DOCSLIB.ORG

Bestpractices Inchurch Plantingsystems

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Bestpractices Inchurch Plantingsystems 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.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Mark Driscoll Removed from the Acts 29 Church Planting Network He Helped Found
    Mark Driscoll removed from the Acts 29 church planting network he helped found Sarah Pulliam Bailey August 8, 2014, Religion News Service (RNS) Seattle megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll has been removed from a church-planting network of more than 500 churches he helped found after a pattern of “ungodly and disqualifying behavior.” Driscoll, co-founder of the Acts 29 Network, has been an influential but edgy pastor within conservative evangelical circles for several years. His own Mars Hill Church attracts some 14,000 people at 15 locations across five states each Sunday. At the same time, however, Driscoll has been controversial in evangelical circles for years. The New York Times Magazine called him “one of the most admired — and reviled — figures among evangelicals nationwide.” He has been provocative, occasionally profane and has faced allegations of plagiarism and inflating his book sales. After Acts 29 board action, all of Driscoll’s Mars Hill Church locations have been removed from the website of the network. “It is our conviction that the nature of the accusations against Mark, most of which have been confirmed by him, make it untenable and unhelpful to keep Mark and Mars Hill in our network,” the Act 29 board wrote in a letter. “In taking this action, our prayer is that it will encourage the leadership of Mars Hill to respond in a distinctive and godly manner so that the name of Christ will not continue to be dishonored.” In a longer letter obtained by blogger Warren Throckmorton, the Acts 29 board asked Driscoll to “step down from ministry for an extended time and seek help.” “Over the past three years, our board and network have been the recipients of countless shots and dozens of fires directly linked to you and what we consider ungodly and disqualifying behavior,” the board wrote.
    [Show full text]
  • The Review – November 2018
    IBFNA November 2018 Volume 27, Number 2 THE REVIEW Gratitude or Greed? By Dr. Bob Payne, Moderator IBFNA I am writing this moderator’s column a few weeks before Thanksgiving. We have so much for which to be thankful in our country. God has indeed shed His grace on us. Material blessings abound. Even the poorest of us is rich in comparison with many others who live in other countries. Like no other country, we have every reason to be grateful for what we have. In Deut. 8:12-14, Moses shares with Israel some things that they were not to forget when they entered the prosperity of the promised land. They were to beware to keep the Lord’s commandments, “Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built INSIDE PAGES goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of 2- the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” CY*J`J-`3- Greedy Christians N7+-CY*J`J_- - I wonder if believers in our nation today have not fallen into the same trap that Isra- - el did. We too have forgotten God. Instead of embracing an attitude of humble thanks- giving, we have become greedy and avaricious. 7- The author of Hebrews writes in 13:5: “Let your conversation [conduct] be without 20 9-- covetousness [without the love of money, without greed]; and be content with such C`A77`-7- things as ye have.” Paul wrote in 1 Tim.
    [Show full text]
  • Response to WEST's Statement on Their Website
    Response to the statement posted by WEST on its website entitled ‘Negative Publicity’ This article is written by R. E. Palgrave and includes links to important information by Dr E. S. Williams. The section on information sources is written by Mr E. Roberts. In January 2013 the Bible League Quarterly and the Sword and Trowel published an article by R. E. Palgrave regarding the abandonment of Biblical separation from error by Wales Evangelical School of Theology (WEST). In summary, this article outlined the following: WEST has appointed as its Chancellor a man who has had a 20-year close relationship with Rick Warren and who has signed his ecumenical P.E.A.C.E Plan promoting work with Muslims, Roman Catholics and all faiths. WEST has appointed as its Chairman a man who has translated Rick Warren’s teachings into Korean and is himself teaching Rick Warren’s message of easy believism. WEST has made alliances with Porterbrook and Acts 29 Network. The latter was founded by Mark Driscoll who promotes immoral and licentious behaviour and is part of the Emerging Church. WEST now offers Porterbrook courses which teach Emerging Church and New Calvinist philosophies. WEST and Acts 29 are working together on an initiative called ‘Valley Commandos.’ WEST has also appointed on its board the international director of the ecumenically compromised Lausanne Movement. The Bible League Quarterly article entitled The Right Direction? can be found here: http://www.bibleleaguetrust.org/articles/west.pdf The Sword and Trowel abridged article entitled Abandoning Separation from Biblical Error: The Disaster of the Theological College WEST (with an introduction by Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • The Calvinists: a Reply to Gerald Harris by Mark Lamprecht, Hereiblog.Com
