STEELING SHEEP: The Church’s Hidden Problems With Transfer Growth

STEELING SHEEP: The Church’s Hidden Problems With Transfer Growth.
by William Chadwick-senior pastor Stroodwater Christian Church, Portland, Maine.
(c) 2001 InterVarsity Press pp.187 price 19.95 pb

Confronting the Issue.
Church growth is no longer about numerical growth. Church transfer is a cost to Christendom. Church growth critics are not friends of leaders of growing churches. Sheep steeling is identified as "transfer growth driven by motivations that do reflect healthy kingdom practices and values."p.8.
PART 1
Ch.1. Sheep Steeling. 2Sam. 12:1-7.
Sheep have qualities that make them stealable. Church commitment has been impacted by consumerism. Sheep steeling often takes the form of proselytizing parishioners. It is easier to get churched people to come to your church than unchurched people. Five reasons are given for ‘legitimate’ sheep steeling. "One rarely perceives evil when one is profiting from it." Transfer growth is not really growth it is the circulation of the saints.
Ch.2. Bleating Sheep.
Apparently transfer growth was the subject of the author’s doctoral disortation. Church is defined. It is among other things universal. It is a congregation. It is the body of Christ. "Transfer growth is in essence, I believe, an act of rebellion against the sovereignty of God." p.41. (It gets worse.) Radical individualism is divisive to a church. Community and unity are essential to the church.
PART 2.
Ch. 3. Have You Any Wool?
A brief history is given of the Church Growth Movement, especially as it was developed at Fuller Theological Seminary. It turns out that the decade of the movement (1980’s) was not a decade of actual growth. The names of several churches are given which were commited to and are experiencing evangelistic growth. This is kingdom growth. Transfer growth is not kingdom growth..
Ch.4. Counting Sheep.
The church growth movement is accused of giving "numbers the authority to define success or failure in a ministry". p.81. Transfer growth is defined as cheap growth. The author talks about McGavran’s ‘Maximizing Principle’ regarding numerical growth. In it stewardship was calculated in terms of productivity. This principle actually attacked non-growing, non-productive churches and organizations. With the ‘Maximizing Principle’ came the ‘Transfering of Resources Principle’. p.90. This componded the problem.
PART 3.
Ch. 5. Fleecing the Sheep.
Seven deadly sins are listed and discussed which are a direct cost of transfer growth.
Ch. 6. The Good Shepherd.
The author suggests a three fold ‘solution’ to sheep steeling. (transfer growth.)
1. Develop an evangelistic focus that is effective in reaching the lost.
2. Explore ways to develop covenants with other area churches to help sustain no transfer growth.
3. Change the standard way we respond to church hopping and related issues.
Comment. hd
My personal experience makes it difficult to accept the author’s position of lumping all transfer growth as negative growth. Sheep steeling is not a fair term to describe transfer growth. How does the author justify the practice of pastors changing churches? Is this shepherd steeling? There is something wrong with this picture.