01
C 3 X P R E S S C O U R S E M A N UA L
Why.
C 3 X P R E S S C O U R S E M A N UA L
God wants His Church
influence in the world - th Each church planted is a
miracle of God’s presenc
established. As depicted w
“It shall come to pass in th
that the mountain of the h
shall be established as the of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up abov
and all the nations shall flo
and many peoples shall co
“Come, let us go up to the
to the house of the God of
that he may teach us his w
and that we may walk in h
For out of Zion shall go the
and the word of the Lord f ISAIAH 2:2-3 (ESV)
Each church established c
of heaven in that commu
can now flow from heaven
CHAPTER 01
WHY
to become the primary
“And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this
he chief of the mountains.
place! This is none other than the house of God,
miracle. Into that city, a
ce has been planted and
and this is the gate of heaven.” GENESIS 28:17 (ESV)
well in Isaiah: Churches that are in the heart of God can change the
he latter days
whole face of communities, cities and even nations.
house of the Lord
Churches are a life force in the city - they help
e highest
reshape people, their spiritual foundations, their attitudes, their families, and their circumstances.
ve the hills;
ow to it,
ome, and say:
e mountain of the Lord,
f Jacob,
ways
his paths.”
e law,
from Jerusalem.”
creates and builds a gate
God wants His Church to become the primary influence in the world.
unity, where spiritual life
n to earth.
02
C 3 X P R E S S C O U R S E M A N UA L
Reasons to a new locat 01
A FOCUS O N TH E G R E AT CO M M I S S I O N
.
“The only way to be trul
the number of Christians the number of Churches”
It is continually restated that church planting is the
On average a new church g
most effective form of evangelism.
from those who are un
. .
“The newer a congregation, the more effective
churches over ten years
that church is in reaching those who don’t know
new members through
Christ” – Ed Stetzer. 1
established churches.4 P
“Planting new churches is the most effective
compared to established
evangelistic methodology known under heaven” –
people to Christ;5 on av
Peter Wagner. 2
more.6
CHAPTER 01
WHY
o start tion.
ly sure you are increasing
s in a town is to increase – Timothy Keller. 3
02
TO LO O K OUTS I D E OU R I M M E D I ATE N E E DS .
gains 60-80% of members
As a congregation ages, most resources and
nchurched, compared to
energy are directed towards concerns of members
old who inherit 80-90%
rather than concerns outside its walls.7 In general,
transfer from already
new congregations are forced to focus on the
Per-capita new churches
needs of its non-members to get off the ground.8
churches also win more
Therefore they are more focused on outreach and
verage this is 3-6 times
are more sensitive to questions and issues outside the church.9
03
C 3 X P R E S S C O U R S E M A N UA L
03
A FOCUS O N R A I S I N G N E X T G E N E R ATI O N
05
RENEWING O
E X I STI N G C H
LE A D E RS
Church planting is one
revitalise, refresh and ren New congregations empower new people much
and the whole body of Ch
quicker and more readily than older congregations.10
planting stimulates both
They can harness people and their gifts that might
local churches.16
otherwise not be utilised in the body of Christ.11
new believers not only
This allows us to outwork the Church’s mission - to
for the established local
build churches for the future, not just the present.
congregations can bui
A new
congregations that neithe
04
TH E QUA LIT Y A N D H E A LTH O F C H U RC H E S
However, it is inevitable attract some people out
it goes both ways. As ne we will not only receive
Church health must precede starting a new
locations but will also lose
location. It is the foundation for the next location.
locations started around u
With the intention to start new locations comes a
need to check whether ou
re-emphasis on the quality and health of churches.
church or the health and p
Church planting aims to develop a new location
of God. “Any church that
with new converts,12 it goes hand in hand with
small losses than gratefu
church growth.
13
New churches have the freedom
gains is betraying its narro
and incentive to innovate.14 When they succeed, it
Our overarching intent th
encourages other churches to do so too.
new locations can be foun
CHAPTER 01
O LD E R A N D
H U RC H E S
WHY
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted,
e of the best ways to
to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are
new older local churches
bound;
hrist in general.15 Church
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,
the sending and existing
and the day of vengeance of our God;
w congregation produces for themselves but also churches.17 These new
ild ministries with old
er could do alone.18
to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
e that new churches will
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
of existing churches. But
They shall build up the ancient ruins;w
ew locations are started,
they shall raise up the former devastations;
current believers in our
e some members to those
us. As church leaders, we
they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.” ISAIAH 61:1-4 (ESV)
ur mind is set on our own
The very people God sets free are the ones He
prosperity of the Kingdom
transforms. And the ones He transforms He
is more upset by its own
commissions to transform the cities in which they
ul for the kingdom’s large
live. It is for this ultimate reason that we plant
ow interests.”
19
churches. “Church planting is simply planting
hat motivates us to start
the gospel and seeing churches birth from that
nd in Isaiah Chapter 61.
planting.” 20
04
C 3 X P R E S S C O U R S E M A N UA L
Wha
CH
We need to be rooted in and convinced of the
of” and kaleo – “to call”, s
biblical definition of the Church. The Church
“the called-out ones.”
