Practical

Training for
Saturation
Church
Planting
Vietnam Edition

Book 5
Multiplying Churches
 Saturation Church Planting – Book 1 Foundations

Practical Training for

Saturation Church Planting
Vietnam Edition
Book Five – Multiplying Churches

Copyright © 2000, 2007 United World Mission

www.uwm.org

This is a revision of the original version of the Omega Course, a practical church planting curriculum which was
prepared in 2000 by the Alliance for Saturation Church Planting (www.alliancescp.org) in cooperation with
Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries (www.russian-ministries.org). The original Omega Course was copyrighted
by the Alliance for Saturation Church Planting, and is currently under copyright by United World Mission.
Materials from the original Omega Course are used by permission.

You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you
credit the author, (2) you indicate if modifications are made, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of
reproduction, and (4) you do not make more than 1000 copies.

If you would like to post this material to the internet, or if your intended use is other than the above, please
contact United World Mission, ATTN: Jay Weaver/Omega, 9401-B Southern Pine Blvd, Charlotte NC 28273-
5596, or by email at [email protected].

Translations and adaptations for your context are also encouraged. Please contact
[email protected] so that we can encourage and inform others who may also be interested in your
language or intended use.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL
VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission from
Zondervan Bible Publishers. All rights reserved.

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 Saturation Church Planting – Book 1 Foundations

PPRRAACCTTIICCAALL T
TRRAAIINNIINNGG FFOORR SSC
CPP
BOOK 5 – MULTIPLYING CHURCHES

Table of Contents

Month 11
Review of Month 10............................................................................................................................. 7
The Big Picture ................................................................................................................................................ 7
Assignments From Month Ten ........................................................................................................................ 7
SCP VISION ........................................................................................................................9
Lesson 1: Church Planting Cycle....................................................................................................... 9
I. Phase I—Foundations................................................................................................................................... 9
II. Phase II—Winning.................................................................................................................................... 10
III. Phase III—Establishing ........................................................................................................................... 11
IV. Phase IV—Training ................................................................................................................................. 12
V. Phase V—Multiplying .............................................................................................................................. 13
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................................................... 14
Assignment .................................................................................................................................................... 14
CHURCH PLANTING SKILLS.............................................................................................15
Lesson 2: Next Steps – Planting More Churches............................................................................ 15
I. The New Church: Planting Daughter Churches ......................................................................................... 15
II. The Original Church Planting Team: Planting New Churches ................................................................. 17
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................................................... 19
Assignment .................................................................................................................................................... 19
Lesson 3: Training As Part Of A Church Planting Movement..................................................... 20
I. Training As Part Of A Movement .............................................................................................................. 20
II. Foundations For Training Church Planters ............................................................................................... 21
III. The Process Of Training Church Planters................................................................................................ 23
IV. Mentoring Church Planters...................................................................................................................... 24
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................................................... 25
Assignment .................................................................................................................................................... 25
Lesson 4: Signs Of A Movement ...................................................................................................... 26
I. Sign 1: A Special Time............................................................................................................................... 26
II. Sign 2: Emerging Leadership.................................................................................................................... 27
III. Sign 3: People Get Involved .................................................................................................................... 29

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 Saturation Church Planting – Book 1 Foundations

IV. Sign 4: New Forms .................................................................................................................................. 29

V. Sign 5: Spontaneity and Expansion .......................................................................................................... 30
VI. Sign 6: People And Structures Are Mobilized......................................................................................... 31
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................................................... 31
Lesson 5: Vision And Telescoping—Taking The Gospel Into The World................................... 32
I. Definitions Of Vision And Telescoping ..................................................................................................... 32
II. Looking With A Vision For God’s Harvest .............................................................................................. 32
III. Telescoping For God’s Harvest ............................................................................................................... 32
IV. Spiritual Power And Authority................................................................................................................ 35
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................................................... 36
Assignment .................................................................................................................................................... 36
CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY .........................................................................................37
Lesson 6: Contextualizing The Gospel ............................................................................................ 37
I. Sensitivity To The Context......................................................................................................................... 37
II. Contextualization Of The Gospel.............................................................................................................. 37
III. Implications For Cross-Cultural Ministry................................................................................................ 39
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................................................... 41
Assignment .................................................................................................................................................... 41
SPIRITUAL CHARACTER ..................................................................................................42
Lesson 7: The New Nature................................................................................................................ 42
I. A New Righteousness................................................................................................................................. 42
II. A New Identity .......................................................................................................................................... 43
III. A New Covenant...................................................................................................................................... 43
IV. A New Spirit............................................................................................................................................ 44