    The Calvinists: a Reply to Gerald Harris By Mark Lamprecht, HereIBlog.com Gerald Harris, editor of the The Christian Index, the Georgia Southern Baptist newspaper, recently published the article ―The Calvinists are here.‖1 There have been two immediate responses to Harris‘ piece including one by former Calvinist William Birch2 and an article in the Baptist Press in which some of the people mentioned by Harris answered his concerns.3 Harris‘ article seems to be pieced together without a thesis. The article seems strung together by insinuations built upon a connect-the-dots type of guilt by association. In short, there is a lot to untangle in Harris‘ article. In the following response, which has been broken into two parts, I will attempt to untangle some of Harris‘ insinuations and point out that his his dots do not actually connect to support insinuations that Calvinism is a problem. Sections of Harris‘ article will be quoted and interacted with so this article will be long, but necessary. Why is this response necessary? This response is necessary for the sake of encouraging Southern Baptists from differing theological perspectives to move beyond casting judgements based upon personal bias. The response is necessary to encourage continuing working together for the sake of the gospel while embracing one another in Christ without questioning each others motives every step of the way. Remember, love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things (1 Cor. 13:7) and love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). I hold Mr. Harris as a brother in Christ who has served the body of Christ through the SBC for many years.
    [Show full text]
  • Southern Baptist Convention
    Bowdoin College Bowdoin Digital Commons Honors Projects Student Scholarship and Creative Work 2019 The Sacralization of Absolute Power: God's Power and Women's Subordination in the Southern Baptist Convention Sydney Smith [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.bowdoin.edu/honorsprojects Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Christianity Commons, History of Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Smith, Sydney, "The Sacralization of Absolute Power: God's Power and Women's Subordination in the Southern Baptist Convention" (2019). Honors Projects. 123. https://digitalcommons.bowdoin.edu/honorsprojects/123 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship and Creative Work at Bowdoin Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of Bowdoin Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Sacralization of Absolute Power: God’s Power and Women’s Subordination in the Southern Baptist Convention An Honors Paper for the Department of Religion By Sydney Catherine Smith Bowdoin College, 2019 © 2019 Sydney Smith Table of Contents Introduction …………………………………………………………………..………………….. 1 Chapter 1: A Brief History of The Conservative Takeover of the SBC……………………........ 15 Chapter 2: Neo-Calvinism: Continuity and Change …………………….………………………. 33 Chapter 3: Loyalty, Denominational Politics, and Departure from Baptist Tradition ...………... 54 Chapter 4: Strategic Submission and the Empowerment of Southern Baptist Women …………. 69 Chapter 5: A Day of Reckoning for the SBC? …………….……………………………………. 96 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….………….…. 127 Bibliography………………………………………………………….………………………... 132 Acknowledgments I would like to thank the Bowdoin College Faculty Scholar program, for providing the grant which facilitated the summer research that made this project possible.
    [Show full text]
  • Mars Hill Church a Miracle of JESUS a Letter from Pastor Mark Driscoll November 8, 2007
    mars hill church a miracle of JESUS A letter from Pastor Mark Driscoll November 8, 2007 Dear Mars Hill Church Members, I grew up in Seattle not knowing Jesus. Thankfully, Jesus saved me when I was nineteen years of age while a college freshman. Shortly thereafter He led me to my first church, where a humble and godly pastor was used of God to change my life by teaching me about Jesus from the Bible. While attending my first men’s retreat with that church, God spoke to me for the first time in my life. He told me to marry Grace, preach the Bible, train men, and plant churches. It was then, at the age of nineteen, that I began preparing to devote my life to obeying His call for me. I studied speech in my undergraduate work to prepare for preaching. I joined as many as six Bible studies a quarter to learn Scripture. I began reading nearly a book a day, which continued for many years. I married Grace while still in college. In addition, I began recruiting college friends to one day be part of the core group for Mars Hill Church, which I intended to see planted in Seattle. Following graduation from college, Grace and I moved back to Seattle where we got jobs and started settling in as a broke young couple trying to figure out how and where to plant Mars Hill Church. By the age of twenty-four we were gathering the core group for the church plant while I was working part-time at Antioch Bible Church and a Christian bookstore that was open in Greenwood at the time.
