BEST!PRACTICES! IN!CHURCH! PLANTING!SYSTEMS WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO CHURCH PLANTING CHURCHES

by ED STETZER, JEFF CHRISTOPHERSON, AND DANIEL YANG

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DANIEL IM AND NEWCHURCHES.COM © C o p y r i g h t 2 0 1 8 Send Institute and New Churches

Scripture references are from CSB

Authors Ed Stetzer, Jeff Christopherson, Daniel Yang, and Daniel Im

LifeWay Christian Resources One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN 37234

All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of New Churches and/or The Send Institute. BEST!PRACTICES!IN CHURCH!PLANTING! SYSTEMS

WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO CHURCH PLANTING CHURCHES

02 | About the Send Institute

03 | About NewChurches.com

04 | Acknowledgements

05 | Introduction

07 | Chapter 1. What Mission Structures Reveal About Our Assumptions

11 | Chapter 2. Church Planting Systems

15 | Chapter 3. Benchmarking Data

25 | Chapter 4. Three Basic Findings

29 | Chapter 5. Eight Best Practices

41 | Chapter 6. Evolving Systems Intentionally Toward Multiplication

46 | Chapter 7. Eight Model Church Planting Churches

53 | Conclusion ABOUT!THE!SEND INSTITUTE

“Jesus said to them again, The Send Institute is a joint efort of ‘Peace to you. As the Father has the North American Mission Board sent me, I also send you.’” (NAMB) and the Billy Graham Center at – John 20:21 (CSB) Wheaton College (BGC).

MISSION The Send Institute began with a The Send Institute provides church desire to initiate greater kingdom planting networks with dependable collaboration and knowledge research on issues of evangelism sharing among evangelical networks and best practices in North America, ministering in the area of church enabling them to more efectively plant planting. As networks continue to churches on mission. focus on leadership and systems development, and as seminaries DRIVING QUESTIONS focus on theological training, there • What kinds of churches are remains a void of credible knowledge being planted today? and dependable research identifying • Who’s planting them and how? efective church planting strategies • What kinds of churches should be in the current cultural milieu of planted for tomorrow? North America. Who will plant them and how?

Because North America’s demographic • LEADERSHIP TEAM is changing at an unprecedented rate, • Ed Stetzer, Co-Executive Director of introducing multilevel diversity and the Send Institute cultural complexities, the Institute aims • Jef Christopherson, Co-Executive to inspire collaboration among church Director of the Send Institute planting networks towards innovation • Daniel Yang, Director of for now and into the future. the Send Institute

2 ABOUT NEWCHURCHES"COM

In Matthew 28, we see Jesus Christ’s Join leading experts for regular, clear vision for the Church: “Go, exclusive content, including: therefore, and make disciples of all • Q&A podcasts with Daniel Im, Ed nations.” This is the mission that drives Stetzer, and Todd Adkins us, and if you’re reading this, odds • Ready-to-use resources are it drives you, too. That’s why we • Behind-the-scenes content want to join you as you multiply the • Ofce hours with mission. While Jesus Christ Himself Ed Stetzer and Daniel Im blessed this mission, the simple truth • Q&A webinars with leading experts is that multiplication is complicated, • Video-enhanced training and the day-to-day details of church • Exclusive Facebook community life are filled with complicated • Priority access to events decisions, financial constraints, and the • Courses on planting, multisite, frequent, anxious question: “Are we bivocational ministry, going to make it?” Spanish planting, campus pastoring, and more! NewChurches.com wants to help you build a strong foundation by both connecting you with top experts in the LEADERSHIP"TEAM fields of church planting and multisite • Daniel Im, Director of Church ministry and by regularly providing you Multiplication at LifeWay with the resources, information, and Christian Resources community you need to thrive. • Ed Stetzer, Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, What We Offer Mission, and Evangelism at NewChurches.com is an online Wheaton College learning community designed to • Todd Adkins, Director of Leadership support you through every step of the at LifeWay Christian Resources planting and multiplication processes.

3 ACKNOWLEDEMENTS

We’d like to acknowledge those who were involved in this research. Donna Azcuna was the research assistant who helped on both the qualitative and quantitative portions of the research. Richie Stanley and Allison Lewis from the Center for Missional Research at the North American Mission Board were instrumental in implementing and distributing the survey to over 230 organizations. Dr. Tifany Smith also provided valuable help in the research and worked as an editor on the report.

We also want to acknowledge Todd Wilson from Exponential for providing us with their Church Multiplication Assessment Level 4 and 5 data to help us better understand the practices and behaviors of churches they’ve identified as reproducing and multiplying.

A special thanks to the national directors who participated in our interviews and the 130 organizational leaders who participated in the online survey.

4 INTRODUCTION

When Ed Stetzer wrote what was the first edition of Planting Missional Churches, he originally named it Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age. But postmodern terminology only lasted a few years before quickly disappearing. Instead, the publishers renamed the book Planting Missional Churches and focused on the mission, not just a passing trend. The book was originally named after Jack Redford's earlier resource, Planting New Churches, which was published in 1978, with the word ”postmodern” added to catch the mood of the moment.

Redford’s book was one of the earliest mainstream church planting books. In it, Redford outlines “The Nine Steps in Planting New Churches.” We won’t go through the entire process here, but to simplify the idea, let’s say we are part of a church called Northside Community and we want to plant another church. According to Redford’s plan, the first thing we do is put a missions committee together and find an area where we want to start the new church. Then, we send

5 some mission groups out to knock on Systems with Particular Attention to doors, pass out fliers, and engage in Church Planting Churches isn’t to service projects. downplay the need for entrepreneurial church planters. We need more of According to Redford’s process, them. But this research follows an Northside Community eventually forms emerging trend in church planting that a fellowship or a home group and is rightly reemphasizing how churches becomes a mission chapel that meets plant churches and the need to reorient on Sunday mornings. Shortly after, the some of our systems and processes church starts having someone plan around this fundamental idea. its finances, manage the facilities, and focus on the administrative work of Here is the research question that led legally constituting a new church. our investigation:

Even though Redford’s process was Are we seeing the shift from addition created 40 years ago, it doesn't seem to multiplication reflected in church as dated as one might think. And that’s planting systems and structures? because it’s probably not. In fact, we notice something quite significant: What’s presented in this report is churches are planting churches without both qualitative and quantitative having to explicitly rely on what we data of what denominations and refer to today as “the church planter.” church planting networks are doing As a matter of fact, it was often after in their church planting systems to the church was legally constituted that promote and equip churches that plant a pastor would be called to shepherd other churches. and lead the congregation. Before the mid-1990s, nearly Our hope is that through the findings of everything written on church this report, you are both encouraged planting was on how churches and challenged as a church planting could start new churches, and not leader to design your organizational necessarily how church planters could processes to not only focus on start new churches. recruiting and training church planters, but also to scale your systems and There was a time when church planting adjust your scorecards around the idea wasn’t predominantly focused on the of church planting churches, which church planter. It was predominantly we believe is an accurate indicator of focused on the church planting church. multiplication within your network.

The purpose of the research project Best Practices in Church Planting

6 CHAPTER!#"!WHAT! MISSION!STRUCTURES! REVEAL!ABOUT!OUR! ASSUMPTIONS

FROM"ADDITION"TO" MULTIPLICATION Whether a denomination or network uses the term multiplying, parenting, sending, sponsoring, partnering, or some other phrase, what matters isn’t the label. In its essence, church multiplication is the action of churches planting churches and often, subsequently, their own networks. This is becoming the new normal in church planting.

Although Bob Logan and others had been writing about church multiplication in the early 1990s, it wasn’t until a little over a decade ago that the paradigm for church planting in North America actually began shifting from addition to multiplication.1 What this means is that instead of just planting growing churches, leaders and organizations began focusing their vision and strategies on planting reproducing churches.

