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Originally Posted by Terry
Even if the projections are extremely conservative say 2%, for an assembly of 50 that's 1 person a year. Is that realistic? In any given assembly it's achievable growth.
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The main problem is that the attrition rate is so high. No matter how many coming in, look at how many are leaving. Leaders like Andrew Yu and Minoru Chen may hearken back to glory days when new member growth was high and established member attrition was low, resulting in overall positive effect, but the reason is simple: in the early days ignorance abounded, and naive optimism. Lee hid the past in the Far East, and there was no internet.
Everyone thought it was so simple. Just call "Oh Lord", he'll change your life. The "normal Christian church life" will naturally follow, as night follows day. The Body will build itself up in love, etc. But all that didn't happen. We got Daystar, then turmoil after storm after rebellion. Then the Chinese face of the Nee/Lee programme emerged, and we got their version of the Great Leap Forward.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Hymnal.net
I’m walking down the road
That leads to glory.
I’m pressing toward the mark
By enjoying God!
I don’t know so much,
Just to love Him.
I’m walking down the road,
Glory, here I come.
With the brothers and the sisters,
We enjoy Him day by day.
It’s so simple and easy,
Our worries flee away.
Now we’re growing together,
As one big family,
Abiding in the joy of the Lord.
Etc
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"It's so simple and easy..." it's too simple, unfortunately, and too easy. We found out the hard way. Next thing we knew, we were in Taiwan under the "God-Ordained Way", getting our sock drawers inspected.
And regarding the shifting footnote on "you all can prophesy" in 1 Cor 14, everyone knows that LC 'truths' are malleable, not fixed. Things mean whatever the 'oracle' needs them to mean today.