The second implication is that the growth God is looking for in our world is growth in people. - Colin Marshall

Treinar evangelistas exige tempo.” (pp. 26)

But it’s interesting how little the New Testament talks about church growth, and how often it talks about ‘gospel growth’ or the increase of the ‘word’. The focus is on the progress of the Spirit-backed word of God as it makes its way in the world, according to God’s plan. Returning to our vine metaphor, the vine is the Spirit-empowered word, spreading and growing throughout the world, drawing people out of the kingdom of darkness into the light-filled kingdom of God’s beloved Son, and then bearing fruit in their lives as they grow in the knowledge and love of God. The vine is Jesus, and as we are grafted into him, we bear fruit (John 15:1-11).

é interessante que o Novo Testamento fala pouco sobre crescimento de igreja e fala frequentemente sobre ‘crescimento do evangelho’ ou crescimento da ‘Palavra’” (pp. 45)