David Watson presented a one-day web seminar on church planting movements. Notes and links to this webinar are below.
Many feel, as I do, that the movement toward simple/house churches has the potential of paving the way for the rapid multiplication of churches, by the hand of God, often referred to as church planting movements. This wonderful move of God has been referred to as “the spontaneous expansion of the Church… It asks for no elaborate organization, no large finances, no great numbers of paid missionaries (Roland Allen).” Yet such a move has the potential of seeing regions and nations transformed.
David Garrison, in his groundbreaking book on church planting movements, offers this hope for such a move of God in North America: “A surprising number of [North American] Christian leaders are adopting a radical new vision that looks surprisingly like other [church planting] movements that we’ve witnessed around the world.” Garrison closes his book with this encouragement:
It can’t happen here. This is what they said in Vietnam until they saw it in Cambodia. It’s what they said in Cambodia before they saw it in China. It’s what they said in Central America before they saw it in Bogota. It’s what they said in Sudan before they saw it in Ethiopia. Perhaps it’s what they are saying where you live.
Some Key Points from David Watson’s Webinar on Church Planting Movements
“Focus on the few to reach the many,” and “Go slow to go fast.” David’s experience on the mission field caused his organization to question his methods because, in his first few years on the field, he was not producing the numerical growth of other missionaries. However, David was systematically reaching and discipling a handful of believers who then began to reproduce themselves. Several years later the result was thousands of churches and reproducing disciples.
“Find the fight people to invest your life into.” David’s criterion in working with someone is whether or not they are going to invest in others.
“Let the lost lead Bible studies,” and “It’s about discovery not preaching or teaching.” David has experienced a great deal of success at showing pre-Christians how to do a discovery Bible study that lead them into a process of discipleship. “Disciple to conversion” rather than “convert to make disciples.”
“Buildings kill church planting.” Though David is not negative on the overall usefulness of “brick and mortar” churches, he merely reflects on the reality that when God is moving in reproducing disciples among a people group, nothing will slow this process down like building-type churches rather than simple-organic ones.
These sessions are filled with nuggets that are worthy of reflection:
Comments
7 responses to “Church Planting Movements”
Church Planting Movements beat anything we have in our traditionl LOCAL CHURCH thinking, BUT when we think CPM, we still have not thought “Far Enough”.
The planting of churches is necessarily complex and requires lots of maintianence. Whatever is complex is still difficult and thus becomes an obstacle to the end goal.
It is extremely interesting that while Jesus said, “I will build MY church”, He NEVER gives us the command to go and START churches!! How can we, when there is only ONE church and Jesus started it 2000 years ago? Some how we have got confused with the Great Commission… The Great Commission has NOTHING to do with the starting of Churches… It has all to do with the MAKING of Disciples… Food for thought??
You were there, Roger? We missed each other! I should have known we would cross paths sooner or later 🙂
Hey Justin: great thoughts. Most CPM practitioners I know would agree with you that it’s all about disciple multiplication.
Hey Warren: actually I was only present via the internet, not in person…
We were involved in Church Planting in Borneo for 25 years and in the later part of that time expanded into other parts of Asia and Africa. Our burden to see the Great Commission finished led us to CPMs BUT we soon realised that even that was TOO DIFFICULT and that it was unnecessarily complex and more importantly NOT what Jesus commanded us to do! When we re-examined the Great Commission and what “Church” really means, we found that most of Chrisianity was so far off course it was not funny! It is a matter of paradigms… and I began to coin the saying, “You cannot take someone on a circum-navigation of the world who believes in a flat earth!” This means that if we are to ever finish the Great Commission, we really need to re-define what the Great Commission is and the role that our “churches” play in that! In most cases, our “churches” are the greatest hinderance to the completion of of the Greatest Work Jesus entrusted us. Ironically, even Simple Church is NOT simple enough….
Hey Roger,
Thanks for your comments and the link to the CPM Awareness videos. I’m glad that you were able to attend via the web. Streaming the conference live was a huge experiment for us. Judging by the conversations, it seems people think it was worthwhile. I hope to have more things like this for the church planting community in the future.
Blessings,
-Paul
Life is change. It is impossible to freeze life and make everything remain the way they are. I am so glad that we as Christian can bring positive change to those that need to see the love of Christ… Thank you for your articles! Jesus Is Lord!
Re: disciple then convert.
That’s similar to what I read in “The Celtic Way of Evangelism.” Patrick and his followers created communities to which the locals were invited to become part. Christian charity was demonstrated, the story was told and people were converted. In that light, Acts 2 makes a lot more sense. The other way — convert then disciple — is the Roman way that overwhelmed the Celtic method and that was adopted by the Protestants during the Reformation.
A little historical perspective, I think.