7 MISSION"STRUCTURES"FOR" STRUCTURED"AROUND" NORTH"AMERICA BOARDS"AND"PLANTER" Much of church planting in SELECTION" North America happens through The real shift towards multiplication organizations creating strategies to thinking began after organizational form congregations in a particular systems (recruitment, screening, context. These organizations and assessment, training, coaching, strategies are often referred to by and funding) were already firmly in missiologists as mission structures. place—at least for some networks In fact, when reverse engineered, and denominations. These systems a mission structure actually reveals were adapted from the ones used something about the theology and by foreign mission boards. By 1987, philosophy of the ministry of an organizational psychologist Thomas organization. This is important for Graham had already been writing understanding where we are today in about the first implementation of these North American church planting. systems, which occurred via Mission North America (PCA) around 1983.3 It Missiologist Stanley H. Skreslet writes, was adapted from their foreign mission counterpart, Mission to the World.4 “Mission structures are a kind of ‘theology on four wheels’, According to Graham, these systems enfleshed demonstrations of were designed to select candidates a theoretical orientation to the who had the potential to become world…they are windows that successful church planters. They were allow one to peer closely at built from a paradigm where mission the underpinnings of a given boards did both the recruiting and theology of mission.”2 selecting of potential missionaries. This paradigm forms the basis for the Underneath our strategy and current mission structure for how most organization lies assumptions denominations and networks plant we make about: churches in North America today.

1. What is mission? The prevailing network or 2. Who should be denominational strategy looks like this participating in it and how? to varying degrees: 3. Who should be organizing it and how?

8 PARTNER CHURCH

PLANT PLANT PLANT

Complex Selection Denominations Systems & Networks recruit, screen, PLANT PLANT PLANT assess, train, coach, fund

PLANT PLANT PLANT

PARTNER CHURCH

Today’s mission structure for church interesting observation regarding planting in North America assumes mission structure: the church planter is not only integral but also central to the success of “What you value most in starting new churches. This assumption a church planter profile is has led to the creation of systems what you will build your and processes with a structure that systems around.” looks similar to the model below, with variations depending on the network or In other words, church planting denomination. While doing research to networks and denominations update Charles Ridley’s Church Planter predominantly build their mission Profile, J. Allen Thompson made an structure around church planter

9 ASSESSING TRAINING SYSTEMS SYSTEMS

IDEAL RECRUITING FUNDING CHURCH SYSTEMS SYSTEMS PLANTER

CARE/SUPPORT COACHING SYSTEMS SYSTEMS

selection and what they perceive to maintained, tweaked, and upgraded to be as the ideal church planter. Most avoid attrition. potential church planting candidates are assessed for competencies with However, since the conversation is the hopes that they will achieve shifting from addition to multiplication— two end goals: from mission boards selecting ideal church planters to local churches 1. A high chance of strategizing new church starts—the survival and health focus of our research centered on 2. The ability to grow the church this question: plant to a sustainable size How have networks and denominations shifted their This entrepreneurial model of Church Planting Systems (CPS) church planting, which emphasizes from directly planting churches the selection of an entrepreneurial to helping churches become church planter, has driven much of reproducing churches? Have North American church planting their systems moved from for the last 30-40 years. These addition to multiplication? systems, by necessity, are constantly

10 CHAPTER!$" CHURCH!PLANTING! SYSTEMS

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHURCH PLANTING SYSTEMS A Church Planting System (CPS) usually revolves around the identification and assessment of qualified church planters. The assessment event, commonly referred to as the assessment center, is the primary focus of most church planting systems. Again, there are variations to this, but by and large, most church planting networks operate within this paradigm.

J. Allen Thompson traces the concept of the assessment center back to 1956, when AT&T used this approach to identify and select mid-level managers. Over time, other businesses and organizations, including academic institutions, utilized an assessment center approach to select administrative personnel and to determine what kinds of professional development services to ofer their employees.5

As mentioned in the last chapter, Mission North America (PCA) was one of the earliest mission boards to adapt

11 the assessment center approach for making disciples from within the church planter selection. Since then, movement who will one day plant many other home mission boards and churches. A recruitment strategy often church planting networks have taken provides a clear pathway for someone a similar approach, giving rise to an who feels called to church planting industry of church planting services but needs help discerning how to and support systems that, in various respond to that call. ways, have been a response to the needs identified in the pre- and post- 3. ASSESSMENT assessment phases of church planting. The assessment process is often kicked of with a pre-assessment process, which allows the network A BASIC CPS TODAY to get to know the potential planter. Looking across the spectrum of church There are various ways assessments planting networks and denominations, can happen today, from online this study identified nine basic systems applications to video interviews to the that make up a typical CPS in a North more common approach of utilizing American church planting network. a multi-day assessment center. Assessment philosophies can range 1. PRAYER from helping candidates discern their A prayer strategy is the lifeline of any church planting calls to assessing the church planting network. One example levels of financial partnerships with of this is a regular prayer time, such the candidates. as the way that the C2C Network staf and planters pray every day at 10:02 4. FUNDING according to Luke 10:2, asking the Lord Today, fewer networks are using a of the harvest to send out workers one-size-fits-all approach to funding. into His field. Other networks mobilize Some networks have even opted out of their existing churches through the formally funding new church starts. But web, social media, or postcards to the majority are helping their church pray for new or potential church planters think through the financial plants and planters. needs of their church plants. A funding strategy should be strongly linked to 2. RECRUITING/DISCOVERY the vision and overall strategy of the The best recruitment and discovery organization. It must include plans strategies don’t just focus on attracting to increase or decrease the overall potential church planters from outside funding base and resources given to the movement—they also focus on church plants.

12 5. TRAINING/PROSPECTUS systems among experienced planters Funding and training are typically within their own networks. ofered to planters who have passed assessment and are ready to move 7. EVENTS/ONGOING TRAINING on to developing a church planting In addition to training and coaching, strategy and prospectus. Diferent events like boot camps, orientation, networks have various methods of and regular training provide planters training—from a standardized approach within a network a sense of community to an á la carte technique. and ongoing learning. Larger networks often hold regular regional The end goal is always to help planters gatherings to tackle issues specific develop a strategy that accounts for to their surrounding area. Event their strengths and limitations, as well planning becomes a system in and as their need for a team and a strategic of itself because of its tremendous approach to evangelism, discipleship, value and the energy required to and multiplication. In fact, according to implement events well. research found in Multiplication Today, Movements Tomorrow by Ed Stetzer 8. PLANTER AND SPOUSAL CARE and Daniel Im, the more prepared Networks are becoming more aware planters were, the more likely they of the needs of the church planting were to multiply themselves and start family and how its health impacts a daughter church in their first five the longevity of the church planter’s years of existence.6 ministry. Some networks have created church planter spousal groups as 6. COACHING a support system for the church In addition to training, most networks planting family, since church planting have identified quality coaching as one can often come with its own efects of the major factors for the success of on a family. A planter care system a church planter. While many networks often includes regular prayer, care function without a fully developed packages, and retreats for the planting coaching strategy, most networks couple and family. find a way to provide mentoring and accountability for their planters. This 9. CHURCH MULTIPLICATION coaching is sometimes done through It used to be that multiplication was direct relationships with the network reserved for the ‘best’ church plants. leaders; other times, it is accomplished Now, networks want to see all churches through paid professional coaches. multiply. A systematic approach to Many networks are building coaching helping churches value multiplication principles such as internships,

13 residencies, leadership pipelines, releasing, and sending are becoming a necessary part of a CPS. The most serious networks structure some, if not most, of their resources around building these systems.

