Church Planting Movement

1
Church Planting Movement

• A rapid and multiplicative increase of indigenous
  churches planting churches within a given people
  group or population segment

2
Definitions

• Church
• A local group of baptized believers in the Lord
  Jesus Christ who gather regularly for worship,
  nurture, and fellowship and who depart the
  gathering endeavoring to obey all the commands of
  the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Church Planting
• The process of winning individuals and families
  to Christ through any and all means that
  effectively communicate to the culture, then
  gathering and baptizing them into the Body of
  Christ for the purpose of doing church.
• Church Planting Movement
• Local churches within a people group rapidly and
  regularly planting multiple new churches within
  the same people group as a normal part of being
  and doing church.

3
Definitions

• Evangelism
• Taking the Gospel to ones own people group for
  the purpose of redeeming individuals and families
  in such a way that churches can be started.
• Missions
• Taking the Gospel to a people group that is
  different from ones own for the purpose of
  redeeming individuals and families in such a way
  that churches are planted and a Church Planting
  Movement can be started.

4
Components of a CPM

• Rapid New churches are started quickly
• Multiplicative not just incremental growth a
  few churches a year but compounding with each
  church regularly duplicating itself without
  professional missionaries.
• Indigenous churches Generated from within rather
  than from without
• A missionary initiated the entrance of the Gospel
  without Western trappings
• The momentum quickly become indigenous w/o
  missionary involvement, except for training

5
What CPM Is NOT

• More than evangelism that results in churches
• More than a revival of pre-existing churches
• More than evangelistic crusades and witnessing
  programs
• More than a final goal the objective is God is
  glorified
• As individuals enter a right relationship to God
  through Christ they are incorporated into
  churches where they grow in grace with other
  like-minded believers
• Anytime people come to new life in Christ, God is
  glorified
• Anytime a church is planted no matter who does
  it there is grounds for celebration

6
Why is CPM so Special?

• Is the greatest potential for the largest number
  of lost individuals glorifying God by coming into
  new life in Christ and communities of faith
• A CPM occurs when the vision of CP shifts from
  the missionary to the churches themselves
• Missionaries will always be limited local CPers
  must be added to the pool
• CP is woven into the DNA of every new church

7
What has been learned

• Shift ASAP to house church methodology
• Accept the loss of control by focusing on
  teaching
• Persecution will weed out insincere, but
  acceptance of priesthood of believer will
  assure continuance hierarchical churches will
  die
• Missionaries introduce the Gospel, encourage CPM
  vision, utilize cell-church methodology and
  protect movement from dependency on foreign
  funds.
• Mobilized and trained lay missionaries is key to
  CPM

8
Ten Universal Elements

1. Prayer Give away the chief power source the
   missionary has to the national
2. Abundant gospel sowing hundreds or thousands
   are hearing the claims of Christ on their lives
   mass media, personal evangelism and personal
   testimonies of life changes
3. Intentional church planting someone implements
   a strategy of deliberate CP from the beginning
4. Scriptural authority in non-literates
   Chronological Bible Storying until Bible can be
   translated
5. Local Leadership Missionary must be disciplined
   to be the mentor to CPers rather than do it
   personally Gives training IN ministry in stead
   of training FOR ministry

9
Ten Universal Elements

• Lay Leadership typically bi-vocational from
  people group (if typically illiterate people,
  then leaders will be as well if fishermen, then
  leaders will be as well). Paid clergy may
  develop, but very few. No dependency on
  institute or seminary trained leadership.
• Cell or House Churches small, reproducible
  cells of 10-30 members meeting in homes or stores
• Cell Churches are linked to one another via
  networks, which is linked into a larger, single
  church identity more easily conformed
  doctrinally
• House Churches look similar, but not organized
  under a single authority or hierarchy of
  authorities, but are autonomous units less
  vulnerable to hostile governments

10
Ten Universal Elements

1. Churches Planting Churches first ones usually
   planted by Ms or M-trained CPers new members
   must believe that reproduction is natural and no
   external aids are needed
2. Rapid Reproduction communicates the urgency and
   importance of coming to faith and laity are fully
   empowered to participate
3. Healthy Churches Five Purposes 1) worship 2)
   evangelistic outreach 3) education and
   discipleship 4) ministry 5) fellowship