Cedar Springs, Michigan
A big “thank you” goes out to everyone who prayed for the seminar that David Harvey did in Cedar Springs, Michigan, last Saturday. About one hundred people gathered to hear a teaching on how to start a church planting movement. This seminar was a follow up to Reframe Conference. Four people from North Michigan attended Reframe Conference last June and since then they have been trying to understand how to implement these teachings about church multiplication. Continue to pray for the people in North Michigan whom God is calling to this work. You will find below the summary of the seminar that was presented.
Seminar Available
One of my goals has been to take all the material that we have been learning and provide a simple overview of the entire church multiplication system. I have put together a simple seminar called “A Church Planting Movement by the Numbers.” I am offering to go to any church or group that would like to sponsor this seminar. It can be done in a variety of different time and format constraints. In Michigan we did the seminar from 8:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
While the goal of the seminar is to give people a clear and concise overview of the church multiplication system, what I am really looking for is people whom God is calling to this work. As people hear the seminar, some will be called to enter into this work of church multiplication.
A Church Planting Movement by the Numbers: 1…4…5…7…12
1 – There is One Purpose
That, “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord as the water covers the sea. “ Habakkuk 2:14
4– There are Four Factors Necessary for a Church Planting System to Multiply
1. A firm belief that the resources are in the harvest
2. Everyone leaves every meeting with a “To Do” list
3. Personal and systematic encouragement to complete the “To Do” lists, including weekly “reporting in” on our work to complete our “To Do” lists
4. Reproducible actions: The 222 Principle – Live out 2 Timothy 2:2
So that…
Christians are reproducing Christians
Disciples are discipling others
Churches are creating churches
Multiplying Leaders are training other leaders in multiplication
… to the fourth generation
5 – There are Five Stages of Church Multiplication
1. Entry Strategy – needed in an empty field
a. Usually this strategy involves finding a person of peace
2. Gospel Presentation – needed in a seeded field
3. Discipleship – needed in a growing field
a. Short-term discipleship – 6 – 10 weeks for new believers
b. Long- term discipleship – creating mature, self-feeding believers
4. Church Formation – needed in a harvest field
5. Leaders with Skills for Multiplication– filtering to find and train those people who can be multipliers
7 – There are Seven Values
1. Hospitality
2. Encouragement
3. Vision
4. Call
5. Faith
6. Faithfulness
7. Planning and Administration
12 – There are Twelve Steps Over Twelve Months to Multiply a Church
1. Pray, Map & Go into the new community
2. Choose and implement an Entry Strategy
a. Gather a group of people you know in the community and lead them to Christ
b. Implement Jesus’ Person of Peace Strategy and include a clear call to commitment
3. Begin meeting together as a church immediately with new believers, even if it is only one new believer. Begin short-term discipleship on the first day. Teach new believers to share their story in three minutes.
4. Assist new believers to implement Oikos Strategy
a. The new believer makes list of family and friends with whom they can share their story
b. The church planter and the new believer schedule times to visit Oikos list and employ a Gospel strategy
c. Repeat the Person of Peace and Oikos Strategy as needed
5. Begin teaching 6-8 weeks of short term discipleship. This is the church meeting.
6. Continue training people to work in the four fields and assist them to start their own groups. Make sure to have time for weekly reporting on their work and provide systematic encouragement.
7. Begin new short term discipleship groups, and if possible have them led by persons who have just completed the short term course
8. Begin long term discipleship including healthy church teaching. These are your church meetings until the group gets large enough that your weekly discipleship meeting morphs into church services.
9. Identify leaders for your church who can coach the four field workers and starters
10. Implement healthy church initiatives including quarterly evaluations
11. Filter those who can move beyond “workers” and “starters” to those who are “multipliers” and train them in the multiplication system
12. Send out multipliers into a new community to start again with Step One
Be With Him…
Learn to pray for one hour. Prayer aligns us with God’s purposes on the earth. Use the Mt. Bethel Prayer Guide from the last update and set out with God to build this discipline into your life. A church planting movement requires a solid base of praying believers.
The great reformer, Martin Luther, said: “I generally pray two hours every day, except on very busy days. On those days, I pray three.”