Donald McGavran's The Bridges of God

Chapter one of McGavran’s work posits a crucial question: namely, how are people groups and cultures—rather than simply individuals—changed in order to become Christian. Such a question is foundational to understanding the processes of church growth and church planting, for if we subscribe to the notion that church is intricately tied to the construct of community, then we must look at cultures holistically in order to transform a people group most effectively.

In chapter two, McGavran continues his examination of the perils associated with a Western individualist viewpoint and discusses the need for Christianization to occur from within a culture. McGavran argues that a culture makes its decisions as a group, and thus a “people movement to Christ” is the most effective form of Christianizing a culture. I found McGavran’s discussion on the two stages of Christianization—discipling and “perfecting the people” (e.g. making ethical changes in a community, moving the people towards a Christian way of life, etc.)—to be the most beneficial for my understanding of the kinds of needs that must be met when establishing a new church plant. Transformation must occur from within the culture or community rather than pulling individuals out of their known world of daily living. Key to this transformation and the establishment of a new Christian community is a reorientation of a culture around the figure of Jesus, his teachings, and his way of life.

Chapters three and four examine Biblical and historical examples of successful “people movements to Christ.” These two chapters are not particularly beneficial for my final paper.

In chapter five, McGavran discusses the “mission station approach” to mission that was prevalent in the 1800s and early 1900s. Such an approach is invitational and individualist in nature and involves expecting new converts to Christianity to set themselves apart from their culture. According to McGavran, the mission station approach frequently fails and has little success in bringing large groups of people to Christ. Furthermore, such an approach turns the practice of mission into something that is programmatic and institutional rather than a changing and growing organic process that occurs within a culture.

Chapter six moves to a discussion on the new stage in which mission praxis finds itself—people movements—and examines examples of such movements in non-Western settings. Because my final paper most likely will be focused on a church plan for a Western context, the specifics of this chapter do not apply readily to me. Of importance in this chapter, however, is the notion that people movements are immersed in a particular culture which then sets the tone for the rest of the movement. Equally important is the idea that the exploration of new ecclesiastical traditions within these people movements allows for a community to discover to what Christian practices its people will most respond.

In chapter seven, McGavran addresses the importance of critically analyzing a mission endeavor and not merely supporting it indiscriminately even when such a movement bears little fruit of discipleship and growth. In order to do so, we must make a mental shift and view the church, which lives and works in particular cultures, rather than the mission station as the focal point of our mission endeavors.

Chapter eight addresses the importance of cooperating with churches that are growing and allowing indigenous movements to flourish and become independent as the most effective ways of expanding the Kingdom. Such an approach emphasizes the linking together of churches so that they can provide support and stability to one another and thus continue to expand outward into culture rather than bringing converts inward.

Chapter nine raises the question of how the older approach to mission praxis—the mission stations—can and should relate to the rising number of people movements around the world. A similar question exists today about how to incorporate Western ecclesiological tradition with the new manifestations of the church that are on the rise. Overall, I found McGavran’s answer to this question to be a bit heavy handed in terms of the employment of specific strategies. While I agree with him that the church is growing in certain areas of the world more than it is in others, I do not necessarily believe that priority should thus be given to people movements in these areas of the globe. Such a strategy brings with it the potential for certain cultures and communities to be neglected by mission efforts.

While financial aspects are important to consider when creating a church planning model, I do not feel as though chapter ten of McGavran’s book provides any insight for my final paper.

Chapter eleven and McGavran’s call for increased research on the mission practices of people movements likewise are inapplicable to my final paper.

Finally, in chapter twelve, McGavran sums up his book by arguing that mission ultimately is a call for us to march alongside God and to have a heart for the nations just as he does. This idea complements the notion of the missio dei.