Methods Must Be Highly Reproducible
Now we come to the third post in this series on the inadequacy of most North American church planting strategies. If you did not catch the first two, you can find them here: Post 1 and Post 2.
The next shift in our countdown is a methodological shift, in order for the Church to be poised for the multiplication of disciples, leaders, and churches. Closely connected to the aforementioned philosophical shift (see last post) is this shift in the realm of practicality.
Shift #2: We must shift from church planting methods that are difficult to reproduce to methods that are highly reproducible.
All church planting methods are reproducible. The question we should ask is "How reproducible is what we have modeled before the people reproducible by the people?" If we tell the new church to imitate us as we imitate Christ, how much of what we have modeled before them in both belief and practice is reproducible by them when it comes to planting other churches?
When we teach them how to study the Bible, we keep the process simple. When we teach them how to pray, we keep it simple. When we teach them how to share their faith, we keep it simple. Why? Because the things of the Lord are not complicated. Jesus did the hard part. Now, the literate and illiterate, the rich and poor, the educated and uneducated can serve Him faithfully. And just as His calling to us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12) is not some complicated process well beyond the reach of any Spirit-filled kingdom citizen, likewise the planting of churches is not some complicated task that very few could ever do.
Must they be God-called, and Spirit-filled? Of course! But, I wonder if our methods are communicating to such people: "You cannot plant churches."
Most of us in North America have made church planting a very complex process. We have used methods that only a few highly skilled leaders could ever reproduce. We have created an atmosphere where such methodology is expected as the norm.
For example, a church planter once shared with me that church planters need $110,000 if they want to plant churches the "right" way. When I then asked him what was his definition of "right," he got my point and did not have much of a response. Can churches be planted using methods that require $110,000? Absolutely! Is this highly reproducible when it comes to reaching four billion people? Absolutely not!
The more complex our methods for church planting, the more difficult it will be for reproduction to occur.
With over four billion people in the world without Jesus, it is not wise to use methods that are counter-productive to healthy, rapid multiplication.
We need to use discernment before applying our methods. We should evaluate our methods in how well they:
1) Communicate the gospel and the basic New Testament understanding of the local church
2) Facilitate the multiplication of healthy disciples and pastors (and leaders in general)
3) Keep everything radically biblical and, thus, contextually simple.
Here are some questions to help us in our evaluation of our labors: Are we using methods that can be reproduced by the ordinary individual of the target group? Are we primarily modeling a simple and reproducible leadership style? Does our methodology require resources that the target group cannot provide for themselves or would have a difficult time providing for themselves?
Next post: Shift #1: The Ecclesiology Shift