There is much more that goes into a CPS, but these nine basic systems are common or are becoming common among most church planting networks in North America. Oftentimes, the systems feed into one another and are much more integrated than described above. Other times, a church plant will receive diferent aspects of a CPS from diferent networks. It is important to realize that the rise of church planting systems over the last few decades has been in response to the focus on identifying and assessing qualified church planters.

The rest of this report will be spent describing current findings and best practices based on how some church planting systems are contributing to the development of church planting churches.

14 CHAPTER!%" BENCHMARKING!DATA

One of the objectives of this research was to provide some helpful benchmarks in church planting systems. Not every organization is structured the same way and not all provide the same exact support systems. As a result, these benchmarks should not be looked at as definitive standards for your organization’s performance. Rather, they can act as a basic measure for some common aspects of church planting that many organizations have in common.

ABOUT OUR SAMPLE DATA In the following section, we describe how we collected the data sets and list the organizations from which they came.

Interviews of 14 National Church Planting Organizations To gain a broad understanding of the trends in church planting, we interviewed

15 the directors of the following church • EFCA planting organizations: • Evangelical Covenant • Fellowship Baptist 1. Acts 29 Network • Foursquare 2. Always Forward (Anglican Church • Free Will Baptist in North America) • IPHC 3. ARC • LCMS 4. C&MA • Missionary Church 5. C2C network • Multi-denominational Networks 6. Church Multiplication Network (AG) • North American Baptist 7. City to City • Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada 8. Converge • Presbyterian Church in America 9. LCMS • Reformed Church in America 10. PCA • Seventh Day Baptist 11. Send Network (Southern Baptist) • Southern Baptist Convention 12. Stadia • UMC 13. Path 1 (United Methodist Church) • Vineyard 14. Vineyard • Wesleyan

Survey Responses from 130 Church The organizations surveyed were Planting Organizations categorized into one of the following The Send Institute developed and geographic scopes: the Center for Missions Research distributed 230 surveys and received • Planting nationally: 18% 130 responses. The traditions of organizations and variations of organizations • Planting globally: 17% that responded to the survey are of organizations reflected in this list: • Planting regionally or in a specific city: 65% of organizations • Assemblies of God • Associate Reformed Presbyterian The study received a strong response • C&MA from all regions that contain large • Christian Reformed cities. The following graphic shows the • Church of Christ regions represented in the sampling • Churches of God compared to the Brookings Institution’s • Conservative Baptist list of the 100 largest U.S. cities.7 • Converge • ECO

16 ORGANIZATION INFORMATION CITY/REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SURVEYED

VS ORGANIZATION BROOKINGS 100 LARGEST INFORMU.S.A TICITIESON

(MAPS DO NOT REFLECT CANADIAN ORGANIZATIONS THAT ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THIS STUDY.)

Much of the data collected focused • 18% of organizations assessed on an organization’s church planting 101+ candidates activity between 2014 and 2017. • 37% of organizations assessed Organizations fell into the following 25-100 candidates three categories based on the number • 45% of organizations assessed of candidates they assessed within 1-24 candidates these three years:

17 Exponential’s Church Multiplication • MISSIONAL is where being active Assessment Level 4 and 5 Data in the community is the primary Within the last few years, the team place of engagement at Exponential has been having the • SIMPLE is where bringing people Level 5 conversation on what it means into a less structured environment to be a multiplying church.8 Recently, is the primary place of engagement they developed an online tool called the Church Multiplication Assessment, which thousands of churches have taken in order to assess where they are in the journey to becoming a multiplying church.9

Todd Wilson, Exponential’s Co-Founder and CEO, helped our team understand and analyze their data to determine a few diferent models for church planting churches today in North America. In Chapter 7, we identify eight models of church planting churches that are some of the best examples of church reproduction today.

BENCHMARKING DATA Below is some of the data we collected that can be helpful in creating benchmarks for church planting organizations today.

The following definitions were used to represent the various basic church planting models used in North America today:

• LAUNCH is where the worship gathering is the primary place of engagement

18 “Which church planting model has tended to see the most conversion growth?”

5%

59% 36%

Launch Missional Simple

“Which church planting model is most engaged with unreached communities?”

8%

58% 34%

Launch Missional Simple

19 “What percentage of your current church planters worked other jobs?”

3% 5%

None or almost none Few (less than a quarter) 42% 29% Many (about half) Most (more than half) All or none 21%

“From 2014 to 2017, what percentage of your churches had active church planting interns/residents?”

3% 2%

12%

None or almost none 10% Few (less than a quarter) Many (about half) 73% Most (more than half) All or none

20 “How does your organization strategically help churches to become church planting churches?” • 63% provide churches with financial support designated to plant more churches • 73% help churches develop internships and residencies

“From 2014 to 2017, how many candidates were assessed by your organization and how many passed with either conditional or full recommendation? (assessed/passed)”

NUMBER OF CITY/ NATIONAL GLOBAL ASSESSMENTS / PASSED REGIONAL ORGS ORGS ORGS

COUNT 72 29 8

AVERAGE 34.4 / 26.2 183.8 / 119.41 81 / 45.88 (ASSESSED / PASSED)

MEDIAN 20 / 14 80 / 50 39 / 33 (ASSESSED / PASSED)

“Among those who reported church plant closures between 2014 and 2017, what is the ratio of candidates who pass assessment to church plant closures in the same time period?”

CANDIDATES WHO PASSED: ASSESSED ASSESSED ASSESSED ALL CHURCH PLANT CLOSURES 1-24 25-100 101+

COUNT 28 36 15 79

AVERAGE 7:1 11:1 16:1 11:1

MEDIAN 7:1 9:1 11:1 8:1

21 Many denominations and networks track the net gain of churches by calculating the diference between new churches and closing churches within the same time period. However, by looking at the ratio of candidates who pass assessment to church closures, you can get a sense of the potential planting capacity of an organization. Compare this to basketball, where one stat focuses on the number of shots made and another on the number of shots attempted.

“From 2014 to 2017, what is the total amount in dollars given by your organization to church plants?”

DOLLARS CITY/REGIONAL NATIONAL GLOBAL GIVEN ORGS ORGS ORGS

COUNT 58 24 7

AVERAGE $939,127.66 $2,190,687.21 $2,000,000.00

MEDIAN $400,000.00 $500,000.00 $600,000.00

“The average amount of dollars given per church plant over 2014 and 2017 by City/Regional Organizations?” 58 CITY/REGIONAL FUNDED FUNDED FUNDED ORGS 1-24 25-100 101+ COUNT 41 15 2

AVERAGE $52,330.68 $32,512.93 $14,467.50

MEDIAN $35,166.00 $24,000.00 $14,467.50

22 “The average amount of dollars given per church plant over 2014 and 2017 by national organizations?”

24 FUNDED FUNDED FUNDED NATIONAL ORGS 1-24 25-100 101+ COUNT 9 10 5

AVERAGE $21,032.78 $40,697.50 $33,084.20

MEDIAN $16,666.00 $16,000.00 $29,787.00

“The average dollars given per church plant over 2014 and 2017 by global organizations?”

7 FUNDED FUNDED FUNDED GLOBAL ORGS 1-24 25-100 101+ COUNT 4 3 -

AVERAGE $32,142.75 $63,624.67 -

MEDIAN $26,285.50 $29,836.00 -

23 “On average, after what year do you stop funding a church?”

CITY/REGIONAL NATIONAL GLOBAL STOP FUNDING ORGS ORGS ORGS

COUNT 67 29 8

AVERAGE 3.04 3.03 3.4

MEDIAN 3 3 3

“On average, from 2014 to 2017, after what year did your churches become financially self-sustaining?”

