Online Journal Article: "The Depiction Of Church Growth In Acts" JETS 60/2 (2017): 317–32

https://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/60/60-2/JETS_60-2-317-332_Wilson.pdf

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https://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/60/60-2/JETS_60-2-317-332_Wilson.pdf

From the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS)
JETS 60/2 (2017): 317–32
THE DEPICTION OF CHURCH GROWTH IN ACTS
BENJAMIN R. WILSON*
Abstract: While the book of Acts is frequently appropriated as a model for church growth
within the Christian community, the theme of church growth within the narrative of Acts has
seldom been analyzed in a sustained way. The present article investigates the ways in which the
book of Acts depicts the numerical growth of the church and the expansion of the Christian
mission, identifying five strands of material in Acts which bear directly upon the literary depiction of church growth within the narrative. The article concludes with some reflections regarding
the theme of church growth in Acts and its implications for those who seek to appropriate Acts
for the growth of the church today.
Key words: church growth, Acts, ecclesiology, evangelism, mission, outreach, numerical
growth