Month 12
Review of Month 11........................................................................................................................... 46

SCP VISION ......................................................................................................................48

Lesson 8: Biblical Examples Of Saturation Church Planting Movements .................................. 48
I. The Spread of the Church In Acts .............................................................................................................. 48
II. Principles Behind Strategic Missionary Activity ...................................................................................... 51
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................................................... 54
Lesson 9: Strategy Components For A Church Planting Movement ........................................... 55
I. Spread The Vision ...................................................................................................................................... 55
II. Mobilize for Prayer ................................................................................................................................... 57
III. Set Goals Based On Faith ........................................................................................................................ 57
IV. Research the Harvest Field ...................................................................................................................... 58
V. Train Cell Group Leaders and Church Planters ....................................................................................... 59
VI. Put Into Practice The Principles Which Maximize Growth .................................................................... 59
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................................................... 61
CHURCH PLANTING SKILLS.............................................................................................62
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 Saturation Church Planting – Book 1 Foundations

Lesson 10: Shepherding Within A Movement ................................................................................ 62

I. Leadership In a Chruch Planting Movements ............................................................................................ 62
II. Corresponding With New Churches ......................................................................................................... 63
III. Guarding Against Heresy......................................................................................................................... 65
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................................................... 66
Lesson 11: Mobilization .................................................................................................................... 67
I. Components of Mobilization ...................................................................................................................... 67
II. Why Should Believers Be Mobilized? ...................................................................................................... 69
III. Biblical Examples Of Mobilizers............................................................................................................. 69
IV. Characteristics Of Effective Mobilizers .................................................................................................. 70
V. Examples Of Mobilization ........................................................................................................................ 71
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................................................... 72
SPIRITUAL CHARACTER ..................................................................................................73
Lesson 12: Ministry Through Weakness......................................................................................... 73
I. Good Days and Bad Days........................................................................................................................... 73
II. Victory Through Weakness....................................................................................................................... 74
III. Rejoicing in Weakness............................................................................................................................. 74
IV. Confidence in Christ ................................................................................................................................ 76
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................................................... 76

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 Saturation Church Planting – Book 1 Foundations

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

Book 1. Laying Foundations 2. Winning The Lost 3. Establishing Converts 4. Training Leaders 5. Multiplying Ministry
Overall Goal: … with the skills and
…certain of his call and a … able to organize new converts into … able to start corporate worship
The participant …with the skills and commitment to multiply new
strategic approach to the small groups and lead them toward and to equip new leaders for
should complete motivation to share the gospel. churches and continue in SCP
church planting task. maturity. ministry.
this book … ministry.
Subjects / Month 1 Month 3 Month 5 Month 8 Month 11
Lessons, 1. God’s Ultimate • Review • Review • Review • Review
Timeframe Purpose 1. Form And Function 1. Group Inductive Bible Study 1. Introducing SCP leadership 1. Church Planting Cycle
2. Making Disciples Of 2. Understanding the 2. Cell Group 1: Intro 2. Servant Leadership 2. Next Steps – Planting More
All Nations Message 3. CG 2: Leading Cells 3. Spheres of Leadership Churches
3. Planting Churches 3. Sharing A Personal 4. CG 3: Preparing to Start 4. Christianity and Culture 3. Training As Part Of A
Everywhere Testimony 5. SC 5: Understanding and 5. Discipleship 4: Multiplying Church Planting Movement
4. “Z” Thinking 4. Evangelism And Church Overcoming the Sin Nature the Process 4. Signs Of A Movement
5. Research Planting 6. SC 8: Growing in the Gospel 5. Vision And Telescoping—
6. SC 1: Spiritual 5. Biblical History Of Month 6 Taking The Gospel Into
Adoption Redemption • Review Month 9 The World
6. SC 3: Who Needs the 6. Perseverance Through • Review 6. Contextualizing The Gospel
Month 2 Gospel? Persecution 7. Mobilizing Leaders
• Review 7. Prayer And Fasting 8. Identifying and Equipping 7. SC 11: The New Nature
7. Prayer In The Church Month 4 8. Discipleship 1: Intro Leaders
Planting Process • Review 9. Discipleship 2: Forms 9. Training Cell Group Leaders Month 12
8. Purpose Of The 7. History Of Christianity, 10. Chronological Bible Storying 2 10. Skills for Leaders • Review
Church Advance Of The Gospel 11. SC 6: Understanding and 11. Strategic Planning 8. Biblical Examples Of
9. Nature Of The Church 8. Barriers To Effective Overcoming Self-Pity 12. SC 9: Forgiveness Saturation Church Planting
10. Defining The Church Evangelism Movements
11. SC 2: The Centrality 9. Chronological Bible Month 7 Month 10 9. Strategy Components For A
of the Cross Storying 1 • Review • Review Church Planting Movement
10. IBS: Intro 12. Discipleship 3: Toward Maturity 13. Multiplying Cell Groups
11. IBS: Method 13. Caring For Others 14. Corporate Leadership Skills – 10. Shepherding Within A
12. IBS: Demonstrated 14. Team Ministry Supervising Cells Movement
13. SC 4: The Law and the 15. Developing Your CP Team 15. Worship 11. Mobilization
Gospel 16. Styles Of Interaction 16. Effective Communication 12. SC 12: Ministry Through
17. SC 7: True Repentance 17. Studying Culture Weakness
18. SC 10: Conflict Resolution
Outcome • Research The Target • Evangelize The Lost And • Organize Converts And Contacts • Train And Release Leaders • Research And Cast Vision
Project Region Their Friends Into Cell Groups • Complete A Strategic Ministry For Work In New
(Homework) • Organize Prayer • Identify And Begin Working Plan Regions/New Groups
Support With Disciples • Organize Cells Into Corporate • Start Daughter Churches
Worship Groups
Note: the Vietnamese language version of this curriculum corresponds to the English, with the exception of being organized into six books of two months worth of lessons in each book.