FINANCIALLY CITY/REGIONAL NATIONAL GLOBAL SELF-SUSTAINING ORGS ORGS ORGS

COUNT 67 29 8

AVERAGE 3.83 3.8 3.67

MEDIAN 4 4 3

These are just some of the statistics we created from our collected data, and they help to gauge what is going on nationally in terms of an organization’s church planting capacity based on their size and giving ability.

24 CHAPTER!&"!THREE! BASIC!FINDINGS

In the following chapters, we will share the best practices in church planting systems as well as the organizational shifts necessary to see denominations and networks move beyond addition and into multiplication. In this chapter, we ofer three basic findings from our research to describe where North American organizations are collectively in adjusting their systems to equip churches to become church planting churches.

BASIC FINDING ONE We are seeing significant attempts to implement church multiplication practices into church planting systems, particularly in an organization’s vision and training.

In our survey, we asked the question: Where does your organization use language such as (or similar to) church planting churches, church multiplication, Level 5 churches, sending churches, reproducing churches, or parent churches?

25 44% 46% 57%

MISSION VISION VALUES STATEMENT STATEMENT STATEMENT 58 / 130 60 / 130 74 / 130

Almost half of the 130 organizations for, 73% of organizations indicated who answered have incorporated that they provide training in church church multiplication language multiplication. into either their mission or vision statements, and more than half Although these basic stats don’t tell us have incorporated it into their whether or not church multiplication value statements. is actually happening, they do show us that organizations are taking an When asked about which intentional approach to developing competencies they provide training churches that plant churches.

73% provide church multiplication training

26 BASIC FINDING TWO multiplication training and funding is The majority of organizations are just beginning for some organizations. reporting that few of their church plants can be categorized as actively planting The caution here is that if a other churches. denomination or network continues to be the primary force behind planting Perhaps the more significant discovery churches, then it may never see a of this study is that the reality of true multiplication movement happen churches planting churches has not yet because, by definition, a Church caught up with the language and the Multiplication Movement is when there idea of churches planting churches. is a rapid reproduction of churches planting churches.10 What percentage of your churches can be categorized as church planting What’s important for the purpose of churches that are actively planting this report is whether or not there is a other churches? strategic emphasis on the value in and equipping of church planting churches

1% 5% rather than just the singular focus of church planter selection.

7% This brings us to the third basic finding. None or almost none 13% Few (less than a quarter) Many (about half) 74% Most (more than half) BASIC FINDING THREE All or none Church planting systems are still largely centered on the selection of church planters and less on the development of church planting churches.

Of 130 church planting organizations, An overall summary of our data would an overwhelming 74% of them show that the average North American indicated that less than a quarter of church planting organization is still their churches are actively involved in highly focused on the selection of planting other churches. This doesn’t church planters. There have been necessarily indicate a negative trend. In encouraging findings, however, with fact, paired with some other indicators one specific network starting over that we will mention later, it could 100 catalyst communities, which just mean that the “pay-of” in church are clusters of churches that come together in a city to plant churches

27 together. This is an example of a CPS Again, these basic findings do being oriented around church planting not suggest that church planting churches, rather than just church organizations across North America planter selection. are not on track to becoming hubs for equipping and developing Other encouraging discoveries church planting churches. The best include networks that are tracking of our evidence seems to show that third-generation plants and churches the actual activity and practice is with church planting residents. Some underway. However, the level of networks are starting to move their activity and practice has not yet caught churches along the spectrum of the up to the possibilities described by Level 5 language developed by the the theory and the language of church Exponential organization. But the vast multiplication. majority of networks still operate with varying degrees according to the basic When that begins to happen, we church planter selection model. believe the diagram below will look diferent—if not drastically, then at least substantially.

PARTNER CHURCH

PLANT PLANT PLANT

Complex Selection Denominations Systems & Networks recruit, screen, PLANT PLANT PLANT assess, train, coach, fund

PLANT PLANT PLANT

PARTNER CHURCH

28 CHAPTER!'"!EIGHT! BEST!PRACTICES

After conducting 90-minute interviews with 14 national church planting directors and studying their strategic documents and annual reports, analyzing 130 survey responses from church planting organizations, and sifting through Exponential’s Church Multiplication Assessment Level 4 and 5 data, we focused on finding the best practices in developing church planting churches in these eight key areas:

1. Vision & Strategy 2. Pipeline Development 3. Assessment 4. Training 5. Network Events 6. Funding 7. Scorecards 8. Church Planter Involvement

From this data, we asked three key questions in our analysis:

• What actual practices are being implemented?

29 • Which of these practices are churches, but also to equip churches geared towards producing church to start churches, is more likely to planting churches? implement this value into their systems, • How efective have these processes, and scorecards. practices actually been? 57% of organizations use language The following eight practices that we’ve about multiplication or reproducing identified are some of the ways that churches in their organization’s many organizations are intentionally value statements. building into their church planting systems an emphasis on developing Using strategic language doesn’t church planting churches. automatically mean that an organization is engaged in multiplication, reproduction, etc. However, there is 1. VISION & STRATEGY zero likelihood that an organization Make church planting churches and is intentionally and strategically church multiplication explicit in your implementing something that it never organizational language and strategy. explicitly defined.

You won't implement what you're not What does your organization clear about. An organization that is strategically focus on the most? clear on its mission to not only start

5%

8%

45% Plants churches only 42% Plants churches, but also develops church planting churches Develops church planting churches, but also plants churches Develops church planting churches only

30 42% of organizations consider planting Church planting processes are churches their primary focus, but largely focused on selecting qualified they also develop church planting candidates. However, to see churches. 45% of organizations, efective multiplication, organizations however, consider their first strategic cannot focus only on church planter focus to be developing church planting selection. They need to provide well- churches while still planting churches developed pathways so local churches themselves. Consider how some can disciple and raise up church national networks we interviewed planters from within. describe themselves: Only 15% of organizations indicate • We are a diverse, global family of that many or most of their churches church planting churches. have active church planting • We exist to be a catalyst for internships or residencies. church planting and multiplication. Valuing and implementing church Compare this to other networks that planting internships and residencies describe themselves in this way: is an indicator that a network has a defined leadership pipeline in place. • We identify and resource qualified While it’s possible that a talented church planters. church planter may not participate • We recruit, train, coach, and fund in such a pathway, the need for a church planters. track that allows potential planters to mature and develop is crucial for We need both kinds of organizations, an organization. Moreover, having but one has a strategic emphasis on intentional leadership pipelines in developing church planting churches place is one of the most efective ways and the other on developing church to teach a church how to become a planters. This may seem like a subtle church planting church. diference, but the long-term focus is a matter of addition vs. multiplication.

2. PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT 49% of organizations Ofer a practical and adaptable church have a formally defined planter pipeline curriculum that can farm system/pipeline be implemented by both new and existing churches.

31 One national director said this about planting pipeline.11 Many organizations, their organization: like the one mentioned above, are realizing that if you want to take church “Our network’s goal over multiplication seriously, you have to the next twelve years is to provide good tools for local churches have 4% of our churches in to do discipleship and leadership our denomination become development well. a multiplying church. We believe 4% is a tipping point. That’s why we’ve developed 3. ASSESSMENT a pipeline and curriculum for Integrate sending churches into the existing churches to disciple assessment process to encourage and equip regular men and greater responsibility for the health and women towards becoming well-being of the church planter and future church planters. It’s okay the church plant. if someone goes through the curriculum and doesn’t become It’s crucial for a church planter to have a a church planter. At least sending church in order to be assessed they’ll become better church thoroughly, since a sending church members. But other than this will know the planter beyond what level of intentionality, what other may come up during the assessment. chance do we have?” Furthermore, sending churches are able to help planters with an ongoing As discovered in the research from development plan while also providing Multiplication Today, Movements a mentoring relationship, regardless of Tomorrow, two of the six practices the results of the assessment. of churches that multiply are disciple making and leadership development. These form the heart of a church

2%

14%

36% None or almost none 19% Few (less than a quarter) Many (about half) Most (more than half) All or almost all 29%

32 What percentage of your church. A sending church is making organization’s church plants have a both a relational and organizational formal sending/parent church? commitment when choosing to plant a church. Being present at the This is what we discovered about their assessment gives them a glimpse into post-assessment practices: that responsibility.

