Needed: Church Planters

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Needed Church Planters
(based on Who Me? Help Start a Church?)
Sean TaylorAdult Mission Education
StrategistNorth American Mission Board
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Think about it...

• Dont we already have enough churches?

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Did you know...

• That at least 72 churches close their doors each
  week?
• That 6.8 percent of Southern Baptist churches
  have plateaued or are declining?
• That about 18 percent of Southern Baptist
  churches (roughly 6,917) did not baptize anyone
  in 2000?

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Did you know...

• There are an estimated 195 million unchurched
  Americans.
• No religious affiliation is the fastest-growing
  religious preference in Canada.
• North America is the only continent where
  Christianity is not growing. (George Barna)

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Think about it...

• So, do we really have enough churches?

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What is a church?

• Buildings?
• Programs?
• Money?
• Staff?
• These are tools that help a church, but they do
  not define the church.

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What is a church?

• Jesus said, For where two or three come together
  in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew
  1820, NIV)
• At its simplest definition, a church is a
  fellowship of local believers who gather together
  regularly to study the Bible, worship God and
  explore ways to help others find God too.

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What is a church?

• Core functions of a church
• Worship
• Bible study
• Evangelism
• Mission/Ministry
• Fellowship

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What is a church?

• What will the church of tomorrow look like?
• Traditional brick building
• In an office park
• Storefronts
• In-home small groups
• Something entirely surprising

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Why do we plant churches?

• The primary reason we plant churches is that we
  are commanded to do so by Gods Word. If we are
  faithful to the Great Commission, we will go
  wherever lost people are and win them to Christ.
  We will help them form groups, be discipled, and
  learn how to bring others to Christ.

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But Im not a church planter...

• Neither were the Christians in the First Century
  church, at least not in the sense that many refer
  to church planters today. They were simply
  average men and women who saw the spiritual need
  around them and responded to Gods will. The
  early church grew from the hard work of lay
  people who joined in Gods mission, not
  professional church workers.

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Who plants churches?

• Christians like you and me!
• God has provided all that is needed for a
  churchs life and ministry within its membership.
• All members of a church are gifted and called to
  be in ministry.

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How are churches planted?

• 1. Pray.
• 2. Identify a group of people who are not being
  reachedgeographic or demographic.
• 3. Share your vision with the church and
  challenge them to join you on mission.
• 4. Build a team.
• 5. Cultivate the field.

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Pray

• Pray that God would give you discernment in
  finding unreached people.
• Pray that God would show you where He is
  working.
• Pray for those who will be reached by the new
  church.
• Pray for those who will join your church
  planting team.

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Find a field

• Share your vision with others.
• Look at your community as one big mission field.
• Conduct research with your association.
• If no study has been done, conduct your own with
  the association.
• Pray for Gods direction to an area where He is
  already at work.

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Find a field

• Look for needs (language, work schedules, etc.)
• Identify a place (planned community,
  multi-housing, transitional community, etc.)
• Identify affinities (race, lifestyle, language,
  etc.)
• Make a list of churches in that area.
• Respond to Gods movement in beginning
  ministries.
• Think big.

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Share the vision

• Enlist your pastors support.
• Tell your church.
• Build interest with a mission trip.
• Prayerwalk the area.

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Build a team

• What does a church planting team look like?
• Church planting family
• Volunteer team
• Vocational pastor with volunteer support group
• Team of vocational ministers organized as a
  church staff

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Build a team

• Determine what you are trying to accomplish.
• Enlist the support of your pastor and director
  of missions.
• Allow God to open your eyes to member of your
  church who could be involved and make a list of
  possible workers.
• Call for volunteers.
• Assemble your church planting team.

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Cultivate the field

• Build a team plan
• Seek to understand the ministry outreach.
• Seek to understand the field you are focusing
  on.
• Train as needed to become more effective.
• Be open to surprising opportunities.

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Cultivate the field

• Understand the area
• PROBEextensive field study of an area
• Laseridentifies ethnic church planting needs
• North American Mission Boardhas list of
  identified church planting needs

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Cultivate the field

• Understand the people
• PREP
• Perspective on the area (people study)
• Receptivity in the area (people scan)
• Exegesis of the area (people strategy)
• Penetration of the area (people sending)

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Cultivate the field

• Develop outreach ministries
• Prayerwalks
• Bible studies
• Meet community needs
• Backyard Bible clubs
• Block parties
• Support groups
• Servanthood evangelism

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Cultivate the field

• Find a person of peace
• After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others
  and sent them two-by-two ahead of him When you
  enter a house, first say, Peace to this house.
  If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest
  on them if not, it will return to you. (Luke
  101, 5-6, NIV)

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Cultivate the field

• Biblical examples of the person of peace
• Lydia (Acts 1611-15)
• The jailer (Acts 1625-34)
• Cornelius (Acts 1023-48)

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Cultivate the field

• Share your faith with those in the field.
• Get training
• Be relevant
• Speak in their language

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Cultivate the field

• Disciple new believers
• Begin or deepen Bible study
• Help them learn to share their new faith
• Teach them the basics of Christian growth
• Form them into a core group for the new church
• Launch the new church.

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To recap...

• The Apostle Pauls Guide to Church Planting
• Receive a vision from God.
• Enlist a team.
• Put the vision into a place.
• Find receptive people.
• Evangelize non-believers.
• Disciple people by building a core group.
• Launch the new church.

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For further study...

• Who Me? Help Start a Church? adult kit
• Starting Tomorrows Churches Today youth kit
• Frontier Outposts kit for older children
• Mommy, Where Do Churches Come From? kit for
  younger children
• New Churches Needed. Our Church Can Help book for
  church leaders
• New Churches Needed Church Planting Starter Kit
• To order, call 1.800.448.8032

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For more info ...

• Call Sean Taylor 770.410.6434
• Call Melissa Williams 770.410.6433
• Call Gail Miller 770.410.6491
• Fax [phone]
• E-mail ame_at_namb.net
• Web www.namb.net/baptistmen
• Listserv e-mail bmom_at_sbclink.com or visit
  www.namb.net/baptistmen/email.asp