel 2009–2012
Flavil Yeakley, Jr. 1993 Steve Wilkes 2013–2014
John Vaughan 1994 Mike Morris 2015–2016
Gary L. McIntosh 1995–1996
291great commission research journal
Submission of Articles: The Great Commission Research Journal welcomes articles of origi-
nal scholarship and of general interest dealing with all aspects of Church Growth, effective 
evangelism and successful Great Commission strategies. Reasoned responses to past articles 
will be considered, as well as book reviews. All manuscripts should not have been published 
elsewhere unless specifically approved by the editor.
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AND WRITERS
292 great commission research journal
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School of Evangelism and Missions, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 
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jmorris@swbts.edu.
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ext. 3269; Fax: 562-903-4851. 


Information onf the Great Commission Research Network

Messerer, Chris

168
BOOK REVIEWS
V O L .  1 0  •  N O . 1  FA LL  2 0 1 8  •  1 6 8  -  1 7 0
Clifton, Mark. Reclaiming Glory: Revitalizing Dying Churches. Nashville: B&H, 2016. 153 
pp. $12.61. 
Reviewed by Chris Messerer, a Ph.D. student at Southwestern Baptist Theological 
Seminary. Chris is majoring in administration and minoring in church vitalization. He 
received his M.Div in preaching and communications from Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, 
Minnesota.
Most books that focus on church revitalization are written to churches 
that are plateaued or beginning to decline. However, many churches in the 
United States are in such disrepair that they are about to close; they are 
defined as dying churches. A book attempting to speak more specifically to 
the dying church in the field of church revitalization is Reclaiming Glory: 
Revitalizing Dying Churches by Mark Clifton. 
Clifton begins Reclaiming Glory by analyzing the proper attitudes of 
church replanting. Even though the author assumes that church replanting 
and church revitalization are synonymous, the two are different, which 
will be discussed below. Clifton’s first section of the book argues that the 
169G R E AT  C O M I S S I O N  R E S E A R C H  J O U R N A L
congregation is best renewed when they repent and remember (14-15). 
The author also explains the proper motivation to replant a church is to 
worship God (18-20). After the book examines the correct attitude and 
motivations, the second chapter defines a dying church as a congregation 
with poor leadership, poor focus, and lack of evangelism (22-30). Next, 
the author proposes questions churches should ask before they begin the 
church replanting process (30-34).
Chapters three and four examine two different lists of characteristics. 
The first list is in chapter three, which describes four different church 
replanting pathways: 1) give the building to a church plant, 2) share the 
building with a church plant, 3) merge with a church plant, or 4) replant 
the church from within (37-51). Chapter four provides another list, which 
discusses six components needed to replant a church effectively. This list 
includes: 1) pray without ceasing, 2) love the church’s remaining members, 
3) exegete the community, 4) simplify the strategy, 5) focus on reaching 
young men, and 6) make disciples who make disciples (54-76).
After discussing these pathways and components, Clifton goes on to 
define success in a church replant and the qualifications of an effective church 
replanter. The book claims success in a church replant is not defined by the 
number of people who attend, but by the transformation of the community in 
which the church is located (112-113). Regarding the qualifications of a strong 
church replanter, the author identifies three attributes: a pastoral leadership 
heart, emotional toughness, and an ability to adapt. The book then concludes 
with the point that “only the divine power of God, the glorious message of 
the gospel, and the effectual calling of the Holy Spirit in the lives of men and 
women will replant a dying church” (141).
Clifton’s work provides multiple elements to consider. The first aspect 
to analyze is the reliance on the God-factor that is often ignored in other 
church revitalization or church replanting books. While the author does not 
ignore the human factor in church revitalization, the beginning and end of his 
argument consist in relying solely on God. This reliance on God is an important 
reminder for pastors going into a church needing revitalization since pastors 
can easily get overwhelmed with the many tasks related to revitalization. This 
book helps the pastor remain steadfast in his faith that God is the one 
building up His church.
170
Another worthy contribution provided in the book, Reclaiming 
Glory, is the chapter describing the characteristics of an effective church 
replanter. A reader can appreciate the clarity provided in this list but will 
recognize that this list should not be exclusive just to church replanters 
but should be characteristic of all pastors. While the Bible does provide 
a list of qualifications for pastors and deacons, Clifton provides a more 
contemporary application of the passages in 1 Timothy and Titus. Also, 
while the Bible provides clear guidelines for pastors, the lists provided in 
Clifton’s book allow any pastor to know how they can be most effective in 
a 21st-century congregation in the United States.  
Perhaps the biggest weakness of this book concerns the matter of focus. 
The subtitle of the book explicitly states that the topic is about church 
revitalization. However, the constant theme throughout the entire book is 
that the topic is about church replanting. Church revitalization and church 
replanting are similar but different enough to warrant different terms. 
Revitalization can be defined as a church using its existing organizational 
structures and traditions while making changes to be healthier with 
the same group of people. Replanting can be defined as using new 
organizational structures and traditions to start an entirely new vision 
with the same group of people. Therefore, the author could do a better job 
clarifying the focus, whether the book is about church replanting or church 
revitalization. Even though the two terms are similar, they are different 
enough to confuse the reader when the terms are used interchangeably. 
In the judgment of this reviewer, the author should have focused his work 
on church replanting rather than blending church replanting and church 
revitalization. 
Another weakness of this book is the lack of depth in the content 
provided. Most of the book consists of examples or stories of churches that 
have implemented a process of revitalization in their church. While this 
can be helpful for the reader to understand the concepts better, most of 
those provided are self-explanatory. The content also raises some questions 
that are left unanswered.
Nevertheless, this book may be a good resource for local associations 
of churches to provide to pastors who are new to the field of church 
replanting and revitalization. It provides a general introduction for pastors 
171G R E AT  C O M I S S I O N  R E S E A R C H  J O U R N A L
entering churches that are dying and need to find health again, and it 
includes examples and stories of the basic principles provided. More 
advanced readers may find the book lacks depth for pastors attempting to 
replant their congregations. Wider reading may be necessary to build on 
this introductory work.
Barna, George. Turnaround Churches: How to Overcome Barriers to Growth and Bring New 
Life to an Established Church. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1993. 111 pp. $4.99.
Reviewed by Harvey Mitchell Jr. Harvey is currently serving in a rural town of 7,800 people 
where he is the lead pastor in a church revitalization. He has seen growth in his church from 
12 people to over 150 in five years. Harvey graduated with a BA in Pastoral Ministries from 
Central Bible College, Springfield, MO, and MDiv from Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, 
CA. He is currently in the first year of a DMin program at Talbot School of Theology, La 
Mirada, CA.
George Barna founded the Barna Group in 1984, which researched 
various issues in culture and in the church. Due to his research, Barna has 
become a well-known cultural and religious researcher, writing over 50 
books. His work is often cited in other publications and scholarly writings.
This book was written to those interested in how to turn around 
established churches that were on a slow spiral towards the end of their 
life cycle as a church. Barna believes that there is a way back to growth and 
vitality, and he uses his many years of research to help churches find a way 
back to life again.
This book opens with the author giving two perspectives of churches. The 
first perspective is of a dying church that needs to be turned around, and 
the second perspective is of a healthy church being able to understand how 
it needs to change over time to stay healthy and growing.  We can simply 
look at the religious landscape in almost any city and see some churches 
that are growing while other churches are declining. The main difference 
is that the declining churches are trying to hold on to a style and memory 
of a past that is no longer here (12). Meanwhile, the growing churches are 
taking time and spending resources to help the church become the church 


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