Biblical church planting is not focused on getting people to commit to attendance to a weekly meeting. Nor is it focused on attracting disaffected Christians from other weekly meetings. Biblical church planting is focused on penetrating unredeemed social and family networks with the good news of the kingdom and calling people out of darkness into loving obedience to Jesus and into a committed relationship with other “Jesus” followers.
Transfer growth or new conversion growth?
Church planting that aims to draw “Christians” from other churches into a new church through nicer facilities, more contemporary music, better Bible exposition or excellent programming meeting “felt needs” is a more like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic than New Testament style church planting. One may successfully gather Christians together and call it a new church, but the overall church in a city or nation may suffer. Christians are moved around into different configurations and denominational brands, but the kingdom of God may not be advanced!
The purpose of church planting is not to provide a pastor with an income; the purpose of church planting is to find and convert lost people into committed followers of Christ and disciple them into a kingdom lifestyle that will be an attractive light to others in their same demographic social network. For that reason, in this paper, I am only dealing with church planting that focuses primarily on conversion growth.
Churches that are started with methods or strategies that seek to facilitate transfer growth from other churches rarely or never become effectively evangelizing churches and rarely reproduce themselves. On the other hand, churches that are started through effective and biblical (and relational) evangelism will likely reproduce and become effective in reaching out to secular people.
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You're preaching to the choir! I agree 100%. My problem: I adopted this philosophy several years ago, but have as yet to gather anyone except other believers. We haven't taken anyone from another church, but neither have we evangelized anyone. Even though I have broken out of the Christian bubble to some degree, I am still vocationally employed in the bubble (Christan school). And the "Band of Believers" group of which we are a part, is made up of young couples all of whom were in varying degrees in their walk when we came together. So, even though many of us will agree with what you're saying, many of us, also, aren't very good at doing it.
ReplyDeleteI´m not very good at it either...neither of us are gifted as evangelists. However, I am making a pretty radical effort by my immersing myself among unchurched, secular people. It has required me to distance myself from "church culture"...and the court is still out. However, I now have a "community" of friends that are unchurched and secular...30 or 40 people, and at least a half a dozen have their feet pointed toward Christ, to use Bob Mumford´s phrase. I think that to do this requires extreme patience...something I don~t have much of, but I make up for it with stubborness.
ReplyDeleteout of time...talk to you later!
J, good comment. I think that leaving one culture and immersing yourself in another is critical. Not that we leave behind key relationships with a few Christians, but we leave behind the organization. We maintain the relationships and gain from the encouragement that comes when we need it to manifest Christ in the world. Another key that you hit on is the idea that you were actually seeking community among the lost. Not a saved person who condescends to the lost to "witness" to them, but someone who is committed to relationship with them for as long as is needed. I believe our focus on event based conversions must be replaced with long term relationships that reorient people to Christ. We will see Spiritual Reality invade this space over time. Actual born again individuals being regenerated in the Spirit and becoming fruitful. We are in a period of paradigm shift that requires pioneers. We are turning over soil, breaking up hard ground, and sowing... but in the end God must pour out the rain! Let's not grow weary in doing good and if we find ourselves planted in a community of "the lost" when the rain poors there will be massive bloom. The old church will only experience erosion. In Christ, Matt Brennan
ReplyDeletethanks Matt...I couldn´t agree more. lets see who else will contribute....
ReplyDeleteThis is good. Matt, right on. "Seeking community among the lost"
ReplyDeleteJoe, these papers you are righting are great. I have enjoyed reading them and they are encouraging me to keep stepping out.
I think in the near future there wont be an organization to leave behind, because it wont be there. It is a time of transition and the old wine skin is being removed.
thanks for your comments William and Matt. I was starting to feel a little discouraged with getting this conversation started about church planting ("advancing the kingdom" re: my conversation with Dick Scoggins). We shall continue.
ReplyDeleteI am having some great interaction with some very sharp young academics here in Brazil. Monday night, I "hung out" with a group of them, drinking and smoking, for about 3 hours (with no agenda). Then, Tuesday, I went to a deep level with one guy about Christs ethics and the church.
Dont know if this approach is fruitful yet, but I sure am having fun trying.