I am beginning a series of posts on the topic of missionary strategy, particularly related to North American church planting strategies. The matter of missionary strategy is regularly on my mind. Recently, however, I have been thinking, writing, and speaking about it more frequently.
My former professor and friend, Dr. Mark Terry and I are co-authoring a book on missionary strategy for the Baker Academic, Encountering Mission series. I am also working on another book with Biblica addressing, among other matters, strategy for reaching and sending international migrants to unreached peoples around the world. Lord willing, these books should be out in 2012. I recently completed a chapter on a strategic matter for a forthcoming book on rural missiology from the North American Mission Board, edited by Dr. George Garner. Also, over the past year I have been in numerous cities and meetings speaking on the topic of urban strategy. This past July, I taught my annual course on church multiplication strategies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. On top of these personal experiences, I have noticed that the conference circuit and blogosphere have their fair share of discussions on or related to strategy. Because of these and a several other related matters, I thought it was time to launch this series.
The next three posts in this series will contain three shifts that are necessary for healthy strategy, as related to church multiplication. These shifts reveal reasons why I believe most North American strategies are inadequate for the awesome task before the Church. Please note: I wrote most in the previous sentence.
These posts provide a general observation. General, yes, but an observation based on fourteen years of ministry experience and the past decade of research regarding mission in North America.
Just as a foundation for a building must be designed properly, missionary strategy must also have a healthy foundation. I hope to provide some assistance in developing the foundation.
But until we get to these three, a few more comments are necessary.
Instant Gratification Causes Us to Run Sprints
As you well know, we live in an instant society. We want results, and we want them now. This unhealthy philosophy has been in the Church for the longest time. And our church planting strategies are not immune to this plague. The result? Our strategies are designed to bring instant gratification, thus allowing us to win the sprint of planting more churches, while failing in the marathon of making disciples.
And we all know that a sprint is about the instant.
The Bible Does Not Tell Us to Plant Churches
We plant churches, but the Bible does not tell us to plant churches. We start worship services and believe we have accomplished the task. We begin events and tell our supporters we have accomplished something tangible, but are these events healthy when it comes to multiplication?
On Strategy, the Kingdom, and Multiplication
Our strategies will produce results such as crowds (both small and large). While I am all for the right crowds, do we ever stop and ask how many in these gatherings have recently come into the Kingdom? How many are transfers from other churches?
Our strategies will produce complex results from the start. Results that generally manifest themselves in churches that are 10, 20, and 50 years old. Have we stopped and thought about the possibilities for multiplication when we begin church planting with such complexity that few of the new believers could ever reproduce what was modeled before them–if God saved them today and called them out to plant churches within a year? Or, maybe God does not work this way? Or, maybe our church multiplication minds can’t even fathom this possibility for strategy? If so, maybe, our church multiplication strategies are not strategies for multiplication at all?
Multiplication is an Act of the Sovereign Lord
Now, I must begin by writing that no multiplication (movement) will happen apart from the sovereignty of God. The Church cannot create movement. It is an act of the Spirit. We cannot program it. It is not achieved in four or five easy steps. However, we can hoist the sails on our boats so that if the Spirit does decide to move, He would be able to guide us in the direction of His will for the moment. An Old Testament story should give us reason to pause: The Lord desired His people to enter the Promised Land, and enter they did–forty years later. Our Father’s will will be done in North America, but will our generation be the means by which His Spirit may move to multiply disciples, leaders, and churches?
I can’t say with certainty that we will be the means. I can say that I do not believe the majority of North American church planting strategies are positioning us for possible movement. And so, I write this series.
Next post in series: Shift #3–The Philosophical Shift
JD, where does the idea come from that someone should/would/could plant a church within the first year of their conversion? I think from reading your stuff that you do not equate church planter (apostolic calling) and elder (pastor, qualifications in pastoral epistles) but would it in any way be wise for a “recent convert” to plant a church after say 10 months?
Great question, Reid. I am not advocating an official time line, other than I believe our expectations are generally higher than the scriptural prescriptions. Stay tuned. Until then, I would say the same apostle who said don’t lay hands on someone too quickly AND taught the whole council of God was the same apostle who desired the gospel to spread rapidly and usually raised up elders in less than 3 years–assuming Ephesus was the longest tenure he had.
JD- Really appreciate your posts, thanks for the good work.
Just wanted to commend one church body to you, Soma Communities in Tacoma, WA. I recently left the golden cage of a stable pastoral position and moved my family cross-country to train with them for church planting. I’ve made this big change because I am so enthused about the work the Spirit is doing through this body. The elders are intentional about shaping everything @ Soma around the mission of being/making disciples in the flow of everyday life, specifically in a way that is reproducible and transferable. Everyone I’ve met in the body seems to be on board with this Gospel call, and remarkable things are happening. Idols of the heart are being exposed and the Lord Jesus is calling people to real Gospel repentance and faith. People in despair are finding hope in Christ. Neighborhood-based Christian communities are multiplying. Other churches new and old are becoming part of the Soma family for the sake of Gospel mission. Leaders are being mentored/trained for church planting(see http://www.antiochnw.org). And now God is spreading the Soma family to cities all over the US (soma-missionalmusings.blogspot.com/2010/05/city-center-hubs-in-n-america.html).
By no means is it all perfect, but man is it great to see God at work in such remarkable ways.
Here’s to God bringing real, lasting revival to our land through the multiplication of Gospel-believing and Gospel-revealing churches.
Interesting. I received a personal email yesterday–a kind of rebuke–on some recent work which did not produce the expected fruit of church planting, but the work accomplished was solidly and unequivocally a movement of the Holy Spirit. I pondered the great commission in Matthew 28 as I reflected on the rebuke. Without a lot of explanation or detail, Jesus commissions us to go, and make disciples, baptize and teach. I don’t see church planting in that commission. And while Luke 10 demonstrates a method for finding people to disciple, it is by no means a command for planting churches, either. The more I ponder the issue, the more I conclude that planting churches is the work of the Holy Spirit birthed from our obedience to the great commission. And that can sometimes take a great deal of time and patience.
Dr. David Sills speaks of churches which were haphazardly planted in Equador with little to no discipleship or teaching methods to the brethren. What’s left is spiritual deadness and brokenness mixed with a lot of confusion and syncretism. Rapid church planting initiatives must be bathed in prayer, direction and wisdom from the Lord, or it is no better a result than the evangelism explosion of the early 90s.
Thank you, Chris for sharing. Yes, I am somewhat familar with what Soma has been doing. Keep up the great work for the Kingdom! Stay in touch.
Well said, Angela. Thank you for sharing your personal experience and insights from which we can learn.