Church Planting Models

Info

Title: Church Planting Models

  1. Purpose of this seminar: To inspire you.
    1. Information presented is aimed at showing possibilities. If you think you might be called to plant, then more detailed conversations can be had later.
  2. My background: Been part of two church planting projects, where I learned a lot, both about what to do and what not to do.
  3. Models:
    1. House church
      1. Can be church at home with a full church service (East Mountain at launch)
      2. Can be more like a small group (simple church–Milton Adams)
      3. Can be a number of house churches that occasionally meet together, or in the case of a model in Peru, house churches meet during the week and eventually bring people to the large church on Sabbath (although most if their interaction is with their own group)
      4. Small group meeting midweekly in the community preparing to form a church (WRL initially)
      5. Other models are possible
    2. Unentered area
      1. WRL: find an area with no Adventist presence. Someone moves to the area and works to start a church from the ground up. Requires a lot of dedication, but largely Paul’s model
      2. Epic Chicago: downtown area, unchurched area, free hugs, water distribution, rented theater, people in the area identified it as their church even if they had never attended
    3. Swarm method
      1. Allen TX: 50-60 people form the core group, and by launch Sabbath, Sabbath Schools, music, etc. are already in place.
    4. Multi-campus
      1. Part or all of the service is streamed from the mother church, and the local team focuses more on building local connections rather than on preaching, etc.
      2. Church of the Highlands, Richie Halvorson’s churches in Jackson, MS
      3. Not too popular among Adventists
    5. targeted: single mothers (different groups have different needs)
    6. Church split
      1. Vestal Hills
      2. Alberta: divided over music
  4. Successful church plants: leadership, most important: God leading