21
traces its origins back to the New Testament, in
The original concept o
the book of Acts. What we now know to be called
been developed and trans
“The Church” was originally described by the Greek
across the space of a co
word Ekklesia as stated in the New Testament. In
modern society considers
its cultural context, Ekklesia simply meant “called
cases looks quite differen
out assembly.” Derived from the words ek – “out
and function we see desc
CHAPTER 01
WHY
at is
HURCH?
so it could be translated as
This perspective, though, isn’t exclusive to those outside the Church but has also impacted those
of what the Church is has
inside. Many evangelicals believe that the purpose
sformed quite significantly
of the Church is just fellowship and being spiritually
ouple of millennia. What
fed. Although this view isn’t wrong, the Church
s to be the Church in many
needs to rediscover the importance of fulfilling the
nt to the original pattern
Great Commission, that is – making disciples of all
cribed in the book of Acts.
nations.22
05
THE CHURCH HAS TWO KEY COMPONENTS:
The Church is a GATH with the purpose of TR of Christians. 01
HERED community RANSFORMATION 06
C 3 X P R E S S C O U R S E M A N UA L
The focus of the gathered community is the work of God IN US. Once we turn to Christ, the purpose of the church
we sinned, we still had tha
is to facilitate an environment that transforms
was distorted. The purpo
believer’s lives into the image of Christ.
to see that image re-forme this transformed life that
“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is
we live in. As we read i
taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where
groaning, waiting for the
the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we
God to be revealed.
all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with
The Church is the place o
ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord,
that counteracts the influ
who is the Spirit.”
states this most clearly:
2 CORINTHIANS 3:16-18 (NIV)
“Do not be conformed This is a restoration of God’s original design. The
transformed by the renew
restoration of His glorious image in our lives. We
ROMANS 12:2 (ESV)
were made in his image and formed by God. When
CHAPTER 01
at image in our lives, but it
ose of Christ in our lives is
ed back into our lives. It’s impacts the communities
in Romans 8 the earth is
e sons and daughters of
of kingdom transformation
uences of the world. Paul
to this world but be
wal of your mind.�
WHY
The Church is a SCAT with the purpose of the of community. 02
TTERED community e TRANSFORMATION 08
Too many Christians have only a partial perspective on what the CHURCH IS.
e e .
CHAPTER 01
WHY
Jesus launches the purpose of his mission in Luke 4:18; amongst other things He states the message is one of freedom for the captives. In Isaiah 61:14 we see how the freed captives are strengthened (they become oaks of righteousness) and once strengthened, become the ones who transform the ruined cities.
2 Corinthians 5:16-20 lays out the “scattered” purpose of believers - to be reconcilers of the world to Christ. We are his ambassadors!
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 CORINTHIANS 5:16-20 (ESV)
09
C 3 X P R E S S C O U R S E M A N UA L
A complete understanding of the nature and mission
increasingly post-Christia
of the Church is essential for us to understand what
effective and has inevita
we are starting, and live out this reality. The Church
plant churches.27 Gone a
isn’t just a gathered community where God works
automatic for people, incl
in us, neither is it just a scattered community where
Church on a Sunday.28 W
God works for others through us. It is both. We need
people will be coming to c
to balance these two realities of the Church so we
to take the Church to the
can truly declare, “Your kingdom come, your will be
the community, do the a
done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.” 23
and take worship to the
a building, but the Chur Too many Christians have only a partial perspective
together make the comm
on what the Church is. As belief precedes behaviour,
a way that reflects this. “
so an incomplete view or belief, of the Church,
city is not through evan
results in an incomplete outworking as the Church.
evangelistic churches.” 29
It’s commonly taught that the Church is something we go to, and not something we are.24 But there
This transition to a p
is a shift that is on the horizon. You are that shift.
reflective of the nature of
There are an increasing number of church planters
book of Acts. We don’t live
that have decided that church planting isn’t just a
in a post-Christian culture.
strategy but is a way of life.
25
we don’t live in Jerusalem
to be careful not to read A The
Western
Church
has
commonly
been
operating in a fashion that is quite evangelistic and 26
attractional,
but as the world we live in becomes
manual,30 but due to our c
can assume that just like i
planting will be as centra
CHAPTER 01
an this has become less
our world.31 In Acts, church planting was a common
ably shaped the way we
event, and contrary to popular belief should not
are the days when it was
be traumatic or unnatural.32 New, or multiplying,
luding Christians, to go to
worship services should feel like an overflow of
We can no longer assume
community life,33 and as Tim Keller states “the
church, but rather we need
multiplication of Churches is as natural in the
people. We need to serve
book of Acts as the multiplication of individual
acts of love and service,
converts.” 34
WHY
Keller continues with this thought
people. The Church isn’t
stating that church planting is natural and it is just
rch is the members that
another one of the ordinances of the Church.35 To
munity. We need to act in
develop such a natural church planting mindset,
“The way to evangelise a
you must be willing to:
ngelism but through fully
post-Christian society is
01
money, members, and leaders. 02
f the city of Athens in the
e in a Christian culture but
. Metaphorically speaking,
Give away resources and lose control of your
Give up some control of the shape of the ministry itself.
