One thing that has been helpful for me as we seek to lay the foundation for an obedience-based faith movement (a.k.a. Church Planting Movement) is acknowledging the myth of “rapid” reproduction.

My mind is blown by the exponential growth of church planting movements around the globe.  David Watson reminds onlookers that it took 2 to 4 years in India, for example, to get to the point where existing social units surrendered to Christ and began multiplying disciples, leaders, groups and churches.  I think it will take longer in the U.S. given other obstacles we face here.  (David Watson has written a brief article on the myth of rapid reproduction on his blog.  To read it, click here.)

The church planting movements around the world give the appearance of rapid growth because of the exponential growth, not the reproduction.  Laying a foundation for such a movement means years of investment in the training of leaders.  Reproduction therefore is slow.  With the exception of divine accelerations, it is always slow.

Categories: the how
Comments Off

The participants of the training event I attended this week were asked to watch the “CPM Awareness”* videos at www.cpmtr.org prior to coming.  However, some participants didn’t watch them, so they’re going to go do that when they get home.  If you haven’t seen this 4-part video series, you can view it here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.  Warning: This CPM Awareness series is 6 hours long yet well worth it.  My advice from experience is that it is better to watch a little at a time (45 to 90 minute increments) and discuss it as you go with a spouse, teammate, or small group of friends who share your interest. 

If you are interested in reaching your community for Christ, go start watching some of those videos!  And if you start trying out this stuff in your own community, write to me through the Contacts Page.  I’ll be interested to know what you tried out, how it’s going, and what you’re learning.  We can learn from each other.

(*) “CPM” = church planting movement (I like to call it gospel planting movement).

Categories: the how, the why
Comments Off

Here’s are two thoughts I keep having as I attend a Church Planting Movements training in Dallas this week: 

1.  We’ve had false starts in our ministry.  We make mistakes and continue to learn from them (the best way).  One thing that stands out to me is this: God plants churches, not us.  We plant the gospel and train people in obedience-based discipleship. But the Holy Spirit convicts hearts and transforms a group into a church. 

2. Another is this: Can the CPM approach be done in the West?  At the CPM training event they said to do no more “extraction evangelism.”  Don’t extract people from their existing communities by pulling pull individuals who don’t know each other together to form a new social unit and call it church.  Rather go to their existing social units (households/affinity groups) to plant the gospel among them and they will become the new churches as they discover who God is and learn to listen and obey him.  To read a story about how this CPM approach being done in a communal culture, read here.

I can see the wisdom in working with natural/existing communities.  This way they aren’t dependent on me/an outsider to get things started.  Natural communities already have long-standing relationships that can withstand the stresses of learning to obey Christ and live out costly discipleship.  Groups learn better than individuals – they have group memory and accountability.  Existing communities already have some form of group accountability (however dysfunctional) and leadership in place, and these structures can be redeemed as groups learn to follow Christ together. 

What other advantages can you see to working with natural communities (vs pulling individuals out of their relationships to come “worship with us”)? 

But I’m yet to see it working well in the U.S.  Has anyone had experience with this in less communal cultures?  Can it be done in a fractured, individualistic Western society like the U.S?

Any concerns or potential disadvantages you see with this approach? 

What questions does it raise for you?

Categories: the how
1 Comment »

If you are called to be a Christian leader/pastor/missionary/etc, that does not automatically mean God is asking you to get paid for it. 

“Who should the church pay to serve?”  This is the question Neil Cole is thoughtfully addressing from a biblical point of view in his current series of blog posts. If you are considering a career as a full-time paid minister or missionary, PLEASE take the 10 minutes to read this first!   Lives will be affected by your choice. 

To read Neil’s posts so far on this important topic, click below:

Who Should the Church Pay to Serve?

Who Should the Church Pay: The role of the apostle

Who Should the Church Pay: The true widow

Who Should the Church Pay: Double honor to the preachers and teachers

Who Should the Church Pay: What about pastors?

Who Should the Church Pay: Start with nothing but God!

Categories: the how
1 Comment »

Bob Roberts, Jr. often writes about lessons churches in the West could learn from churches in the East if we were more informed about what is happening in the world.  Pastors in particular are out of the loop, he writes, ”because church attendance in the West, unlike the rest of the world, is stagnant or declining.  So, in an attempt to “grow” we unintentionally short change our message and approach by looking in a context driven by sporadic consumerism and fads. The impact?  We cannot make long term gains for the church because we are too busy trying to fill it up too quickly with customers more than disciples.” 

Customers not disciples.  Ouch. 

Church and ministry is going to look different in the West than it does in the East, but that is no excuse for continuing to live and minister in “the bubble”, oblivious to what God is doing (and teaching his people) around the globe.

1. WORSHIP – would always conclude with “Here am I send me.”

2. BUDGET – the biggest line item would reflect the least/poor and the farthest.

3. SUNDAY EVENT – would be more gathering for motivation/training/mobilization – than inspiration/observation/indoctrination. 

4. PASTORING – Model/Mobilizer versus Preacher/Organizer

5. EVANGELISM – would be inherent in all we do – not a program or emphasis

6. DIVERSIFIED CHURCH PLANTING – would be the norm for the church, celebrating the church in all her forms and multiplying them like crazy.

7. DISCIPLESHIP – would not be a class but a life-style.  It would not be measured first by knowledge but by obedience.  It would not be seen in a chair but sweating in a field.

8. UNPREDICTABLE – this is all a journey so no matter what model or ministry you have, it will always need to be evolving, developing, expanding, experimenting . . . . 

I like to think this is a good description of our ministry.  That said, there is much for us to learn.

To read Bob Roberts, Jr.’s post in its entirety, click here:  http://www.glocal.net/blog/comments/the-world-as-we-see-it/

Categories: the how
Comments Off

There is an advantage to living and ministering among immigrants who continue to receive news from and maintain relationships with people in their countries of origin.  So many of my neighbors “feel” it when stuff goes down in Pakistan, North Korea, Palestine, Nigeria, or Colombia, in a way that I don’t.  They feel it not only when important things happen in their home countries but in other parts of the world.  I find many folks who have lived outside the U.S. bring an appreciation for global news.  They are keenly aware of how inter-connected we are in the world. 

Categories: the how
Comments Off

I’m finding hardworking men in our community have trouble respecting me.  For example, a father is working two to three jobs to make ends meet for his household.  Meanwhile his wife is working one or two jobs as well, and they still are having trouble making rent.  So the family invites another family to live with them in their tiny one bedroom apartment and together they split the costs.  This story is common.

Then the dad looks at me.  It’s just my family living in our spacious apartment, and my household has one salary to provide for us all.  If I had a “real” job it might make things different but I’m clergy.  Once they find out churches are supporting us, it’s two steps backward. 

It is out of their love for us and God’s missing ones that our supporters are helping us.  They financially support us so that both Meredith and I both are freed up to devote ourselves full-time as missionaries.  But explain this situation to someone who already distrusts religion, much less clergy, and is working tooth and nail to barely make ends meet for his loved ones.  The general sentiment I get from folks is, “It must be nice to have a church paying for everything.”  That is why something has to change.

Categories: stories, the how
4 Comments »