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 MONTH 11

Review of Month 10

THE BIG PICTURE

This course has been designed to lead you through the actual process of starting new churches. It is not
theoretical, but rather provides the skills and knowledge necessary to see new churches established.
In the introduction of Book One we described the “church planting cycle” by which the lessons in this course
are organized. Up to this point you have completed Book One focusing on foundational issues, Book Two
involving evangelism, Book Three emphasizing the establishing of new believers in cell groups, and Book Four
about training leaders. By this phase, it is assumed that the church planter has evangelized, discipled and
gathered many people into cell groups and trained leaders to lead the groups and begin still others.
Finally, in Book Five you will study the process of multiplying the existing church planting ministry. In other
words, your new church which has been started will pray and plan to start other churches itself, thus repeating
the cycle from the beginning. As this cycle repeats itself over and over again, we will begin to see entire
movements of new churches in your region or area.
Take some time to assess where your ministry is in comparison to the church planting cycle. By this time in the
process we hope that you have planted a church. Is this the case in your ministry? Discuss this with your
mentor.

ASSIGNMENTS FROM MONTH TEN

In the last month of training the main emphasis was on leadership training. You were asked to do the following:
From Lesson 13, “Multiplying Cell Groups”
• Begin to think about what needs to happen in each of your groups in order to reach the goal of
multiplication. Write down five things that you will do in the next three months in order to move your
groups closer to multiplication.
• Develop a plan for multiplication in your groups. Be sure to include your apprentice leaders in this process
so that they will also be equipped to plan for the multiplication of their groups. Pray about and include in
your plan a multiplication date for each group. Find someone that will hold you accountable to
implementing this plan for multiplication.

From Lesson 14, “Corporate Leadership Skills – Supervising Cells”

• Develop a simple plan for the type of supervisory structure that is necessary in your particular cell group
ministry context. Think of the titles you would use for the roles of Coordinator and Overseer. Even if you
have only a few cell groups at the moment, who could fulfill the role of a Coordinator for these groups? As
the Holy Spirit continues to work and your groups grow and multiply, how will you decide who future
Coordinators and Overseers will be? Where will they come from, and what types of training or experiences
will they need in order to prepare them for this type of ministry? What type of supervisory structure do you
need to sustain and promote the growth that God desires to see happen in your cell groups? What kind of
supervisory structure would best complement the model of ministry that you are working with? Draw in
your plan a diagram of the model you are using and how the supervisory structure which you have chosen
fits into this model.
• Review your plan for a supervisory structure with your mentor or with the trainer of this lesson.
 Saturation Church Planting – Book 5 Multiplying Churches

From Lesson 15, “Worship”

Use the following steps plan a worship service with your church planting team. Share your experience with you
mentor.

