Intro to Church Planting, Student Notes Missiology Theology? Pre-class Preparation: Brock, Indigenous Church Planting, 28-48 Conn, Planting and Growing Urban Churches, 94-102 Galloway & Bird, Starting a New Church, 13-16 Harris, Reaching a Nation through Church Planting, 111-123 Herron, Expanding God s Kingdom through Church Planting, 40-50 Maulphers, Planting Growing Churches, 13-46 Moore, Starting a New Church, 21-29 Murray, Church Planting: Laying Foundations, 9-35 Reddin, Planting Churches That Grow, 9-26 Schaller, Forty-Four Questions for Church Planters, 13-36 Stetzer, Planting New Churches, 3-11 Suarez, Connections, 13-16, 291-295 Sylvia, Starting High Definition Churches, 23-29 Timmis, Multiplying Churches, 9-22 Towns, Getting a Church Started, cassette tape #2 Wagner, Church Planting for a Greater Harvest, 27-42 We apply the pragmatic test to the work of the theologian. Does his Session 3 theology motivate men to go into all the world and make disciples? Does it so undergird them that they, thus motivated, succeed in this primary purpose? Theology must stand the test of being known by its fruit. 1 ~Calvin Guy
Why? 2 Because the foundation determines the building.. Theocentric not anthropocentric. Emphasis from the life of the local church to the needs of the world. Recognizes need for Divine empowerment. Church planting reveals God s heart for lost.. Focal point of Missio Dei. Church s focus is on the world, not life of church. of. Kingdom is activity - God extending his rule throughout creation. Kingdom rather than church defines scope of God s mission. Holistic vs. compartmentalized. Page 17
Power vs. mere proclamation. Spiritual warfare vs. recruitment. and. Church Planting Interface between ecclesiology and missiology. Lausanne, 1974-Mission is primary task of church. Manila Manifesto, 1989. Church planting hardly mentioned. Church and Mission. Worship is primary. Pluralism. Mission belongs to groups outside church. and. Westminster Confession the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever of Church. Institution not held in esteem. Page 18
Individuals or para-church.. If church is an organism, then reproduction is natural. This is normal in maturation process. Church Planting. Part of Mission. Extends worship of God. Part of natural process. Missiology of Church Planting. The principle is the #1 principle of missions strategy (at home or abroad). 2 The principle of indigeneity gave rise to what is called three self church," which argues the need for an indigenous church. 3 The indigenous church is defined as: Self ; Self ; Page 19
Self. While these may be seen as the basics of the indigenous principle, some have suggested other selfs. Some of these would raise the controversial question of accommodation vs. contextualization: Self- ; Self- ; Self- ; Self-. While the indigenous principle is the most important principle of missionary (ergo church planting) strategy, here are five other basic principles of effective missionary communication: The of contact principle: place of interaction; usually at the point of felt need; where relationship can begin; Page 20
a basic communication-contextualization principle -- common ground. - balance. Presence without proclamation tends toward syncretism (cultural captivity). Proclamation without presence tends toward ghettoism (cultural isolation). Incarnational evangelism, or "wholistic" (holistic) awareness, is the fullest expression of the gospel of Christ. - balance. Both impact and penetration are needed. Impact evangelism prepares and cultivates. Penetration evangelism is personal, heart-based. - balance. Personal faith and corporate faith. Worship focus and witness focus. Inward alone degenerates into monasticism. Outward alone diffuses into misguided activism. Page 21
Evangelism is both personal and social. Inward life results in outward action in the world. principle "Release" is superior to "relief. Relief results in dependence -- release results in liberation. Relief results in paternalism -- release results in empowerment. Relief results in false superiority -- release results in mutual respect. Page 22
Evangelistic Distance 4 E-1 This is a culture which speaks the same language and has the same general cultural experience as you do. E-2 This is when evangelism occurs among people whose language and cultural patterns vary enough from ours to make communication difficult. E-3 This is the level of cultural distance experienced by most missionaries who step into a culture with an entirely different language and cognitive process. Page 23
notes - Page 24