T'ain't Necessarily So

Brian Orme, a Southern Baptist expert in church trends, has written an article challenging assumptions of church growth and labeling them as "Ten Old Wives Tales about Church Growth."  Here are his main points:

1. If You’re Not Growing, Something’s Wrong
2. The More You Grow, the Healthier You Are
3. Contemporary Music Will Save Your Church
4. Church Growth Can Be Manufactured
5. If Your Church Grows, Your Leader Is “Anointed”
6. If Your Church Doesn’t Grow, It’s a Problem with the Leader
7. Good Preaching Is the Answer to Growing Your Church
8. You Will Retain a Large Percentage of Your Visitors on Special Days
9. The More Programs You Offer, the More Your Church Will Grow
10. If You Build It, They Will Come

I agree that each of these needs to be exposed for what they are.  My only reservation is that he sometimes does not go far enough to butcher the sacred cow.  Somebody should get that guy a meat grinder.