Video Transcript: Church Planting Models, Part 3

We're in continue our discussion of models. Now I presented to you nine models three more today and six previous to this presentation. And honestly, there are  even more models in this, I wanted to pick the top models that are out there right now. So you basically could think about these church planting models. Another  model that's very common out there is the denominational model. This is the  association kind of model. It occurs when many churches unite in a covenant to  start churches unify uniting resources sharing experience in order to do studies,  select areas and set goals for church planting. This was the model that I started  in my first church in 1987. You know, I left Calvin seminary and our  denomination had a home missions department. And we had home missions  committee at local denominational leaders, and they call them classes levels.  And we are meetings and that the association of all of these churches in this  area supported that national dominational place supported. And it was  something where you can get these resources. But there was a lot of effort and  time and studies and things that you had to do and people to get to talk to. And  there are definite advantages of the denominational model. There is a great deal of available financial resources that financial burdens are shared. It has an  effective administration, and there's plenty of controls and then administration.  There's a wide network of people and ideas available. And the case when we  did it, too, I noticed that that there was this the sense where the church planter  was given a salary right up front, we benefited from that as well as young  pastors. And it was something that we could just take the next step and church  planting right out of seminary. Some disadvantages, it can leave little room for  initiative and participation at a local level, the church planter can feel limited to  work within the program established by the denomination, it can create  parochialism, if leaders lose sight of the needs of other regions. You know, and  this is very true in my experience as well. Many times, we had the  denominational initiatives. And I would spend a good portion of my time at this  the denominational meeting or that denominational meeting. And so in a sense, I was working for the denomination as part of my work. And then I was working as a church planter as another part of my work. There were several meetings there. They're all forms of denominational involvement. Now, the good part about all  that, as I look back on, those are some of the types of things that helped me  later, in founding Christian leaders Institute expectations of other organizations.  So you know, as I look back at it, these are just pros and cons that you need to  know about. There's the cellular model. This is the way of organizing the church  using small groups and meetings and homes as a central axis of the church's  work. It anticipates the multiplications of cells and therefore of leaders, it's the  cellular model, this house church model, if you will, there are certain  advantages. It promotes the development of leaders, you need leaders, it's not  so much of functioning around the one central worship service, it's functioning  around lots of cell groups, it creates friendly environments for non believers. It 

also provides opportunities for more direct interaction. So there are many  advantages, the disadvantages, if the Leadership isn't dynamic, you'd be very  much intentional about it, it tends to kill the church, or the church becomes  stagnant. Also, it requires a large, a large enough number of leaders to develop  this model, who are sold out into the house church or cell group movement. It  can create resistance to multiplication, because of the comfort factor people  bond with each other in the group and don't want to form new ones. In the  sense. What happens is you get cliques in these little cliques love each other,  and they don't want anyone else to be part of it. I've also seen examples of this  where it's a single cell church like one small group, and it's maybe a house  church. I've seen homeschoolers in the United States form churches like this,  where you have a few families, and they meet together, but they don't tend to  form another cell group. They just get larger and larger in this one cell group but  it's still or operates like a cell group. So they're are advantages and  disadvantages of the cellular model. Here's the connections model. We talk  about this at Christian leaders Institute quite a bit. And this model can work with  all the models. It's kind of an operating system, but it can, in fact, be a church  planting model. The seed of the church plant is the walk of the church planter.  We've heard about stuff like that here at Christian leaders Institute, with spouse  and family, the church planter invites others to join in the reproducible walking  with God in a mutually supportive environment. The church planter creates  groups of those supporting his walk their walks with God. Soon a worship  gatherings that supports the walking with God is created, which builds a church.  There are certain advantages of the connection model, for those who participate in for those that participate their spiritual walk is dramatically strengthened,  because that's sort of a core value. This is very appropriate for Bi-vocational  church planters. The church planter family is very active in the church plant by  default, because what you're doing is you're memorizing Scripture at home,  you're reading scripture, you're reproducing your family walk your personal walk  to other people. So that personal walk matters a lot. The church plant starting in  the home feels the entire church plant. So you have stronger homes, the walls  faced with a similar number of participants prepare the church planter for  leading larger numbers of reproducible leaders, whenever you try to get  someone to practice home discipleship, there are going to be walls, there's  going to be attack because walking with God is something that evil one does not want. So when you share those patterns, it creates great opportunities for  leadership walks in overcoming them, which then strengthens the church  planter. And this approach can be easily integrated in most other approaches.  This is an approach that you can use sort of as a hybrid, you might you can use  the one of these other approaches, and still have sort of a connection operating  system. There are disadvantages. Some would say that this is not very  programmatic. Some would also say this approach, though simple is not 

necessarily easy to maintain. And I've seen that too, in church plans who did this style, they'll start very enthusiastically and then as they get more people, it will  sort of just fade away. To some extent, this approach does not work well, if the  church planter's spouse or family are not on board and the participating in that  walk with God. situation. And also, sometimes this approach avoids the practice  of evangelism because of the intense focus of developing strong habits. So  even in this connection model, you know, it's it's not the model that everybody is  going to actually do in church planting. But it can be a powerful operating  system for you as a church planter. I also had the opportunity to plant a church  in this model, and it was a big blessing. But some of these disadvantages have  to be looked at. Let's reflect a little bit on some of the stuff we've been talking  about. Which of the church planting models? Are you most familiar with? Maybe  write that down on a piece of paper? Which of the church planting models? Are  you using the church you are church planting model that you are using the  church you are presently planting? Let me read that again. Which of the church  planting models? Are you using the church you are presently planting? Or will  use and maybe you're already a church planter in your taking this class now?  Which one are you already in? is really the question here? How can you  maximize the advantages of that model? How can you compensate for the  disadvantages of that model? In a lot of ways this reflection is about being self  aware of your current situation, or the calling that's in your heart to plant a  church. Here's three very important ingredients that really need to transcend all  of the models, whatever model you pick, and if your model doesn't have the  strength in some of these areas, there are ways to bring that strength. Even in  that independent pioneer model, you still can intentionally see some of the  disadvantages and provide important ingredients to some of your  disadvantages. One is accountability. It has been proven in many places that the church planter will have more success when he knows that he has to report to  others. In a simple, brief way. Those reports should be turned into it into his work team, his supervisor or if he doesn't have one, he's very independent, his  mentor or some advisor who supports the church plant. the church planter in his  work, second is a mentor, a church planter will become more successful if he's  accompanied by a person who can give him emotional and spiritual support,  who is concerned about him in his work, the frequency of visits may vary, but  there should not be, but they should not be any less than once a month.  Mentors are very important. External, or structural support, studies show that  those who have recognition, nurture in the interest of a larger structure or  external support, have a great advantage over those who are alone who work  alone. Anyone who works alone, if you are alone, there are so many areas that  you put put yourself at disadvantage. This does not refer to economic support,  although at times, that also is included. You know, as I think about these models, and I think about you, I think about how, as you pray through in your spouse, if 

you're married, prays through you being called as a church planter. What I'm  hoping is is at the end of this third presentation now, from some of the notes  you've taken, you can start getting that first picture of what type of model fits you and maybe the model that was presented here is still not you and you need to  do some more research on the internet or other places to look for that model of  church planting that sort of gives you give you a mental structure of how you're  going to plant this church.