• 85% provide a full assessment report to the planter 4. TRAINING • 67% provide a full assessment Include strategic sessions on report to the sending church church multiplication in your • 71% work with the sending church to training curriculum. help the planter • 71% resource the planter in A good church planting curriculum can areas of weakness no longer simply focus on launching • 92% provide recommended action a single worshiping community. It items to the planter must help church planters strategize • 52% provide accountability in advance over how they intend to for the action items before the plant churches from the one they planter continues are seeking to launch. This is what some mean by being born “pregnant,” Many organizations now require and it is a key dynamic for a Church church planters to have a sending Multiplication Movement. A great church before they can be assessed. church planting curriculum has a future One organization even indicated that, vision for planting more churches, even when at all possible, they prefer to as the organization begins the process. have the sending church pastor or a representative present during the From our interviews, we identified assessment event. 16 distinct competencies around which church planting organizations This allows the sending church to develop training. do two things. First, being present at the assessment helps them to The most common training better understand the qualities competencies across organizations and competencies looked for in a were Leadership/Team Building (94%) competent planter. It also helps them to and Vision and Strategy (92%). The grasp how to best support their planter least common training competencies after the assessment process. Second, across were Multi-ethnic Church (30%) being present helps to reinforce the and Social Justice (25%). value of being a church planting

33 Team Building/Leadership Development 94.35%

Vision and Strategy 91.94%

Evangelism/Missional Engagement 88.71%

Discipleship 82.26%

Fundraising/Finances 81.45%

Demographics/Community 79.84%

Values 75.81%

Church Systems/Structure 74.19%

Church Multiplication 73.39%

Faith/Prayer 70.97%

Character/Self-awareness 64.52%

Calling 61.29%

Preaching/Communication 56.45%

Developing a Prospectus 50.00%

Multi-ethnic Church 30.65%

Social Justice 25.81%

73% of organizations indicated that One denomination developed a full they provide some sort of church curriculum for how church plants multiplication training for their and existing churches can develop a church planters. “greenhouse” within their church to incubate future church planters and One network added a specific module church planting teams. Rather than into their training that focused on developing their own strategies from helping the planter think through a scratch, churches can use greenhouse long-term multiplication strategy. The materials, which include vision casting idea behind this module is that if the material, participant notebooks, planter has thought intentionally about worksheets, and presentation teaching planting with multiplication in mind, he modules to begin a somewhat standard or she will be more likely to implement approach to preparing another multiplication strategies such as church planting team while in the internships, residencies, sending, midst of planting. releasing, and funding other works into the early stages.

34 5. NETWORK EVENTS Why are regularly held network Host regular network events for regional events important for church church planters to equip them to think multiplication? Whenever church through and further define their church planters attend a city gathering or a multiplication strategy. regional training, it reminds them that they are part of something bigger The day-to-day work of planting a than their own churches. Along with church is daunting. It’s easy for church other churches and ministries in planters to do little else besides daily their cities or regions, they form a tasks within their first three years. collective expression of God at work. When networks host regular training In these events, a sense of positive events, it forces a rhythm into the “peer pressure” forms to help planters church planters’ calendars to regularly think beyond their own church. When think about church multiplication. a fellow church planter is in a room with 30 peers and shares a humble A Brief Case Study story of how he or she is launching • A network founded in 2010 was another church even when the current originally based in the Northeastern church is barely sustainable, it makes states, but now plants all multiplication seem more doable than if over North America someone shared an inspirational story • Between 2014 and 2017, this about a church of 3,000 members that organization assessed 250 was multiplying. church planters Furthermore, establishing a regular • During that time, they funded 95 rhythm of strategic meetings, even if churches with $1.4 million they only happen a few times a year, • This network considers at least afords planters a time to revisit their 50% of their churches to be church planting churches 70% of When we asked them to list the top organizations three factors that led their churches to become church planting churches, this sponsor events is what they said: focused on multiplication Factor #1: “A culture of multiplication” Factor #2: “Empowering leaders” Factor #3: “Regional events”

35 strategy and make tweaks based on What funding opportunities does your what others are trying and what seems organization provide? to be working at the moment. • 58% Mobilize church partners 6. FUNDING • 47% Project grants Fund multiplicative infrastructure and • 45% Model-specific provide special funding for church • 37% Matching grants plants that show signs of multiplication, • 14% Mobilize individual partners such as planting “pregnant” churches • 7% Equal funding for or planting with a well-defined church all church plants multiplication strategy. Very few organizations provide equal Incentivize multiplication. Setting funding to their church plants across aside special funding for churches that the board. One organizational leader will host residencies and internships jokingly said, “We stopped using a can allow visionary leaders to ‘socialist’ model of funding.” simultaneously grow their churches (addition) and also begin planting Other ways to support a church plant others (multiplication) within their first towards becoming a multiplying church few years of existence. is to provide funding for their internship and residency programs.

If internship/residency programs are funded positions, who provides the funding?

6%

Primarily funded through our organization 37% Primarily sponsored through the sponsoring church 57% Funded both through our organization and the sponsoring church

36 63% of organizations provide some planting culture, it is necessary level of funding towards internships to measure what leads to church and residencies. planting churches. If an organization feels administratively ill-equipped This is an encouraging statistic in and finds the process of trying to regard to seeing funds directed at track generations of reproduction multiplication. For example, 33% of cumbersome, it’s probably because organizations indicate that at least they are experiencing the early half of their church planters previously pains of transitioning their systems participated in a church planting from strictly adding churches to internship or residency. Organizations multiplying churches. are starting to partner with potential planters earlier in the process (pre- • 82% track the number of assessment) by getting them into churches that have multiplied church planting environments while in their network teaching church plants how to take • 71% track the number of churches steps to be a reproducing church. that intend to multiply • Only 39% track the number of Doing this not only incentivizes interns generations of reproduction or residents to take their programs seriously—prioritizing their next steps While it is not completely necessary in planting—but also allows church to track generational reproduction to plants to plant “pregnant” with a prove that an organization is focused potential planter already in the making. on multiplication, it is hard to know if multiplication is actually happening if it is not somehow being tracked. 7. SCORECARDS Many organizations may be able Adjust your organizational scorecard to tell anecdotal stories of multi- to also track multiplicative indicators, generational reproduction, but few such as the number of churches are actually able to definitively track implementing a leadership pipeline, it phenomenologically and describe residencies and internships, exactly how it’s happening. generations of multiplication, assessment and training centers, etc. The following is a scorecard provided to us by one of the national directors The scorecard for developing church that we interviewed. The regional planting churches is diferent from district leaders of this organization are the scorecard for planting churches. required to keep these statistics: In order to develop a church

37 CHURCH MULTIPLICATION SCORECARD

Number of new church plant candidates in the pipeline

Number of church planters that passed the assessment centers with either conditional or full recommendation

Number of grand openings (multiple campuses and church plants)

Number of non-Anglo grand openings (multiple campuses and church plants)

Number of outside afliations

Number of church plant afliations

Number of churches with residency programs

Number of new missionary candidates in the pipeline

Number of missionaries that went through the assessment center with either a full or deferred recommendation

38 Consequently, an organization should your pipeline, all the way to funding measure what they care about and and coaching. Encourage ownership. what they want to happen among their churches. If an organization is serious If networks own the processes, about multiplication and developing they will never scale fast enough to church planting churches, then they support a multiplication movement. will have to adjust their scorecards to Organizations whose churches own reflect these values. and reproduce simple church planting systems are reaching the highest level of multiplication. 8. CHURCH PLANTER INVOLVEMENT Most of the organizations we Involve church planters in all of your interviewed cannot aford to hire a church planting systems, starting from full-time staf of paid network leaders. Some organizations, if they are able,

80% of organizations indicate that they include their churches in the process of recruiting, assessing, and training church planters

Additionally, 73% of organizations say their most efective coaches are former or current church planters. 85% of organizations say the same of their most efective trainers.