Step 1: Choose a Theme

What will be the theme of the worship service? Special days, such as Pentecost Sunday, Christmas, or Easter or
some other holiday may provide a theme. Oftentimes the main idea of the sermon provides a theme. Consider a
sermon on Ephesians 5:15-21. The main idea of this passage is: "God wants us to be filled with the Spirit
because it is wise and results in joyful living." The theme then for the worship service could be: "Be filled with
the Spirit."

Step 2: Select Songs/Music and Special Events

What songs and hymns will you use in the worship service? Select ones which relate to the theme and which
are both contemporary and traditional. Also, be sure the tempo of the music is varied—both reflecting
celebration and contemplation. Will you have any special music, such as a voice or instrumental solo? Will
there be a drama illustrating an aspect of the sermon? Will you have any testimonies? Be sure the testimonies
you select relate to the theme.

Step 3: Lay Out the Flow of the Worship Service

Have a definite starting and ending time. Include every aspect of the worship service – songs, sermon, special
events, prayer, Bible reading, etc. Consider the sequence of these events. For example, should the sermon come
before or after the prayer time? Should the Lord’s Supper be celebrated in the beginning, middle or end of the
service? Is there a balance between sitting and standing, between listening and participating, etc.? Note that
some denominational traditions have patterns of worship which essentially dictate the order of the worship
service.

Step 4: List Needed Equipment

Make a list of all equipment you will need for the worship service, such as overhead projector, overheads of
songs, hymn books or song sheets, microphones, any special equipment for drama, etc. Determine who will be
responsible for gathering and setting up of the equipment before and during the service.

Step 5: Determine Rehearsal Dates and Times

Decide when you will rehearse worship service. Be sure that all participants are notified and able to attend the
rehearsals.

Step 6: Take Time to Pray for the Worship Service

Ask the Lord to guide and direct the worship service. Pray for people’s hearts to be prepared to worship the
Lord. Pray for unbelievers who may attend that their hearts would be open to the Lord. Some churches have
prayer teams that pray for the worship service while it is happening. Other churches have prayer teams who
come to church early and take time to pray for the service and quietly pray for those who are entering the place
of worship.

Step 7: Evaluate the Worship Service

After the service take time to evaluate it. How were the flow and the atmosphere of worship? What worked?
What needs to be changed? What should be used again? Did God meet your congregation in a special way?
Were any people particularly touched during the worship service? Did anyone get saved? Incorporate what you
learn from your evaluation into future worship services.

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 Saturation Church Planting – Book 5 Multiplying Churches

SCP VISION

Lesson 1: Church Planting Cycle

Engineers often use models to communicate an idea. A blueprint is an example of a model an engineer might
use. By looking at a blueprint, an engineer is able see how the various aspects of a building work together and
relate to one another before the building is actually constructed. It is also used as a guide for how to construct
the building. It allows the engineer to more easily visualize in what order the separate components of the
building should be assembled.
In the same way, saturation church planting is not a haphazard series of events. It is a goal-driven process. In
saturation church planting, people must be won to faith in Christ and nurtured and established in local
communities of believers. Leaders must be trained to assume
the direction and development of the church. Maturing
churches must multiply themselves through new church 1. Foundation
planting efforts. The result of all this is that your region and
nation would be filled with vibrant, reproducing churches.
Indeed, the ultimate goal is that the bride of Christ be prepared 2. Evangelism
for eternity with Him.
5. Multiplying
The “Church Planting Cycle” functions much like a blueprint
for the process that you have been in since beginning this
course. In some ways this lesson will be review. We will
revisit what you have done and been doing in order to put all 4. Training
your ministry efforts in context and see where it leads. In other 3. Establishing
ways, this lesson will focus on the future. We want to focus on
multiplying the church planting process through more people
in more places.

I. PHASE I—FOUNDATIONS
The beginning can be critical in any complex process. Church planters begin the church planting process by
developing their own personal walk with Christ in order to be a minister of the Gospel. The apostle Paul warns
against building on any foundation other than Jesus Christ (1Co 3:11). Taking this for granted only leads to
ministry failure.
Not having a clear picture in mind of the church to be planted can stifle the church plant. Therefore, clarifying
vision and making strategic plans for the church plant are crucial at this level. Research is an important part of
this. Strategic information about the harvest force and the harvest field will help shape strategy. The goal of the
research is to gain an understanding of those people the church planter desires to reach, and also to learn what
resources are available to reach them.

