Abstract:
The birth of the small congregation involves the calling of people, who are touched and are taken up in a mystical way into a movement that follows Jesus. In this way, members are introduced to another dimension underlying day to day life. With regard to the postnatal development, the quantitative increase or decrease of the congregation is considered. There are many reasons why people may join or sever themselves from a congregation but, in this regard, the relationship with God is fundamental. The qualitative development of a congregation relates to the interplay between context and calling on the one hand, and on the other, context and Christian tradition. Questions from own ranks as well as from outsiders may refer to the realization of the congregation's calling and the meaning of tradition in a particular context. These questions may lead to renewal. An ecclesiological meditation is incomplete if factors retarding the growing and learning process are disregarded. Attention to factors promoting such a process gives ground thereto. In this regard group dynamic analyses are helpful.
