To study the church growth of the Hong Kong Evangelical Church from 2003 to 201

This research paper studied the church growth of the Hong Kong Evangelical Church (HKEC) from 2003 to 2012. The HKEC had twenty churches in Hong Kong, including both independent and dependent churches. Almost half of the churches were congregations under 100 people and some were 50 or less. In 2014, the HKEC celebrated its 60th Anniversary, and at this time we asked ourselves, "Have we been faithful stewards in developing His church?" "How can we further develop our churches?";After reviewing the Biblical and Theological literature, two of the overarching themes of 1 Corinthians 3:5-17 were the Sovereignty of God and the Efforts of Man. Both of these factors are essential for the growth of a church. This growth is absolutely produced by God because He is the One who brings growth (v.6). But, on the other hand, the people of God putting effort into building the church of God is also a crucial factor for a growing church (v.10). Furthermore, through the review of literature, we find the factors of leadership, evangelism, discipleship, small group ministry and lay ministry are the foundation for a church to develop, especially for small churches.;Through the data collection from annual reports and one-on-one interviews with the pastors (senior pastor if applicable) and deacons of five selected churches, seven transferable principles and practices were discovered. These principles included (1) a stable and committed pastor, (2) building trust among leaders, (3) having plans to reach out to people, (4) small groups and warm relationships, (5) leadership development, (6) encourage the laypeople to serve, (7) The Holy Spirit and His works.