The church growth movement, which is one of the most influential school of mission theology in the 20th century, was born in the postcolonial turmoil which traditional Western churches began to experience stagnation and decline on the home front in North America as well as Europe. In this climate of uncertainty, the research of Donald A. McGavran who had been influenced by the research project of J. Wascon Pickett for the church growth in India, questioned the status quo in missions. This produced The Bridges of God (1955) which suggests new ways to envision the missionary task of the churches. Later on McGaveran’s church growth theories based on research continually challenged the traditional mission strategies and suggested more effective and culturally sensitive ways to win people to Christ. Under his influence, church growth, together with his strong recommendation to adopt research for the church growth, became an indispensable and essential] condition of missions. It is because effective mission strategy based on research for church growth is an indicator of faithfulness to God's command to him. Whereas early church growth movement was mainly concerned with the twothird world church, in 1970s it had been applied into the North American church. Later on many institutes of church growth and church growth scholars have influenced missiology through the different research models. However, it is notable that, while social scientists focus on the contextual factors over which the church have no control, McGavran’s research paradigm usually emphasizes on institutional factors over which the church has control. Nevertheless, it does not discard its contextual factors. By accepting the methodologies of social sciences, the church growth movement has continually developed the effective manuals for research to standardize the research procedures. Although research is not a perfect tool for church growth, strategic research for church growth may well be the most important legacy of church growth movement.

This study is to investigate the relation between the revival and the growth of churches. This is, however, not to verify but to examine the historical process of it. I will show how the revival and the growth of churches have been related historically. For this, two kinds of data will be used. The first, in relation to a revival, is the novel A Revival by Giyoung Lee(1895-1984). the writer of North Korea, which satirized revivals of Korean churches from a critical perspective. Through this novel, I discriminate the difference and similarity between the present revivals of church and the early revivals of 80 years ago. And I approach the features of revivals and then the essence of revival movements. Secondly, concerning church growth, I discuss the relation between church growth and its revival movement which is based on McGavran’s Understanding Church Growth. I approach the relation by McGavran’s point of view. Finally I consider the situation of today’s Korean churches and presented their revival movement as a challenging subject.

Die Gemeindewachstumsbewegung ist ein missiologischer Terminus, der eine programmatische Bedeutung hat und vor allem in der Missiologie des 20. Jahrhunders eine große Rolle spielt. Sie glaubt, daß die Kirche wachsen kann. Das soll Gottes Wille sein. Die Bibel soll diese Theorie unterstützen. Daher hat sie ihre Theologie. Den theologischen Auftakt zur Kirchenwachstumsbewegung bildet D. McGavrans (1897- 1991) 1955 erscmenenes Buch “ The Bridges of God." Theologisch bleibt sie evangelikal-konservativ, wenngleich ihre Forschungsmethoden unkonventionell sind: 1. Die Herrlichkeit Gottes als Hauptziel des Menschen; 2. Die Souveränität Gottes und Verantwortung der Menschen; 3. Die Exklusivität des Heils durch Christus; 4. Die Herrschaft Christi; 5. Die Autorität der Heiligen Schrift; 6. Die gegenwärtigen und eschatologischen Wirklichkeiten der Sünde, des Heils, und des ewigen Todes; 7. Die gegenwärtige und zukünftige Wirklichkeit des Reiches Gottes Der Begriff “Kirchenwachstum" stammt aus McGavrans Konzept. Weil er die traditionellen rnissiologischen Begriffe “Mission" und “ Evangelsation" nicht als frisch hielt, setzt er die Wörter “ Kirche" und “ Wachstum" zusammen. Aus diesem Hintergrund entwirft P. Wagner seine Definition von dem Kirchenwachtum: “ Church Growth means all that is involved in bringing men and women who do not have a personal relationship to Jesus Christ into fellowship with him and into responsible church membership." T. Rainer beschreibt diese Definition ausführlicher: “ Church Growth is that discipline which seeks to understand, through bibJical, sociological, historical, and behaviorial study, why churches grow or decline. True church growth takes place when ‘Great Commission' disciples are added and are evidenced by responsible church membership. The discipline began with the foundational work of Donald McGavran." Darauf kommt die Definition von der Gemeindewachstumsbewegung: “ The Church Growth Movement includes all the resources of people, institutions, and publications dedicated to expounding the concepts and practicing the principles of church growth, beginning with the foundational work of Donald McGavran in 1955." Doch hinter dieser Wachstumsbewegung verbirgt sich noch irnmer die Wirklichkeit von dem Leiden der armen Menschen. Durch diese mit dem kommerziellen Kapitalismus und Marketing Strategie eng verbundene Gemeindewachstumsbewegung erfährt die Kirche, daß die großen Kirchen immer reicher und größer und die kleinen immer kleiner werden. Hier muβ sich ihre Theologie besonders der Missio dei zuwenden. Bei diesem Artikel handelt sich es um eine Einführung und diese kritische Annährung von der Theologie der Gemeindewachstumsbewegung.

Church growth movement began with Donald A. McGavran’ s book The Bridges of God. The book shows that people movements are effective means wbereby people can become a Christian in tbe form of mass conversion. In the same vein, McGavran claimed that “ Men like to become Christians without crossing social, linguistic, or class barriers." He founded the Institute of Church Growth through which be propelled cburch growth movement although he struggled in its early stage. He published the Church Growth Bulletin periodically which was read among missionaries and pastors all over the world. He became the Dean of School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary. There he taught mission courses with Alan Tippett, Ralph Winter, Artbur Glasser, and Charles Kraft. He published a classic textbook Understanding Church Growth in which he explained whatever he wanted to express concerning church growth in the world. He authored with Arthur Glasser Contemporary Theologies of Mission to defend evangelical theologies of mission against ecumenical theologies of mission. He is called “ the father of the church growth movement." C. Peter Wagner was impressed by McGavran’s teaching about church growth and his book The Bridges of God. He was invited by McGavran to teach church growth courses at Fuller Theological Seminary. He experienced divine healing when he attended a revival meeting in his mission field of Latin Arnerica. He published lots of books concerning church growth, spiritual gifts, and spiritual battles. He became the best disciple of Donald McGavran and revised Understanding Church Growth although he missed a crucial chapter regarding discipling urban populations. He maintained the evangelical theologies of mission and stressed making disciples of all nations based On the Great Commission. He authored the Third Wave of the Holy Spirit. Among his books, Church Growth and the Whole Gospel and Strategies for Church Growth are more theological than others. These two books deal with theological foundations for church growth. He stressed intercessory prayer through which Kingdom of God is extended. He taught the course “ The Ministry of Healing and World Evangelization" (MC 510) with John Wimber who left Fuller Theological Seminary to lead Vineyard movement. In addition to these two men, George Hunter, Eddie Gibs, Win Arn, Kent Hunt, Elmer Towns, Charles Chaney, Lyle Schaller, Delos Miles, Ralph Winter, William Easum, and Thom Rainer have studied church growth and taught it. Church growth was criticized by many but it became a science in theological circles. The church growth movement today tends to be evangelical while accepting a holistic position. As McGavran pointed out, the 19th century was the great century in terms of mission, but the 20th century became the century of church growth. The key of church growth movement is discipling all nations of the world. In doing so, all Christians are called to reach many groups of people who are yet to be Christians aIl over the world. The church growth movement is essential to reach them.