03
Care for the kingdom even more than for your tribe.
m, but in Athens. We need
Acts as a church planting
When we seek to develop such a mindset we
contextual similarities, we
develop a greater understanding of the Church, a
in the book of Acts church
greater understanding of what we are starting, and
al a strategy to reaching
what our mission and purpose as the Church is.
10
C 3 X P R E S S C O U R S E M A N UA L
The Biblica Issue of Expansion. We need to understand the difference between
church wishing to redisc
growth and expansion. We enlarge before we grow.
of the early church shou
Sometimes we may need to be convinced about
churches.” 36
the New Testament method of reaching people for Christ. Due to intense persecution, the early Church
“Enlarge the place of your
dispersed and was forced into expansion. “Any
and let the curtains of you
al
.
CHAPTER 01
WHY
be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities.” ISAIAH 54:2-3 (ESV)
Apostolic expansion is all about expansion by intent. New Testament believers witnessed and proclaimed the Gospel, with a specific and deliberate purpose of starting new communities of believers.
Even though some people oppose the idea of church planting, we must do it anyway because it’s biblical.37 John Wesley was criticised for preaching outside the traditional walls of the Church. It’s time again, in a new way, to get outside the current confines of the Church’s ‘walls’ and expand!
cover the dynamic nature
uld consider planting new
As the Church, we should be on the front foot of expansion rather than on the back foot of passive maintenance. The future to reaching our
r tent,
communities and cities begins with starting new
ur habitations
congregations.
11
C 3 X P R E S S C O U R S E M A N UA L
References 1
Ed Stetzer, and Daniel Im
Churches:Your Guide to Star
Multiply. Second edition. ( B&H Academic, 2016), 7 2
Dr Timothy Keller. “Why
Gospelinlife.com, 2 3
Ibid, 1
4
Ibid, 3
5
Stetzer, Planting Mission
6
Keller, “Church Planting
7
Keller. “Why Plant Churc
8
Ibid, 2
9
Timothy Keller. “Church
Timothy Keller. Accessed O
www.timothykeller.com/bl planting-is-what-we-do, 1 10
Keller, “Why Plant Churc
11
Ibid, 4
CHAPTER 01
WHY
s.
m. Planting Missional
12
Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches, 6
rting Churches That
13
Martin Robinson and Stuart Christine, Planting
(Nashville, Tennessee:
Tomorrow’s Churches Today, (Kent: Monarch, 1992)
Plant Churches?”,
14
Keller, “Church Planting is What We Do,” 2
15
Keller, “Why Plant Churches?”, 4
16
Robinson and Christine, Planting Tomorrow’s
Churches Today 17
Keller, “Why Plant Churches?”, 5
nal Churches, 7
18
Ibid, 4
g is What We Do,” 1
19
Ibid, 5
20
Ed Stetzer. “Cities and Multiculturalism: Two
ches?”, 3
Trends in Church Planting Today.” The Exchange | Planting Is What We Do.”
A Blog by Ed Stetzer. Accessed October 25, 2017.
October 25, 2017. http://
http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2017/
log/2015/12/3/church-
february/cities-and-multiculturalism-two-trends-in-
ches?”, 2
church-planting-t.html 21
“Lexicon :: Strong’s G1577 – ekklesia” Blue
Letter Bible. Accessed November 2, 2017. https://
12
C 3 X P R E S S C O U R S E M A N UA L
www.blueletterbible.org/la cfm?strongs=g1577 22
Matthew 28:19-20
23
Matthew 6:10 (ESV)
24
Stetzer, Planting Mission
25
Ibid, 83
26
Ibid, 86
27
Mike Breen. “Church Pla
Modern Missional Commu
Com.” ChurchLeaders.Com,
Accessed October 13, 2017
com/outreach-missions/ou
articles/168517-mike-bree
the-modern-missional-com 28
Carey Nieuwhof. “5 Dis
That Will Rule 2016.” Care
2016. Accessed October 13
ang/lexicon/lexicon.
nal Churches, 84
anting 101 for the
unity • ChurchLeaders.
CHAPTER 01
https://careynieuwhof.com/5-disruptive-churchtrends-will-rule-2016/ 29
Timothy Keller. Center Church: Doing Balanced,
Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012, 359 30
Ibid, 358
31
Ibid, 359
32
Ibid, 355
33
Breen, “Church Planting 101 for the Modern
, June 30, 2013.
Missional Community”
7. https://churchleaders.
34
Keller, Center Church, 356
utreach-missions-
35
Ibid, 356
36
Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches, 42
37
Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches, 14
en-church-planting-101-for-
mmunity.html.
WHY
sruptive Church Trends
eyNieuwhof.com, January 4,
3, 2017.
13