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JANUARY–MARCH 2019 | VOLUME 55 ISSUE 1 EMQ Credible. Comprehensive. Christ-focused. Contents Editorial Voices from the Past 3 The Importance of the Church and Church Planting 46 A Fallacy in Church Planting: A Fable Marvin J. Newell Charles Troutman Articles Missiographic 4 Why We Should Plant Churches as If There 48 2018 By the Numbers: A Year in Review Will be a Coup D’état Any Day December 2018 | Volume 6 Issue 4 Jean Johnson 7 Church Planting in the Hindu Context Book Reviews Timothy Shultz 50 Going Global: A Congregation’s Introduction 10 Generating Church Planting to Mission Beyond Our Borders Movements Among Buddhists By Gary V. Nelson, Gordon W. King, and Terry G. Smith Alex G. Smith 51 Voices from the Field: Conversations 13 Outlining a Biblical Theology of Islam: Practical with Our Global Family Implications for Disciple Makers and Church Planting Edited by T. J. MacLeslie Warrick Farah 52 Receptor-Oriented Communication for Hui Muslims 17 The Growth Challenge: Do We Dare in China, with Special Reference to Church Planting to Take an Honest Look? By Enoch Kim L.D. Waterman 53 Kingdom Pursuit: Exploring the Many Facets of Missions 21 Beauty, The Arts, and Church Planting Edited by Carl D. Chaplin and Sue Harris as an Act of Creating Beauty Bill Drake 54 The Big Surprise: A History of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in the Congo 1885–1908 23 Business as Mission and the Planting of Churches By Rene Holvast Larry Sharp 55 Cultural Insights for Christian Leaders: New 26 The Place of Orality in Church Planting Directions for Organizations Serving God’s Mission Jerry Wiles By Douglas McConnell 30 Mobilization and Training for Church 56 The Kingdom Unleashed: How Jesus’ 1st-Century Planting in the Global Diaspora Kingdom Values Are Transforming Thousands John Baxter of Cultures and Awakening His Church By Jerry Trousdale, Glenn Sunshine, and Gregory Bendit 33 How TW2020 is a Catalyst for Church Planting Luis Bush and Paul Eshleman 57 Reciprocal Missions: Short-Term Missions That Serve Everyone 40 Three Insights that Facilitate Nationwide By D.J. Schuetze and Phil Steine Disciple Making Movements Russell D. Mitchell 58 The Kingdom of God Has No Borders: A Global History of American Evangelicals 43 The Art of Dying Well: Missions and By Melani McAlister the Reality of Martyrdom Gregory E. Lamb Credible. Comprehensive. Christ-focused. EMQ January–March 2019, Volume 55, Issue 1 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Marvin J. Newell [email protected] | MissioNexus.org/emq MANAGING EDITOR Peggy E. Newell EMQ (Evangelical Missions Quarterly) is published quarterly for $26.95 (US Dollars) per year by Missio Nexus, PO Box 398 ASSOCIATE EDITOR & MAGAZINE DESIGNER Kurtis R. Amundson Wheaton, IL 60187-0398. BOOK REVIEW EDITOR David R. Dunaetz Subscribe online at MissioNexus.org/emq MISSIO NEXUS PRESIDENT Ted Esler Copyright © 2019 Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Editorial The Importance of the Church and Church Planting Marvin J. Newell The importance of the Church in God’s mission cannot be overstated. It is core to all Christ wants to accomplish both among believers and by believers in the world today. The Church is central to God’s Kingdom purposes. He established it to carry out his divine purposes. Furthermore, he has lovingly guided it through the centuries as the primary vehicle of mak- ing himself known among the nations. Without the Church, ministry would be a hodge-podge of man-conceived endeavors with no center, no coordination and no clear identity. Craig Ott reminds us, “The scriptures tell us of no other people, no other message, no other power, no other movement that is the instrument of God’s choosing for fulfilling his purposes in this age as is the church.”1 The importance of local congregations, the place where furloughed missionaries re- them together to love Jesus. Whatever visual manifestation of the body of Christ, is port, rest, get replenished and renewed … ministry you are with, you must invaluable. The local church is to be viewed the place from where returned missionar- understand one thing: church planting in two dimensions. First, there is the inter- ies spring forth once again across cultures is not for us, it’s for God. We do it so God nal aspect that primarily serves believers. to bring people into the fullness of Christ. will have a people to worship Him!3 Charles Swindoll has described it nicely: Local churches are both the anchor and the lifeline of missions. The following articles focus on the fun- I love the church. When it’s functioning It follows then, that the planting of damental topic of church planting. Over correctly nothing beats the church churches should be the preeminent out- the past several years there has been some for effectiveness. Babies are cradled, come