AEC2001
Plenary Session 3:
The Ten Most Important Things
I’ve Learned
about Church Planting
Part 10
Stuart Murray
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10. Develop a denominational framework for church
planting
Church planting works well when set within a
denominational framework that offers vision, encouragement, supervision, and
support. Church planting flourishes when those involved are held accountable
rather than being subjected to ecclesiastical control or enmeshed in
bureaucratic processes. In many denominations church planting has been
infrequent in recent years and the structures are not in place to facilitate
this. There is little experience in developing strategic initiatives,
recognising potential church planters, providing appropriate training, sharing
lessons learned, or mentoring new church planters.
But support, accountability, and developing denominational
expertise are crucial if church planting is not to depend too heavily on
individual pioneers, be hindered by frequently repeated mistakes, or be prey to
those with particular agendas. Effective church planting strategies will require
trainers, mentors, consultants, and strategists as well as church planting
activists. Many church planting movements, including the sixteenth-century
Anabaptists, rediscovered the ministries of apostles, prophets, and evangelists
alongside the pastors and teachers who had run the maintenance churches that
were characteristic of Christendom. Whatever we call such ministries, we will
need them as we emerge from Christendom, plant new churches, and develop from
institutional denominations into missionary movements.
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