A term that has been given major emphasis in recent years is church planting, with an accompanying emphasis on church growth. While both of these terms are on the surface benign, they carry with them an inherent danger--they are doctrinally neutral (in other words, generic). The commonly accepted church-growth principles are largely based on those that could be applied to any successful organization, be it a bank or a fast-food chain. Church-growth principles are often little more than adaptations of principles employed by Madison Avenue and driven by the needs perceptions of the target market. It goes without saying that in establishing an Adventist church the question of what its doctrines will be is not left up to the local church members. Membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church means that the person has accepted the doctrines established by our denomination. |