Having just read Building Momentum With Multiply in The Banner, it seems to be horribly complicated. It doesn't have to be.
I'm part of a church plant (not CRC) that was created about 8 years ago. We're growing. In fact, there was a large contingent from a community about 30 miles away what regularly drove in for Sunday worship. We decided, as a church, to plant a church in that community.
We identified a qualified church planter who spent a year as an intern under our church's leadership. He was mentored and trained, then spent about six months in that new community to establish lasting relationships. Then the group rented a church facility. Within a year, the group was able to buy the church building. Impressive fundraising within the church community raised enough money for a significant down payment.
Our church is looking at planting one or two other churches over the next two or three years. Meanwhile, we have hired three Redeemer University theology students as interns. They spend about 10 hours a week being mentored by our pastoral leadership team with the view to having them become church planters.
This didn't involve a classis-approved strategy or budget or strategic plan. It was a church initiative, fully funded by church members. We raise up our own potential church planters by identifying young folks who have those gifts and that passion.
Point is, most churches lack vision; lack a desire to spread the gospel, to grow the church. Most tend to suffer from navel-gazing, quite content to coast along with our gradually diminishing church membership. Want a strategic plan? How about if every classis declares that every church within class should plant a church every seven years. Church plants should be funded by their sponsoring church and church planters should be identified, mentored and trained -- raised up -- within the congregation.
That would create a mission mindset in all of the churches. They'd be focusing on church growth and evangelism instead of maintaining existing programs. They'd become more engaged in community outreach, offer Alpha programs, etc.
"Multiply" happens when churches and classes catch the vision; when churches transform the Great Commission into community outreach.
Comments
I find this model inspiring, but I also wonder if it applies to smaller churches with limited resources. Perhaps a more specific sharing of the initial challenges is needed so that other churches can learn more effectively. That's Not My Neighbor
I think it's a matter of vision. This began as a small church plant that decided that when they reach 300 attendees, they plant a church.
Their only resources were funds coming from church members. No mega donors. No outside grants.
And that vision also involved identifying young people in the congregation who could be mentored into church planters and who had the resume to pursue a relevant college degree.
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