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Church Growth Today specializes in research. since 1985, related to the growth, plateau, and decline of both new churches and established churches through two divisions: Center for the Study of Growing Churches and Megachurch Research Center.
The focus of the Center for the Study of Growing Churches is on growing evangelical churches of all sizes. Primary attention is given to both denominational and independent networks of churches with annual net gains in attendance of 100+ people. These churches represent the top 1% of the estimated 400,000+ American congregations.
The focus of the Megachurch Research Center is the study of U.S. and global churches with an average attendance of 2000 people and larger.
Mission
To glorify God, magnify Jesus Christ, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit by leading megachurch, emerging megachurch, and other church leaders of America and the world to anticipate, embrace, and initiate "church growth of biblical magnitude" (TM) through networking and global Kingdom church growth research. Our goal is to help churches "maximize ministry with limited resources." (TM)
Great Commission and Great Commandment church growth is understood to include:
Internal growth (nurture growth)
Expansion growth (growing larger through evangelism), and
Extension growth (growing through the birthing, maturing, and multiplication of multitudes of new congregations of born-again believers committed to reproducing healthy, God-honoring, New Testament churches among all peoples in this and every generation). See: Matthew 28:19-20.
Bridging growth (growing through cross-cultural birthing, maturing and multiplication of new congregations of born-again believers committed to reproducing healthy, God-honoring, New Testament churches among all peoples in this and every generation).
Profile
Dr. John N. Vaughan
AUTHOR:
Megachurches & America's Cities (1993, 2003)
The Large Church (1985)
The World's 20 Largest Churches (1981)
The Complete Book of Church Growth (1981) with Elmer Towns & David Seifert
First book to list the 100 largest and fastest growing U.S. churches
Absolutely Double (1990)
Contributor: Almanac of the Christian World (1991, 1993)
RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND: Southern Baptist Convention; Christian since 1955; ordained minister, 1960; served churches in Tennessee, Texas, Iowa, Mississippi, Alabama.
EDUCATION: Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, CA), D.Min. in Church Growth 1985; Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Ft. Worth, TX), M.Div. 1967; Institute of Religion at Baylor Medical Center/Institute of Religion (Houston, TX), 1966; University of Memphis (Memphis, TN), BA, Sociology and History 1964.
Assistant Professor of Church Growth, Chair of Church Growth, Southwest Baptist University (Missouri) from 1985-1995.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERSHIP (present and past): American Society for Church Growth, President, 1994; charter member and founding editor; Southern Baptist Research Fellowship; Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (responsible for gathering data for the 1990 Church Census in the U.S. for independent and non-affiliated congregations. This was the first time this information had been gathered during the past five decades). This office also conducted the year 2000 Church Census of the same church category.
CONSULTANT: specialty in rapid growing churches, megachurch development, and U.S. and global trends. Experience with national denominations, districts, and local congregations of all sizes representing more than 30 denominations.
PREVIOUS CLIENTS INCLUDE: Saddleback Valley Community Church, Anaheim Vineyard, Colonial Presbyterian Church (KS), Cincinnati Vineyard, Westlink Christian Church (Wichita KS), Church of the Resurrection UMC (KS), Salem Baptist Church (Chicago), Calvary Church-Charlotte, First Church of the Nazarene-Wichita, and others. Corporate clients include: InJoy Ministries, ServiceU (Memphis), Morris Architects (Houston), Long John Silver Corporation, North American Mission Board (NAMB-SBC), Church of the Nazarene - Church Growth Division (Kansas City MO) from 1990-present.
MEDIA: organizations contacting and/or quoting Church Growth Today include:
TELEVISION/RADIO : CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, British Broadcasting Network, Canadian Broadcasting (Primetime News)
U.S. MAGAZINES : US News & World Report, TIME, Forbes, Fortune, American Banker, Money, American Demographics, NY Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times Magazine
FOREIGN : Times of London, The Economist, Telegraph (London). Others: Korea, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Norway, South Africa
UNIVERSITIES : Kennedy School of Government/Harvard University, Princeton University, Purdue University, UCLA, City University of NY, Emory University, University of Seattle, Samford University, Liberty University
CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATIONS : Billy Graham Association, Samaritans Purse, World Vision International, Heritage Foundation
CHRISTIAN PUBLICATIONS : Outreach Magazine, Christianity Today, Moody Monthly, Ministry Today, Charisma, Today's Church, Journal for the American Society for Church Growth, Global Church Growth, British Church Growth Bulletin, The Door (Wittenburg), Focus on the Family, Emerge, Strategies for Today's Leaders, Wycliff Bible Translators, International & National Religion Report, Worship Leader, Walk Thru the Bible
OTHER : Library of Congress, The White House, Bank of the West
U.S. NEWS SERVICES: Associated Press (API), United Press International (UPI), Gannett News Service, Religious News Service (RNS), Baptist Press.
U.S. NEWSPAPERS :
Alabama: Birmingham News, Birmingham Post Herald, Mobile Press Register
Arizona: Arizona Republic (Phoenix), Phoeniz Gazette
DC: Washington Post, Washington Times
Deleware: Wilmington News Journal
California: Los Angeles Times, Fresno Bee, Sacramento Bee, San Diego Union
Colorado: Rocky Mt News, Denver Post
Florida: Miami Herald, Orlando Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Tampa Tribune, Sun Sentinel (Ft Lauderdale), Florida Times Union (Jacksonville)
St Petersburg Times
Georgia: Atlanta Constitution, Augusta Chronicle Herald
Illinois: Chicago Times, Chicago Sun Tribune, South Town Economist (Chicago), The Beacon News (Aurora), Pantagraph (Bloomington)
Indiana: South Bend Tribune
Kansas: Topeka Capitol Journal, Wichita Eagle-Beacon, Lawrence Journal World
Louisiana: Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
Maryland: Baltimore Sun
Massachusetts: Boston Globe
Michigan: Detroit Free Press
Minnesota: Minneapolis Star & Tribune
Missouri: Kansas City Star, St Louis Post Dispatch, Springfield News Leader, Kansas City Business Journal, Herald Free-Press (Bolivar)
Nebraska: Omaha World Herald
New Jersey: Trenton Times, News Tribune (Woodbridge)
New York: New York Times, New York Daily News, Wall Street Journal
Mississippi: Clarion-Ledger (Jackson)
North Carolina: Charlotte Observer
Ohio: Cincinnati Post
Oregon: The Oregonian
Oklahoma: Tulsa World, Tulsa Tribune
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Press
South Carolina: Post & Courier (Charleston), The State (Columbia)
Tennessee: Memphis Commercial Appeal, Chattanooga Times
Texas: Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Houston Post, Ft Worth Star Telegram, Express News (San Antonio), Korean Journal
Virginia: Daily Newspaper (Newport News)
West Virginia: Herald Dispatch (Huntington)
Wisconsin: The Freeman Newspaper (Waukesha)
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