Church Migration: an Investigation at God First City Church

Abstract

The quantitative research looks at reasons for church migration amongst respondents recruited from God First City Church, Johannesburg.(GFCC), recording the push factors that caused respondents to leave their congregation of origin and identifying the pull factors that drew them to their destination congregation. Thequantitative research also looks at respondents’ understandingofthe essence of the church.An attempt is then made to determine whether their reasons for church migration are related to their understanding of the essence of the church.To add to a better understanding of the quantitative research question this report also draws on the integrated master course done by the author on the essence of the church as seen through thelens of Pauline theology, and on the historical nature of the church as seen through the views of the church fathers,until the Great Reformation of 1564. The quantitative research findings reveal the predominant reasons for respondents to move from their “congregationof origin”to GFCC(pull factors), to beleadership, worship and preaching. The “push” factorsthat caused respondents to leave their “congregation of origin“ are the same as the pull factors that drew them to GFCC.Strong agreement was found between how respondents understand the essence of the church today and how it was described in Pauline theology and by the historical church.Recommendations based on these findings have been made to the leadership of GFCCto take into consideration for further growth and development of their community