39 provide a stipend for many of their We are providing these practices team members, who are often church as a way to show how others are planters themselves. incorporating multiplication practices into their systems. In other words, it However, church planters don’t is possible to teach church planters participate in recruiting, assessing, and church plants how to reproduce training, and coaching only to save themselves while you continue to their denomination or network a dime. actively recruit, train, and assess They often use the skills they acquire church planters. from working with their denomination or network to start their own micro- If you feel stuck in addition, these network built around their vision and changes will indeed seem drastic. And values. In chapter 7, we will provide yes, it will take faith to change what is a few examples of church plants that currently happening in order to move have developed their own micro- toward multiplication. But isn’t it worth it networks, which have become a to see the Great Commission pursued? particular kind of model for church planting churches. In the next chapter, we will examine what the future might look like when an organization is operating fully in multiplication mode. But before we get CHANGING"YOUR" there, let’s reflect on what missiologist MISSION"STRUCTURE Dr. Wilbert R. Shenk has to say about mission structures and change: For some organizations, these eight practices describe what they have been doing for the last several years. "(Mission) Structures cannot lead Other organizations will find that the way. They must be devised although they use the language of in a response to a vision ... we multiplication and church planting will not find the way forward churches, their systems and processes by concentrating on salvaging have yet to catch up. Still others may or reviving old structures. We feel far from being able to implement should turn our energies to all or even some of these practices. discerning what the shape of mission is to be in the changed The point in providing these practices world situation and find the isn’t to overload your organization’s wineskins that can hold the new church planting system or to wine of God’s Spirit."12 overwhelm you with a new paradigm.

40 CHAPTER!("! EVOLVING!SYSTEMS! INTENTIONALLY!TOWARD! MULTIPLICATION

In light of the observations we have made from the data collected, and in addition to the eight best practices ofered in the previous chapter, we would like to ofer two proposals to help you intentionally move toward multiplication.

PROPOSALS"FOR"CHURCH" PLANTING"SYSTEMS

Proposal #1: Develop church planting churches and smaller networks of churches with their own church planter selection processes.

The language here is subtle, but the implications are significant. The current structure in church planting systems relies heavily on an organizational hub, which is usually the denomination or network, to provide the infrastructure necessary for a quality church planting selection process. This is a good way to streamline resources and to ensure a

41 robust assessment process. However, and trusting churches for quality control this also means that the church planting issues will be among some of the initial process is only as scalable and as rapid challenges of moving in this direction. as the organizational hub can handle. Benefit: Local churches take real The issue here is not that organizations ownership over church planting have too many potential candidates systems, increasing the overall number to assess and train. In fact, only one of possible hubs for multiplication. organization expressed to us that it has not been able to keep up with Challenge: Denominations and its large number of applicants. Most networks must learn how to relate to organizations we interviewed are emerging networks within their tribe shaking every bush and turning over and find ways for these networks to every rock to find their next church relate to one another. planters. But that’s just it: church planting organizations—instead of local Here, again, is a look at the prevailing churches—are the ones that feel the structure we see in church planting pinch to find church planters. compared to a possible evolution if there is a serious focus on developing Helping Local Churches church planting churches or smaller Feel the Pinch networks of churches that plant In fact, the best church planting churches together. churches are the ones that constantly “pinch” themselves, so much so that many of them start and grow their own networks, often outpacing their own denomination (for those that belong to one). That’s why these church planting churches develop their own processes of recruiting, assessing, and training. Some of the churches that we will talk about in the next chapter have developed a number of these processes for themselves.

This is not a new concept, but the intentional shift of an organization’s vision and resources toward this might be. And letting go of some ownership

42 The Prevailing Structure

PARTNER CHURCH

PLANT PLANT PLANT

Complex Selection Denominations Systems & Networks recruit, screen, PLANT PLANT PLANT assess, train, coach, fund

PLANT PLANT PLANT

PARTNER CHURCH

How it Might be Evolving

PARTNER CHURCH

Simple Pipeline MULTIPLYING Systems CHURCH pipeline, assess, train, release, coach, fund

PARTNER CHURCH PARTNER Innovative CHURCH Systems Denominations research, Simple Pipeline MULTIPLYING Systems & Networks development, CHURCH pipeline, assess, train, collaboration, release, coach, fund networks, PARTNER health, funding CHURCH PARTNER CHURCH

Simple Pipeline MULTIPLYING Systems CHURCH pipeline, assess, train, release, coach, fund

PARTNER CHURCH

43 This new model shows how In the next chapter, we share some of denominations and networks could the results of their ten-year experiment, catalyze multiplying churches and which is still ongoing.13 But this is smaller clusters of networks so as how Underground’s Co-Founder, to handle simple church planting Brian Sanders, summarizes their systems. Returning to Exponential’s missional experiment: Level 5 language, it is possible that the clustering of Level 3 or 4 churches “We’ve been intentionally shy could produce a similar result to what a for the first 10 years of our Level 5 church can do by itself. existence. The explanatory style, for lack of a better More accurately stated, a church may word, or the framework or the never realistically and sustainably narrative for us has been an reach Level 5 without being in experiment. We’re not sure if it partnership with Level 3 and Level would work. We’re not trying to 4 churches. As denominations and say that our ideas are better networks consider this thought, they than others…it’s about trying can begin to adjust their practices to something, building something, encourage this level of relationship creating something. We just and co-ownership of church wanted to see if we could create planting systems. a clinical environment—all good experiments need to have an Proposal #2: Invest in research, uncontaminated environment— innovation, and collaboration for so we did pull away a little bit additional mission structures. from traditional church people and traditional church forms We are living in a time of great because in the end what we innovation. Innovation isn’t always wanted to see was after a 10 necessary, but with North America year experiment—to take the changing as fast as it is, church planting data of that and then if you think organizations have a responsibility of the academy...the results of to try. The Underground Network, an experiment belong to the one of the church planting churches academy. So, win or lose, fail interviewed for this study, has spent or succeed, (the Underground the last ten years innovating and Network/experiment) belongs experimenting with a diferent type of to the Church.”14 ecclesiology, which has enabled them to create a mission structure that’s both organizational and missional.

44 This experiment is about being These are just some areas we suggest willing to disconnect from existing researching and studying that can structures in order to innovate significantly inform your organizational new ones, sometimes with a high vision and strategy. potential for failure. Nonetheless, this experimenting can ultimately advance the kingdom of God.

Research and innovation can also happen within existing structures and organizations. Here is a list of ten areas in which denominations and networks can begin directing more energy to researching and understanding for the sake of church planting and evangelism:

1. Historical lay-led Church Planting Movements in America 2. Collegiate church planting and other places with transient populations 3. Generation Z and their spiritual attitudes and religious habits 4. Holacracy and new leadership structures15 5. Diversifying the leadership of mission organizations 6. Identify more missional narratives16 in addition to just the church decline narrative17 7. Bivo/Covo18 church planting 8. Peacemaking and reconciliation 9. Social entrepreneurship and its overlap with establishing worshiping communities 10. Cultural liturgies19

45 CHAPTER!)"!EIGHT! MODEL!CHURCH! PLANTING!CHURCHES

In this last chapter, we want to share the profiles of a few churches that are models for various ways of being a church planting church. In all three datasets collected (interviews with national directors, organizational surveys, and Exponential’s Level 4/5 data), we asked the question, “What are some of the characteristics of churches that consistently plant other churches?”