A. Key Scripture Verse

“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.
But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already
laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1Co 3:10-11).

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 Saturation Church Planting – Book 5 Multiplying Churches

B. Activities and Goal

Activities:
Goal: Prepare
• Establish the vision with prayer. yourself, your
• Research the target population. vision and the
• Develop personal confidence in your faith. direction for the
church planting
• Develop personal confidence in Bible study.
mission.
• Begin to determine church planting strategy and methods.

C. Key Issues To Consider In This Phase

• What is the mission of God on earth? How does the church fit into that mission?
• What is my personal harvest field? What does God want from me in my area?
• What are the unique aspects of the calling and vision that God is giving me?
• What kind of church is able to meet these needs? Should it be reproducible?
• What are the main hindrances to reproductive church planting?
• Who is going to help? Who is the harvest force? How do we do research?

II. PHASE II—WINNING

Evangelism never stops in the church, yet this distinct stage is a period when the church planter focuses almost
exclusively on evangelism. The church planter’s example during this phase will be instrumental in being able to
lead and equip others to do evangelism in later stages.
It is impossible to plant a church without evangelizing. Too often, church planters focus on finding other
Christians to be in their new church, rather than on focusing on personal evangelism. Not spending necessary
time relating to non-Christians, and just hoping that God will send them to the new church, rarely yields
evangelistic fruit.
Church planters should start evangelistic groups that focus on building relationships. These groups include
discussions on how the Bible applies to life situations, prayer for personal needs, and encouragement. If people
are not used to sharing on a personal, open level, this must be developed over time. Spending time individually
with members of the cell groups will deepen relationships and improve the fellowship. Cell group leaders
should seek to develop group leaders as soon as possible. Meetings should be kept simple so that they will be
reproducible. If they are dependent on the leader, his style, or his knowledge then it will be difficult to find
leaders later.

A. Key Scripture Verse

“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the
Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews... To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all
things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I
may share in its blessings” (1Co 9:19-23).

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 Saturation Church Planting – Book 5 Multiplying Churches

B. Activities and Goal

Activities:
• Contact key leaders and build relationships. Goal: Contact and
• Evangelize the lost. evangelize key
• Start evangelistic group Bible studies. members of the target
population.
• Model ministry for the converts.
• Disciple new converts in obedience to Christ.

C. Key Issues To Consider In This Phase

• What evangelistic methods are most effective for us to reach our goals?
• Who are the key secular leaders in our region? How can we make contacts with them?
• How do we train new converts to be witnesses to their friends and family?
• How do we begin to disciple new believers and prepare them for ministry? What and how do we teach
them?
• How do we discover our networks of friends and begin evangelizing them?
• How many cell groups should we start before we gather them in a larger meeting?

III. PHASE III—ESTABLISHING

Though it may take a year or more to get to this phase, many church leaders consider this to be the place where
the church is officially and formally “born.” Establishing the group as a local church has its own set of unique
dynamics. By this phase, cell groups should be growing and multiplying and can begin gathering together for
celebration services, even initiating regular public worship. If it is appropriate, a hall may be rented for this, but
be aware that this is often done too soon. Church planters should have several strong cell group meetings with
about 30-40 people attending before renting a hall. Cell groups will continue even after the large worship
gatherings have begun, as they are still the foundation for nurture and growth in the church.
Discipleship continues throughout the life of the church. During this third stage, the church planter places a
strong emphasis on discipleship in the lives of the new converts, thereby setting a pattern for future on-going
discipleship. A common problem during this phase is not adequately understanding new Christians. Some
church planters expect new converts to need exactly what everyone else needs, or they are not prepared to give
new Christians a step by step approach to spiritual growth. Others may be too hard on new Christians, enforcing
rules and legalistic practices without grace, or seeking maturity too quickly from spiritual babes. Acceptance
and patience are key attitudes in helping young Christians to grow and mature in their faith.

A. Key Scripture Verse

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting
together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the
Day approaching" (Heb 10:24-25).

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B. Activities and Goal

Activities:
Goal: Gather
• Disciple converts. converts and all
• Mentor emerging leaders. participants for
• Expand evangelism efforts through the network of friends. celebration
services.
• Multiply cell groups.
• Begin ongoing regular worship.

