Incorporation & Assimilation   

There are at least two ways for a church family to grow: 1) by increasing the number of people who become members and attend worship services and Bible classes; 2) by increasing the faith and spiritual maturity in the people who are already in the church.
Flavil Yeakley, who once spent a lot of time studying church growth statistics, said: "In a typical church there are around 160 members and only eight baptisms per year. Six children of church members and two other people who are baptized each year in that typical congregation. Half of these eventually drop out of the church. The typical congregation is baptizing only four permanent converts per year. When the average annual death rate is subtracted that leaves a net annual growth rate of less than one percent."
Someone once said: “Evangelism is not complete without the new Christians becoming an active part of the church.” Also: “It is unChristian for a congregation to seek new members unless it is willing and able to accept them into that called out community.”
Matthew 28:19-20 shows that the process of making disciples begins prior to baptism and continues after baptism. If the teaching, caring, and loving stops once baptism has occurred, then we have stopped short of our full responsibility. Evangelism does not end with conversion.
Two words come to mind. First, incorporation, which means to combine or mix together (Acts 2:5 “Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men, from every nation under heaven.”). And second, assimilation, which is the process of absorption, suggesting an intrinsic bonding of the various items being combined (Ephesians 2:19 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.”)
In other words, incorporation is bringing different things (people) together, while assimilation is the point at which those differences are no longer apparent. Both are truly important in helping the church to grow.

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