We aggregated the characteristics and categorized them into eight diferent models to provide a rich understanding of how some churches are planting churches. We hope these profiles will both inspire and spark ideas for how organizations can encourage their church plants to reproduce, not based on a set template, but on their own uniqueness, just like many of these churches did.

One caveat to the churches mentioned here is that they were all chosen from Exponential’s Level 4/5 data. They represent some of the best church

46 planting churches within each #$" category. We acknowledge that there are some fantastic church planting churches that could have easily made this list. Many may not have taken the Church Multiplication Assessment and therefore were not part of our dataset.

Our intention is to share examples from each model so that organizations can see the variety that exists when it comes to best church planting churches. We hope organizational HISTORICAL" leaders will find the descriptions of TRACK"RECORD" these models helpful as they continue Churches that have consistently to align their church planting systems and faithfully planted churches for with multiplication principles. several decades

Spanish River Church Boca Raton, FL Started by David Nicholas Pastored by Tommy Kiedis Network led by Ron Tobias • 35-year+ legacy of church planting • Helped to plant over 500 churches in 32 countries • 20% of the church budget designated to church planting • Invested over $15 million through Spanish River Church Planting

47 2.DECENTRALIZED %$"CITY-FOCUSED"PLANTING NETWORKS Churches that have a strategic focus Churches that not only plant churches, on planting churches in their city and but also strategically catalyze metropolitan area networks and movements Clear Creek Community Church Houston, TX Community Christian Church Led by Bruce Wesley Chicagoland, IL • Started Houston Church Planting Led by Dave Ferguson Network in 2009 and Jon Ferguson • Since 2015, launched 12 • Through NewThing, over 177 churches in Houston afliated networks started globally • In 2017, 37 people completed • In 2017, launched 30 church their year-long church planter planting catalyst communities functional residency • Co-founded Exponential, the world’s largest church planting conference

48 4. RESIDENCY & 5. ECOSYSTEM SENDING CULTURE Churches that raise up planters from Churches that have a well-developed within their network to start networks residency and a culture of sending throughout their city hundreds of members out Tampa Underground Summit Church Tampa, FL Raleigh, NC Led by Brian Sanders Led by J.D. Greear • Since 2006, started over • Started the Summit Network 200 micro-churches with a vision for 1,000 churches • 13 sister movements have in our generation developed globally • Graduated 35 church • Last year, over 300 planters in seven years from people became first-time their full residency followers of Jesus through • Sent out over 500 church their Tampa movement members to be a part of church planting teams

49

6. PLANTING FROM DAY 1 7. GLOBALLY PLANTING Churches that have planted every year Churches actively involved in planting since day one instead of waiting until not only in North America, but also they grew to a certain size all over the world Liberty Church Vista Church New York City, NY Heartland, TX Led by Paul and Andi Andrew Led by Kevin Cox • Liberty planted in 2011 and has • Started ten years ago and helped start over 20 churches in began funding churches before the U.S. and Canada they even launched • Launched other Liberty Churches • To date, planted 15 churches and outside of NYC, including trained dozens of church planters one in Swaziland • Average Sunday attendance • Through the Liberty Foundation, is 200, which shows that planted churches in Canada, you don’t have to be a Israel, Pakistan, India, Spain, megachurch to multiply Ukraine, and more

50 8.FAMILY OF CHURCHES planted. Intentional implementation Churches that plant autonomous of diversity in your church planting churches and choose to be aligned in strategy has a direct impact on how name and shared resources many lanes are being opened within an organization.

So, in addition to the eight models of church planting churches, we want to recognize as part of our study three church planting churches that are leading the way in creating greater diversity in North American church planting.

Hope NYC New York City, NY Led by Drew Hyun • Planted only five years ago in the neighborhood of Astoria • Since then, planted 11 autonomous Hope Churches throughout NYC • Launched the New City Network, which recruits, trains, and resources urban multi-ethnic church planters in global cities Blueprint Church Atlanta, GA Led by Dhati Lewis CHURCHES"LEADING" • Planted in the Old Fourth Ward THE"WAY"TO"GREATER" neighborhood of Atlanta, home to DIVERSITY"IN" Martin Luther King, Jr. CHURCH"PLANTING" • Focused on urban disciple- Diversity opens more lanes making and planting multi-ethnic for multiplication churches in urban areas • Developed BLVD Training, which is We believe that multiplication happens used to train urban church planters when you open up more lanes in all over North America church planting. Diversity in an organization’s leadership can lead to diversity in the kinds of churches being

51 •

Ambassador Church Brea, CA Led by Ray Chang CityReach Church • Launched with the vision of Pittsburgh, PA being a multi-ethnic church Led by Brian Bolt planting church • Started in 2006 and began • Ambassador Network created planting other churches, to develop multi-ethnic eventually launching the leaders and planters CityReach Network in 2010 • Ambassador Network helped start • Between 2014 and 2017, planted the Thirty Network to advance nearly 100 churches through Asian-American pastors and its network, many of which are leaders in multi-ethnic churches Spanish-speaking • Diversity in their network is clearly reflected in their executive leadership team

52 CONCLUSION

FIVE"NETWORK"AND" DENOMINATIONAL" SHIFTS"NECESSARY"FOR"A" PLANTING"MOVEMENT"IN" NORTH"AMERICA There’s a certain desperation in the air. But not necessarily the kind that is derived from a sense of hopelessness, as if the dispiriting upshot is inescapable. It’s a desperation that’s motivated by reality—the kind that takes a long, hard look at the facts and resolves that risk, experimentation, and change are no longer a nicety, but a necessity.

Few lucid observers question whether such desperation is needed among the church in North America. Pastors, planters, missiologists, and mission strategists have long acknowledged the seismic sociological factors that have shifted the current landscape of missional engagement. Debate rages as to whether these changes are for the better or the

53 worse, but one thing is certain— things SHIFT #1: FROM LAUNCHING will not stay the same. WORSHIP SERVICES TO DISCIPLE- MAKING COMMUNITIES So, how should we respond? The cultural ecclesiastical fluency that gave rise to the church growth We could bury our collective heads movement is over for the vast majority in the sand by doubling down on a of North America’s population. course that most comfortably suits our Shockingly deteriorating returns on sacred sensibilities. We could ofer attractional strategies put a bold some ecclesiological tweaks with the exclamation point to this fact. Savvy hope that an amplified commitment to leaders should leverage this transition cultural relevance and excellence in to vigilantly pursue planting disciple- production will usher in a new era of making movements, not simply spiritual productivity. reproducing an over-programmed, highly resourced, intricately polished But both of these alternatives icon to religious consumerism. will inevitably fall short. Our current approaches have not yet Rather than lamenting the need for birthed a movement. such a transition, we should lean into the primacy of the disciple- Instead, could we consider leveraging making mandate Jesus gave His the current church planting passion to Church. Church planting training make some kingdom shifts that could that emphasizes this reality will foster a gospel movement? Could better prepare planters for the facts we redesign churches from a biblical of their context. template, instead of a historically European pattern? If local churches SHIFT #2: FROM were intended to advance the kingdom PUSHING GATHERERS TO of God, what should their priorities EMPOWERING MULTIPLIERS become? Here are five necessary If the multiplication implicit in disciple shifts for networks and denominations making is at the core of the Church’s if we are to see church planting task, then those we entrust to lead movement dynamics happen again must become masters in this work. in North America: Natural charisma, leadership prowess, or entrepreneurial insight may mask the reality that many who are given the mantle of leadership simply do not know how to make disciples. Highly

