Church growth models have been developed with system dynamics and implemented in “Stella” produced by ISEE Systems, enabling anyone to experiment with the models using intuitive controls. The Stella model is available from the same site.
- How to Build a Model of Church Growth. Simulation using system dynamics. Talks through the process of model building step by step. Acts as an introduction to SD.
- Limited Enthusiasm Model – This is the equivalent of the model in Mathematical Modeling of Church Growth, and is used in all the listed publications. The core model deals with growth during revival.
Models – Technical Details
Church Growth models have all been developed using system dynamics, although some did originate as mathematical models using systems of differential equations. The standard method is to analyse and test the models using mathematics, simulation and system dynamics techniques. The models have been implemented in simulation software: Stella, Vensim, MathCad and in the author’s own programs written in the Ada programming language.