C. Key Issues To Consider In This Phase

• How will new cell group leaders be trained and released?
• When do we baptize converts? When and who gives them communion?
• How do you establish new converts in the assurance of their salvation?
• How will you establish “body life?” How will new believers be assimilated into it?
• When we gather, where do we meet? How do we invite people?
• What forms will we use to reach our intended purpose? What style of worship will we use?

IV. PHASE IV—TRAINING

During the first three stages of the new church, the mission worker often takes on the bulk of responsibility for
the church, much like parents have to do the bulk of the work in a family with young children. In the same way
that children need to take on more and greater responsibility as they grow, so the converts need to take greater
responsibility as they mature. During this phase, the church planters pass on the responsibility for evangelism,
discipleship and new leadership roles.
By trusting in the Lord, church planters must have enough confidence in others to prepare them to lead
ministries of the church. God has gifted every believer, and all have a responsibility to serve. If the church
planter does not take the time to delegate responsibility, provide training and release others into ministry, then
the church will not grow beyond his capacity to pastor and minister to others. Eventually he will be stretched
beyond his limits, and new believers simply will not be able to find a home in the new church. People in the
church can also grow disillusioned without significant responsibility for ministry to motivate them to stay
involved. They gradually become spectators instead of participants in the life of the church.

A. Key Scripture Verse

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also
be qualified to teach others" (2Ti 2:2).

B. Activities and Goal

Activities:
• Build a profile of leaders needed in each area of ministry. Goal: Train
• Identify the spiritual giftedness of all members. leaders and
• Train cell group leaders. church
workers to
• Assign and release leaders to ministry. train others.
• Organize the structure and ministry positions you envision for the
ministry.

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 Saturation Church Planting – Book 5 Multiplying Churches

C. Key Issues To Consider In This Phase

• How do we get new converts to discover their spiritual gifts? Who will train them?
• What are the areas of training that are needed? Where and how will this training be provided?
• Who are the potential key leaders? What are their gifts and abilities? Are they faithful, serving people?
• Where will those trained have a ministry? What are the basic needs and issues in that area? When will
their ministry in that area begin? To whom will they report? What is their job description?

V. PHASE V—MULTIPLYING
For the Great Commission to be fulfilled, multiplication should be a normal part of church ministry at every
level. A good Bible teacher does not seek to produce only students, but more Bible teachers. The mark of a
good leader is not only followers, but also new leaders. In the same way, once a church has been established,
multiplying and producing daughter churches should become the norm.
Rather than multiply, many are tempted to focus on maintaining or adding to what they already have. Leaders
may become satisfied with the size of the church, and not press on to do the work of multiplication. However,
the goal of church planting is not just one new congregation, but multiplying churches in each and every region.
A church planting movement can be described as the planting and growing of churches in a particular region in
an unusually rapid fashion under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Church planting movements are characterized
by the unity, training and mobilization of the whole body of Christ, and common vision and goals.
Church planters and leaders should establish their ministries with a vision for multiplication that leads to a
Church planting movement. Modern examples of this are available as the Gospel is being spread through
church planting movements in several countries around the world today. Through studying these movements in
light of biblical ministry principles, church planters can begin with the end in mind, greatly increasing their
impact.

A. Key Scripture Verse

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and
in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Ac 1:8).

B. Activities and Goal

Activities:
• Coach leaders to form church planting teams.
• Research new regions where you feel led to start ministry. Goal:
• Reach out cross-culturally to new ethnic groups in the population. Churches
multiplied to
• Plan and conduct strategic evangelistic efforts. saturate the
• Set regional and/or national goals. region, nation
• Establish and appoint leaders for the organizational part of the and beyond.
ministry.

C. Key Issues To Consider In This Phase

• What research needs to be done? Who will do it? What regions or peoples are still unreached? Are
there potential leaders among them that can be trained?
• What goals need to be set and published? Who is heading up the prayer effort to support this ministry?
• Who assigns and oversees all new ministries? Who will train them in continuing education?

