List of Contents Introduction: What this book is about 7 Part 1: Church growth between spiritualism and institutionalism 13 1. The starting point of natural church development: Bipolar ecclesiology 1 2. Danger to the right: The institutionalistic misconception 2 3. Danger to the left: The spiritualistic misconception 32 4. The fight between spiritualism and institutionalism 39 5. The root of the misconceptions: The impersonal God 9 6. Functionality as a theological criterion? 6 7. The interdenominational approach 7 8. Three Reformations 82 Part 2: The theological paradigm behind natural church development 97 Diagram of the bipolar paradigm 98 A. Christian faith 101 1. What is truth? The conflict about correct doctrine 103 2. Christian faith and fundamentalism: The conflict about Scripture 112 3. Between legalism and “cheap grace”: The conflict about law and liberty 126 B. Christian fellowship 136 1. “The ritual makes the Christian”: The conflict about baptism and communion 138 2. Between supra-historical and anti-historical tendencies: The conflict about tradition and change 151 3. Spiritual unity or monopolism? The conflict about church planting and cooperation 161 C. Christian service 173 1. “The priesthood of all believers”: The conflict about gifts and office 175 2. The dream of the Christian state: The conflict about Christians in politics 189 3. “Make them come in”: The conflict about evangelism and conversion 199 Part 3: The biotic approach to church growth 213 1. The new paradigm 214 2. Natural church development 233 3. Can we “make” the church grow? 252 4. Thriving in the third millennium 26 Bibliography 273 Index 278