54 tuned gathering skills devoid of a all pattern with little regard to future commitment to multiplication simply sustainability or catalytic potential. exacerbates the failing narrative. Those Such socialized funding strategies assessing and sending leaders into the fail to incentivize the behaviors harvest should shift from a focus on necessary for movements, nor do gathering skills to a hyper-intentionality they properly prepare a necessary on multiplying practices. co-vocational army to attack the most difcult contexts. SHIFT #3: FROM RECRUITING EXTERNAL LEADERS TO BUILDING Funding mechanisms for future INDIGENOUS PIPELINES movements will preserve capital Disciple-making skills are best for leaders gifted and equipped to developed and refined in the context lead multiplying movements of co- of an externally focused local church. vocational teams. By shifting from the In the past, the normative strategy for difusion of fully funded planters who finding leaders was recruiting them become bi-vocational at the end of from outside sources—be it a seminary, their funding stream (often because parachurch ministry, or a staf member of the difculty of their contexts), from another church. to concentrating resources on a sustainable and catalytic leadership, This preoccupation with recruitment we will exponentially increase our masks an ecclesiological malaise that likelihood for movement. substitutes addition for an indigenous efort to nurture leaders by developing SHIFT #5: FROM ORGANIZATIONAL- an internal pipeline designed for CENTRISM TO CELEBRATING multiplication. Jef Christopherson’s MULTIPLYING CHURCHES team at Send Network has spent A final kingdom shift will be the refocus the past three years developing, of attention from mission organizations, testing, and implementing a Church networks, and denominational Planting Pipeline as a tool to assist structures onto courageous and local churches in their desire for sacrificial multiplying churches. Church kingdom expansion through internal planting infrastructure should strive to multiplication (www.namb.net/pipeline). stay in the background as servants to the Church of Jesus Christ. SHIFT #4: FROM INADEQUATELY RESOURCING ALL TO As a measure of victory, networks JET FUELING SOME and church planting agencies Funding mechanisms for church should see their future irrelevance planting often drift into a one-size-fits- as a sign of amazing success. The

55 local manifestation of the body of Christ is the context and conduit for preparing and propelling indigenous teams capable of giving everyone in North America exposure to the gospel message and access to a healthy church where they, too, can be discipled and deployed. Without question, healthy, multiplying churches are the best hope for gospel movement in North America.

If you are a fellow church planting leader, you know the stakes are high, and to lead change in your organization is not an easy task. We know firsthand how difcult it is. And if you should choose to lead your organization in the direction of kingdom multiplication by making the shifts outlined, we know it will be difcult for you as well.

But it will be worth it.

And we believe that God has called faithful leaders, like many reading this report, to make the shift.

56 FEATURED Church Planting Resources

Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer and Daniel Im

In this second edition of Planting Missional Churches, not only will you fi nd a completely redesigned book with new content in every single chapter, but you will also fi nd several new chapters on topics such as church multiplication, residencies, multi-ethnic ministry, multisite, denominations and networks, and spiritual leadership.

Kingdom First by Jef Christopherson

Authors Jef Christopherson and Mac Lake call readers to imagine a movement that vividly remembers the insubstantial days of a mustard seed with a sense of awe and wonder when looking at the indescribable harvest that stands all around. Though the kingdom of God can’t be forced by superfi cial methods, the good news is that when you move past the threshold of your competency and comfort, you fi nd yourself in the very spot where God can use you like no other.

Among Wolves by Dhati Lewis

Disciple making in the city. Among Wolves seeks to help us move to obedience to the call of Christ to labor among wolves, equipping leaders to establish a thriving disciple making culture.

Sending Well by Dino Senesi

Designed as a fi eld guide to great church planter coaching, it gives practical steps for creating a system that delivers great coaching to church planters. Whether you are coaching planters or attempting to develop coaches for multiple planters, this book will help you.

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58 ENDNOTES

1. Payne, J.D. (2001). “An Evaluation 10. In Viral Churches, Ed Stetzer of the Systems Approach to North and Warren Bird define a Church American Church Multiplication Multiplication Movement as a Movements of Robert E. Logan in rapid reproduction of churches Light of the Missiology of Roland planting churches, measured by Allen,” Ph.D. diss., The Southern a reproduction rate of 50 percent Baptist Theological Seminary. through the third generation of churches, with new churches 2. Skreslet, Stanley H. (1999). having 50 percent new converts. “Impending Transformation: Mission To achieve such momentum, Structures for a New Century.” churches would need to plant, on International Bulletin of Missionary average, a new church every two Research, 23 (No. 1, January). years with each church reaching at least half of its attendees from the 3. According to Dr. Hutz Hertzberg, unchurched community. the first application of church planting assessment centers was by 11. Stetzer, Ed, and Daniel Im (2016). organizational psychologist Thomas Multiplication Today, Movements Graham in 1983 by PCA/MNA. Tomorrow: Practices, Barriers, and an Ecosystem, 25-30. Retrieved 4. Graham, Thomas. (1987). “How to from https://newchurches.com/ Select the Best Church Planters.” blogs/multiplication-today- Evangelical Missions Quarterly, movements-tomorrow-ebook. January Issue. Retrieved from https:// www.emqonline.com/article/emq_ 12. Stanley, Brian. (2003). “Where archive/198701. Have Our Mission Structures Come From?” Transformation 5. Thompson, J. Allen. (1995). Journal, 20 (No. 1, January), pp. Church Planter Competencies as 39-46. Retrieved from http:// Perceived By Church Planters And journals.sagepub.com/doi/ Assessment Center Leaders: A pdf/10.1177/026537880302000104. Protestant North American Study. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest (ProQuest Document ID. 304263405). To learn more about the Underground Network and their story, read Brian 6. Stetzer, Ed, and Daniel Im. (2016). Sanders’s book, Underground Church: Multiplication Today, Movements A Living Example of the Church in its Tomorrow: Practices, Barriers, and Most Potent Form. an Ecosystem, 15-18. Retrieved from https://newchurches.com/blogs/ For an in-depth interview with the multiplication-today-movements- Underground Network founders, listen tomorrow-ebook/. to “Episode 8 – Tampa Underground Network: Pioneering New Mission 7. You can see Brooking’s Metro Structures in North America” of the Monitor 2018 Report for the latest Send Institute Podcast: https://www. version of this list and what they sendinstitute.org/podcast-episode/ analyze in these cities: https:// episode-8-tampa-underground- www.brookings.edu/research/ network-pioneering-new-mission- metro-monitor-2018. structures-north-america.

8. For a better understanding of how Holacracy is a method of Exponential identifies what is a Level decentralized management and 5 church, read Todd Wilson and Dave organizational governance. One of Ferguson’s book, Becoming a Level our missiologist council members, Dr. Five Multiplying Church. Linda Bergquist, presented a paper to the Send Institute about holacratic 9. You can access the Church organization and leadership. Multiplication Assessment tool at http://church-multiplication.com.

59 Missional narrative is an idea we are developing that describes the intersection of the missio Dei, an individual or a group’s historical situation, and a specific ministry context. The missional narrative explains why a person is motivated into mission given his or her background and his or her understanding of God’s mission in the world, specifically within the immediate ministry context.

The church decline narrative is the idea that the European and North American world was predominantly more Christian at one point in history. Having declined numerically and in influence, the Church should seek to grow and gain influence once again.

Brad Brisco makes the distinction between bi-vocational (BIVO) and co- vocational (COVO) church planting in that a bi-vocational planter is receiving some kind of pay from the church and may even expect to one day be fully employed by the church. A co- vocational (COVO) planter intends to keep a full-time vocation outside of the church because it is missionally strategic to do so.

See James K.A. Smith’s writing on this subject.

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