Flavil Yeakley, Jr is director of the Church Growth Institute at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. He has authored numerous books, and conducts a variety of training workshops in the field of church growth. Presently, Flavil is serving as the President of the North American Society for Church Growth.

Mac Lynn is the chairman of the Bible Department at David Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. Mac is well known for his invaluable work of compiling a directory for churches of Christ, and he has also given us an accurate count of congregations and church membership. His current listing of churches is entitled Churches of Christ in the United States, and is available through Gospel Advocate Company.

Evertt Huffard is associate professor of missiology and director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Harding University Graduate School of Religion in Memphis, Tennessee. He is author of several books, and conducts training worshops in the field of church growth.

As the pace of life quickens there is an urgency to be about the Father's business in a timely and effective manner. Flavil sets the record straight for us about the past growth trends among churches of Christ. He gives us good news and bad news. From my perspective the bad news is that we are basically plateaued as a religious body, I seriously doubt we will remain for long on an even keel. Decision time is now -- will we continue with business as usual or will we pay the price for healthy growth? My guess would be if a large number of churches continue without serious efforts to improve ministry we will see a gradual decline. The good news to me is that each congregation has a choice and growth is possible.

Mac Lynn describes two groups of people who can be reached by determined congregational efforts. "Marginal members" are those individuals found in every congregation who are not considered as the active core membership. Some may not consider them "faithful members." "Mental affiliates" are those folks who have had exposure to church activities as a child, but as adults they are not on any church membership roll. Mac gives us a key ingredient to reach these two groups -- our attitudes. He also presents several important steps to reach and assimilate these folks.

Evertt Huffard presents part I of a three part series on leadership. He begins by helping us see the analogy between a good family leader and an effective church leader.

Flavil ended his article, commenting on our growth potential, with these words, "We have the man power; we have the money power; we have the brain power; and, most of all, we have the power of God. All that we lack is the will power." For a church to generate the will power, it first begins by recognizing that the buck stops with the leadership. And Evertt"s article presents key insights to the process.