    [Show full text]
  • Culture and Urban Space in a European Church Planting Network
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 5-2015 Blessed Disruption: Culture and Urban Space in a European Church Planting Network John D. Boy Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/869 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Blessed Disruption: Culture and Urban Space in a European Church Planting Network by John D. Boy A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Sociology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York. 2015 2015 JOHN D. BOY Some rights reserved. cbd This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution–NoDerivates 4.0 International License. creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Sociology in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. John Torpey Chair of Examining Committee Philip Kasinitz Executive Officer Date Professor Stanley Aronowitz Professor Marnia Lazreg Professor Bryan S. Turner Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK Abstract Blessed Disruption: Culture and Urban Space in a European Church Planting Network by John D. Boy Adviser: Professor John Torpey New Protestant churches are being founded in cities around the world. They are the product of a conscious effort on the part of evangelicals to found, or “plant,” new churches inur- ban areas.
    [Show full text]
  • Emerging Churches and the Gospel of Jesus Christ
    Emerging Churches and the Gospel of Jesus Christ The Young Adult Ministry of Fellowship Bible Church 1210 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN 37027 www.InversionFellowship.org | www.FellowshipNashville.org By Reid S. Monaghan Notes Emerging Churches and the Gospel of Jesus Christ Table of Contents Introduction 2 My Story in Brief… 5 Streams of Emerging Churches 9 Emerging vs. Emergent 14 Deconstruction, Deconstruction… What’s Your Function? 17 Helpful Questions 19 Construction – What Should We Build? 27 Concerns … 30 Conclusion 46 Appendix 1 - The Gospel of the Kingdom 50 Appendix 2 - The Reformed Resurgence 58 Endnotes 62 72 Introduction Robinson, Jeff. Engaged by the Culture: Michigan Megachurch Goes Egalitarian One might say that the last decade or so has been a bit interesting in terms of Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, September 27, 2004, evangelical Christianity and its relationship to culture and the future generations in the accessed October 3 2007; Available from http://www.cbmw.org/Blog/Posts/ West. It has been a time of soul searching dialogue and conversation about all manner Engaged-by-the-culture-Michigan-megachurch-goes-egalitarian. of issues. Many have realized that there have been immense cultural shifts in western Stetzer, Ed. Understanding the Emerging Church Baptist Press, 2006, accessed culture which have brought us to a new situation for the life of the church. Gone are the September 29 2007; Available from http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews. days where the Christian faith was the dominant story in the common consciousness. asp?ID=22406. Gone are the days where it could be assumed that most people had their lives, or at least their literary lives, shaped by the stories and text of the Holy Bible.
    [Show full text]
  • Developing a Strategy for Planting Southern Baptist Churches in Northeast North Carolina
    LIBERTY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR PLANTING SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCHES IN NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA A THESIS PROJECT SUBMITTED TO LIBERTY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY JEFFERY CLARK RUSSELL LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA MARCH, 2011 LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY i THESIS PROJECT APPROVAL SHEET GRADE___________________ MENTOR Dr. Charles N. Davidson READER Dr. David W. Hirschman ii ABSTRACT DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR PLANTING SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCHES IN NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA Jeffery Clark Russell Liberty Theological Seminary, 2011. Mentor: Dr. Hirschman The purpose of this thesis is to determine a strategy for planting new churches in the northeast North Carolina region. This thesis will also consider if there is a certain type of person who might demonstrate a contextual propensity toward a new church by exploring the cultural distinctives found among the people of this region as well as the history of church planting in geographic and cultural context. The thesis will engage in demographic research, and explore resources adequate for the planting of new churches helpful to other Southern Baptist associations and other denominations. Abstract length: 95 words. iii DEDICATION I wish to express my deepest gratitude to following people who have helped greatly in the accomplishment of this project. --To my beloved wife, Robin, for all of the years of loving support, sacrifices and encouragement she gave me without one word of complaint in spite of the time I was unable to give her so that I could complete this project. --To my beloved children, John, Jared, and Jinger, for their encouragement and sacrifices they endured in being without their father so that this project could be completed.
