Church Planting Movements 28 Church Planting Movements

Why Churches? New emphasis by mission organizations on planting churches The quest for fruit that lasts leads us from crusades to church planting Churches have the unique characteristics to turn converts into true disciples

What is a church? DEF: A church is a corporate or communal expression of an individual’s allegiance to the sovereignty of Christ in his or her life. Only in a church can a believer find a full range of opportunities for growth in Christlikeness The standard of measure for a church is this, “How intimately is it related to Christ? How faithfully does it continue his life and ministry?

What is better than a church? If planting churches that foster growth in Christlikeness is a great good, then doing it rapidly is a greater good The “better” thing is a church planting movement

Church-planting Movements DEF: A rapid multiplication of churches planting churches that sweeps through a people group or population segment. EX: see pg.455 Latin America: 235 churches to 4,000 Southeast Asia: 85 believers to 90,000 in six years North India: 28 to 4,500 churches in eleven years Cuba, east: 200+ to 7,000+ churches in 20yrs

CPM characteristics Rapid – CPMs reproduce rapidly Because they can – structurally simple No big budgets, no waiting for professional leadership to be trained, no facilities to construct Because they must – they fill up the small places where they meet and thus must multiply Multiplication – many if not most churches are themselves starting multiple churches Indigenous – leaders are raised up out of the converts to become the heads of new churches

CPM characteristics Churches planting churches – though a missionary may start the first few, the churches get into the act. The more churches that get involved, the more things accelerate Sweeps through a people group – the gospel spreads through relationships, faster and faster, then spills over into other groups

What CPMs are not Not revivals or spiritual renewals – they occur among unreached groups Not mass evangelism – they multiply churches; communities of disciples Not people movements – it is more. People movements may not result in man churches Not church growth – that tends to focus on getting bigger Not just a miracle – we cooperate or hinder by the things we do. Not a Western invention – we are observing what God is doing around the world Not an end in itself – a means to taking the gospel to the whole earth, that all have an opportunity to believe

Why CPMs are so important Because God is mightily at work in them Because we learn better our role in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth Because of what they accomplish – bringing millions into the kingdom of God Because they exponentially multiply the glory of God