Church from scratch? Who's got an itch?
Have had a couple of good telephone conversations recently with church planters in different parts of the UK. First with one of the European team leaders of Christian Associates International.

From their web site:

We believe that Christianity can become a grassroots movement once again! In our mind's eye, we see communities of faith in every European city, carrying out the love of Christ, and multiplying! And to some extent we are seeing this happen. We think God is starting a new movement in Europe!

In becoming a true grassroots movement CAI’s main objective is to initiate a chain reaction of church planting movements. A church planting movement is characterized by habitual (organic, natural) church planting.

And secondly with a pionneering Baptist guy over in Essex. Bravely given permission and support to explore church in a new way, they have begun to reach the unchurched quite effectively through a loose, organic, participatory, small group based community. Some of their story can be found here: www.churchfromscratch.org

We don't have a building (we meet in homes). We. don't do Sunday services (our small groups meet most days of the week). We don't do sermons (we do discussions which may be started with a talk). But it's not simply about what we do or don't do, it's about the way that we do it. I can feel a song coming on!

posted by alexander @ 11:29 AM    1 comments

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I'm going to be visiting their gathering in April at the Hague ... sounds interesting and the kind of support fledgling church planters need
Steve at www.jonestribe.co.uk/steve

By  Steve, at 9:41 AM  

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mission shaped church - the start of something new?
An encouraging but realistic article by Bishop Graham Cray, following up the 'Mission Shaped Church' report (the Harry Potter of Church House Publishing!).

Here are some snippets plus a link to the full piece.

THE REPORT has obviously struck a chord with many. Chiefly this is because it offers hope. It creates a vision of an inherited and emerging Church, in partnership rather than in competition. It unchurches no one, but challenges all with the vision of the whole Church of England seeking to be mission-shaped.

The working party was most struck by the sheer diversity of fresh expressions of Church. They appear in all church traditions and all social settings.

The examples we describe are not models to take off the shelf, but food for the imagination.

The record book-sales may soon be over, but the hard work begins.

The FULL article



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If you could start all over
Story gathering is underway, incase you're wondering! But it can be a slow process, so in the meantime here is Neil Cole's (Church Multiplication Associates) response to the question "If you could start all over what would you do differently?"

1. BEGIN IN THE HARVEST AND START SMALL
Don’t start with a team of already saved Christians. We think that having a bigger and better team will accelerate the work, and it doesn’t. In fact, it has the opposite effect. It is better to have a team of two, and the right two makes the work even better: and apostle and prophet together will lay the foundation of a movement. The churches birthed out of transformed lives are healthier, reproductive and growing faster. It is about this– a life changed, not about the model. Never forget that!

2. ALLOW GOD TO BUILD AROUND OTHERS
Don’t start in your own home…find a person of peace and start in their home! Read Matt. 10/Luke 10…and do it!

3. EMPOWER OTHERS FROM THE START
Don’t lead too much…let the new believers do the work of the ministry without your imposed control. Let the excitement of a new life carry the movement rather than your intelligence and persuasiveness.

4. LET SCRIPTURE LEAD NOT YOUR ASSUMPTIONS
Question all your ministry assumptions in light of Scripture with courage and faith. There is nothing sacred but God’s Word and Spirit in us…let them lead rather than your own experience, teachings, and tradition.

5. RETHINK LEADERSHIP
The Christian life is a process. There is not a ceiling of maturity that people need to break through to lead. Set them loose immediately and walk with them through the process for a while. Leadership recruitment is a dead end. We are all recruiting from the same pond and it is getting shallower and shallower. Leadership farming is what is needed. Any leadership development system that doesn’t start with the lost is starting in the wrong place. Start at the beginning and begin with the end in mind. Mentor life on life and walk with them through their growth in being, doing and knowing.
The end is not an accumulated knowledge but a life of obedience that will be willing to die for Jesus. The process isn’t over until there is a flat-line on the screen next to their bed.

6. IMMEDIATE OBEDIENCE IN BAPTISM
Baptize quickly and publicly and let the one doing the evangelizing do the baptizing. The Bible doesn’t command us to be baptized, but to be baptizers.
It is absolutely foolish the way we hold the Great Commission over our people and then exclude them from obeying it at the same time! We need to let the new convert imprint upon the Lord for protection, provision, training and leading, rather than upon men.

7. SETTLE “YOUR” OWNERSHIP ISSUES
Stop being concerned about whether “Your” church plant will succeed or not.
It isn’t “yours” in the first place. Your reputation is not the one on the line…Jesus’ is. He will do a good job if we let him. If we have our own identity and reputation at stake in the work we will tend to take command.
Big mistake. Let Jesus get the glory and put his reputation on the line…He can take care of Himself without your help!

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Book Recommendation
Multiplying Churches, edited by Steve Timmis. With contributions from Steve Timmis and Tim Chester, both members of the Crowded House, along with Tim Thornborough and Roger Welch.
A practical, down to earth book on church planting with some thought provoking theology at its core. Written by authors experienced in the failures and successes of church planting this is no idealistic treatise, more a radical but realistic challenge to multiply churches. Click on book for purchase details.


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