| The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a ministry strategy for the growth of the Buffalo Chinese Christian Church (BCCC). This church was started from a Chinese Bible study group, with only a few participants, meeting in the house of a Chinese professor at the University of Buffalo during the early sixties. At present, the average Sunday worship attendance of this only Chinese church at Buffalo, New York is about 135, which is approximately 5.4% of the total Chinese population of the area. The church should continue to grow.; There are three goals for this dissertation: (1) to demonstrate a strong biblical ground for church growth principles, (2) to show the feasibility of applying the church growth principles to a highly complex group of people, that is, in this case, a group of Chinese Christians from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Malaysia and other Far East countries as well as those being born here, and (3) to plan for the growth of BCCC.; This dissertation contains five chapters. The first and the second chapters lay down the theology of church growth and the biblical foundation of six church ministries. The characteristics of the Chinese community and the Chinese churches in the United States will be delineated in chapter three. The issue of Chinese-American assimilation will be discussed. The major factors relating to the growth of Chinese churches will also be discussed in this chapter. The growth of BCCC in the last decade will be analysed in chapter four. A strategy for growth will be presented in chapter five.; The first four chapters are the bases built for the strategy in chapter five. Strategies for growth emphasize on (1) the commitment from church members, (2) quality in worship service, (3) spiritual nurture from Sunday school, (4) different fellowships and small groups for Christian fellowship and evangelism, and (5) attaining a balance of the church being a family of families and forming different small groups according to the homogeneous unit principle. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the church should grow for God's glory. |