of all mission endeavors. This is not to creative thinking related to this topic. children are loved, teenagers are chal- say that every missionary should be a front- Some are “other religion” specific, while lenged, parents are instructed, seniors line church planter—far from it. God has others are more issue related. This edition find fellowship, singles are strength- gifted each missionary with specific skills, endeavors to bring a few of the best to you. ened, and families are nurtured. When gifting, and interests that round out what It is our hope that these articles will stimu- a church is running smoothly on all it takes to start churches. However, every late even deeper thinking that will in turn cylinders, its impact on a community is outreach activity (and most are valid and enhance and refine global church planting nothing short of remarkable.2 valuable) should have the launching and/or endeavors for the swifter advancement of strengthening of local bodies of believers the Kingdom. When all church ministries are consid- as their primary goal. Those bodies come ered together, nothing is better than the in various stripes, sizes, and manifestations. local church for the edification of the saints. One box does not fit all. But in the end there There is also the external aspect. When it needs to be a visible group of believers who comes to outreach to a lost and dying world regularly meet corporately in the name Marvin J. Newell, DMiss nothing is more crucial than the local and under the lordship of Jesus Christ—a Editorial Director church. It is the cradle of missions. It is the church. Floyd McClung has said it well: place where mission vision is rooted … the place where mission passion is incubated You might say, “I’m not called to plant Notes 1. Craig Ott, Stephen Strauss, with Timothy C. … the place where concern for the lost is churches.” Yes, you are! It’s always Tennent, Encountering Theology of Mission (Grand Rapids, highlighted … the place where mission the will of God to have a people who MI: Baker Academic, 2010), 196. 2. Forward by Charles Swindoll in The Church: The agencies discover their greatest asset—mis- worship His Son in the nations. You’ll Body of Christ in the World Today, by Ed Hayes (Word sionaries! The church is the place from never have to worry about making Publishing, 1999). 3. Floyd McClung, “Apostolic Passion,” Perspectives where missionaries are commended for God mad if you try to plant a church. It on the World Christian Movement, Third Edition, Ralph D. service … the place where mission funding seems crazy to me that people are under Winter and Stephen C. Hawthorne (Pasadena: William is generated … the place where corporate the delusion they need a special calling Carey Library, 1999), 186. prayers for missionaries are offered … the to save souls, to disciple them, and to get 3 Article Why We Should Plant Churches as If There Will be a Coup D’état Any Day Jean Johnson In 1997, the smell of gunfire, the sounds of tanks, and the sights of troops sent a chill down the spine of every person in the capital city of Phnom Penh. The second prime minster, Hun Sen, hated being second—so he took matters into his own hands. Executions, torture, looting, ransacking, and combat fighting turned the streets into a war zone. This tumultuous coup d’état led to the evacuation of the majority of foreigners, which included vocational missionaries who had started every manner of project, programs, and churches in the years prior. I was one of them. And so began our conversations outside of negative. We planted a living thing badly. We can find this same scenario play Cambodia, missionaries huddling together And I believe the reason we did so was that out in church planting. The first genera- to pray and to express our deep misgiv- the majority of our church planting and tion of churches is dependent, and this ings. What if we can’t go back anytime soon? compassion projects were conceptualized causes the next generation of churches What will happen to the people, projects, and and organized based on our Western worl- to be dependent. It is a cause, not just a churches who are dependent on our expertise dview, our versions of church and compas- correlated factor. Unfortunately, what and funding?1 sion, and our economic standard of living. happens is that the first generation of As the smoke literally settled, we realized Perhaps this sounds harmless to you—even churches provides the next generation of that for the most part we had birthed baby beneficial. Yet it creates an immediate dis- churches information about all the ways birds in nests, who must now be wondering ability for the emerging local churches and to access foreign funding, reduces the if their mothers would ever come back to Jesus-followers, because they cannot easily stigma for participating in these schemes, feed them.