    [Show full text]
  • Raising up Church Planters.Qxp
    jlabip clo o^fpfkd rm `ero`e mi^kqbop How Churches Become More Effective Through Intentional Leadership Development by Glenn Smith Connecting Innovators to Multiply www.leadnet.org The absence of strong leadership is the number- in the boot camp when coaches will be present to one reason church plants fail. This sentiment help. The entire process is organized around five seems to be a widespread view among pastors personal operating questions: and ministry leaders who are seriously engaging in church planting. • Who am I? • What am I called to do? “Everything rises and falls on leadership,” adds • Who will do it with me? Nolen Rollins the missions pastor at • How will we do it? Summit Church in Bonita Springs, FL • How will we evaluate our progress? (http://www.summitlife.com). “Our success is based on God being with us, but church planters must lead!” In the Intensive Church Planter’s Training Program the emphasis is not on “presenting” but on Today a growing number of churches in our “facilitating.” Effective facilitating is based upon country desire to advance the kingdom of God the principles of discovery learning. Bob Logan through the multiplication of new churches. says, “The great teachers of the past—Jesus as Many of these churches are catching a vision for the best example—have always used discovery- starting multiple churches every year, churches learning principles.” Bob believes that this is that will then in turn reproduce aggressively. To the best way for adults to learn so he has made accomplish this vision, these church-planting this a core philosophy of his training system.
    [Show full text]
  • The Emergent/Emerging Church: a Missiological Perspective1
    Section 2 The Emerging Church, the Emergent Church, & The Faith Once Delivered to the Saints “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” Jude 3 62 The Emergent/Emerging Church: a missiological perspective1 Dr. Ed Stetzer Director, LifeWay Research W hile recounting his return to the West after serving as a missionary in India for decades, the late Lesslie Newbigin was unsettled by the accommodation of the Gospel to “existing plausibility structures.” Therefore, he set out to “rescue” the Gospel from perpetual inefficacy as defenders of the faith continued to give ground in debate.2 Newbigin called on defenders of the “message” to resist domestication of the Gospel: It is plain that we do not defend the Christian message by domesticating it within the reigning plausibility structure.3 Newbigin borrowed from Peter Berger in order to explain “plausibility structures” as “patterns of belief and practices accepted within a given society, which determine which beliefs are plausible to its members and which are not.”4 The Emergent/Emerging Church (E/EC)5 often stands as something of a collective voice intent on calling attention to the ways in which contemporary expressions of Christianity have been domesticated. In doing so, it often provides a helpful critique. At the same time, like all movements before, it runs the risk of itself domesticating the Gospel to “emerging plausibility structures”—repeating the same error but in a new expression.
    [Show full text]
  • Mission: a Mark of the Church?
    MISSION: A MARK OF THE CHURCH? TOWARD A MISSIONAL ECCLESIOLOGY By Robinson W. Mitchell An Integrative Thesis Submitted to the faculty Of Reformed Theological Seminary In fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Religion APPROVED: Thesis Advisor: ________________________________________ The Rev. Derek W. H. Thomas, Ph.D. RTS Virtual President: ___________________________________ Andrew J.Peterson, Ph.D. August 2008 ii ABSTRACT Mission: A Mark of the Church? Toward a Missional Ecclesiology Robinson W. Mitchell This thesis proceeds from a conviction that ecclesiology and mission, often considered as distinct concepts and disciplines, are in fact integral to each other. The study attempts to show that mission is inherent in the nature of the triune God, his relationship to creation, and the redemptive agency of the church. The need for this study is particularly urgent in view of cultural changes that have ended the influence, prestige and privilege the church enjoyed for more than a millennium of Christendom. The church must be more self- aware if it would seek to fulfill its kingdom potential in the increased pluralism of the West. The study comprises eight chapters: Chapter 1 introduces the study and makes a case for why the study is timely today. Chapter 2 examines the concept of the Mission of God and attempts to set forth a working definition and semantic taxonomy to inform the discussion that follows. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 look at the Mission of God from the perspectives of biblical studies, systematic theology, and church history, respectively. Scriptural focus is on the missional aspects of the blessing formulas in the OT and the commissioning texts of the NT 1.
    [Show full text]