We have started several simple/organic churches over the years. Here are some of the things Tony and I have done:
- We pulled together a group of not-yet-believing businessmen to study business principles using the Bible as our textbook. They all found the Lord--a church was born.
- We started a kid's Bible club--on a Sunday morning so that we reached the kids from non-Christian families because the Christian families were in church. When some of the kids found the Lord, some of their parents asked to join in too.
- I started a couple of churches in retirement centers. (I didn't use the word "church" when approaching the management). Fairly soon, they were led by the residents.
- We have started several churches with our kids and their non-Christian friends.
- A new-Ager was led to the Lord by a friend who asked us to follow up with her. She pulled a group of her friends together and they too became believers. Right from the start it was led by the new believer (who we mentored).
- We followed Luke 10 principles to start a church in the low-income housing projects.
- We have started church at work.
As she pointed out, most of them involve starting a new church with unbelievers rather than luring existing believers away from their current church.
What do you think of that? I like it, making disciples doesn't mean shifting current believers around, it means seeing new belivers come to Christ and become disciples. I do wonder if it makes sense to have a core of committed, more mature Christians who act as the catalyst. Other than that I am curious to hear your thoughts. This is something I have been noodling over for some time now.
2 comments:
One thing I always struggled with is the term "church planting".
To me the church just IS. How can you plants something that already exists.
I have always felt if we try to plant something we are going to make it what we want and not what God has already created.
I am confused, so i am sure this post is confusing too.
Swanny
Swanny
I dont like the term either. We make disciples and the church forms. Most church planting seems more interested in making a particular kind of disciple (Baptist, Presbyerterian, Reformed, etc.) than just making disciples and "being the church" together.
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