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 Saturation Church Planting – Book 5 Multiplying Churches

• Are there other ministries/agencies that could be included in this effort? Who should invite them to
join forces? What special contribution will they make to the overall mission effort?
• What kinds of training are needed for the movement? How will it be supported?
• Is the movement self-propagating, self-supporting, and self-governing? If not, what needs to be done
to make sure that it is?
• Who are the leaders with “apostolic” giftedness for the movement? How do we work together with
them? How can we encourage and support them? What are their needs?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What seems like the most difficult phase for you and your church planting situation?
• How does the church planter’s role change over the course of the process?
• Why is it important that the church multiply itself?
• Are there ministry efforts in your region (evangelism, discipleship, and training) that are not part of the
church planting cycle? How could these ministries become part of the church planting cycle?

ASSIGNMENT
Together with those you are working with in your church planting ministry, answer each of the following
questions. At this point, you may not be able to realistically answer all of them. However, answering them the
best that you can will be very good preparation for multiplication:
• What research needs to be done? Who will do it? What regions or peoples are still unreached? Are
there potential leaders among them that can be trained?
• What goals need to be set and published? Who is heading up the prayer effort to support this ministry?
• Who assigns and oversees all new ministries? Who will train them in continuing education?
• Are there other ministries/agencies that could be included in this effort? Who should invite them to
join forces? What special contribution will they make to the overall mission effort?
• What kinds of training are needed for the movement? How will it be supported?
• Is the movement self-propagating, self-supporting, and self-governing? If not, what needs to be done
to make sure that it is?
• Who are the leaders with “apostolic” giftedness for the movement? How do we work together with
them? How can we encourage and support them? What are their needs?

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CHURCH PLANTING SKILLS

Lesson 2: Next Steps – Planting More Churches

Perhaps by now a church has been or will soon be established. This means an important goal has been achieved.
However, as we have learned this is only one step in the process. The goal of the Great Commission is not the
planting of one church, but rather the multiplication of churches throughout the world, with each of them
making disciples who are wholly obedient to the Lord.
This lesson addresses the role of the newly planted church in a church planting movement. It also discusses
ministry options which the church planting team needs to consider as part of the next step of ministry in working
towards a church planting movement within that team’s city or region.

I. THE NEW CHURCH: PLANTING DAUGHTER CHURCHES

As a church reaches its initial goal of establishment, it has some serious decisions to make. The first concerns
how the new church will reach out and begin one or more other churches. Hopefully, through your work, the
newly planted church is a "pregnant” one—ready to work toward planting other churches. As we understand
God’s purpose, the vision should be for a movement of Church planting extending to geographic areas and/or
entire people group(s).
The newly planted church has a role to play in helping to fulfill the Great Commission in its local community, in
nearby unreached communities, and in other parts of the world. This requires the leadership of the newly
planted church to prepare the congregation for church planting, to raise up and send out church planters and
missionaries from its own membership, and to work with other local churches to help them to fulfill their God-
given mandate of evangelizing the lost.

A. Keep The Vision Alive

The vision that inspired the newly planted church may die if people become satisfied in that church. But re-
asking that question, "What does God want to do among this people group or in this region?” can rekindle the
desire for more churches. We know that God wants everyone to hear the Gospel. Churches who know their
purpose are committed to planting churches among entire regions, nations, and people groups.
When you look beyond the local church, you can see the larger picture. Paul’s vision to reach the province of
Asia was geographic (Acts 19:10). You can also have vision for reaching a particular people or ethnic group. In
Galatians 2:7-8, we see that Peter worked with the Jews and Paul worked with the Gentiles. In Romans 11:13
Paul boldly declares, "I am an apostle to the Gentiles." What area has God called you to reach? What people
groups living in that area must be reached with the Gospel?
The leadership of the church needs to constantly keep before the people the purpose of the church, and the role
and responsibility of that church in fulfilling the Great Commission. As the leadership of the church equips
believers for the work of ministry, they will grow spiritually and practically, developing ministry skills and
vision. This should lead to ministries of outreach among the unevangelized.
The Gospel will have a greater impact, in the long run, when the whole body moves forward together. Some
people catch a vision more quickly than others. Those with vision need to keep encouraging others to move
ahead. Those who move slower can add stability to the movement. As they understand the importance of
church planting in seeing the Great Commission fulfilled, these "process thinkers” can help make sure that every
step forward is a serious and sound one. It takes both kinds of people working together in order for a church to
continue reaching out into new areas with the Gospel.

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Question 1: What are some ways that you can continue to promote the vision of saturation church planting in
your new church plant?

Work with your congregation to think through the responsibility of your church in the world. Define your
“Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and ends of the earth”. Encourage members of the congregation to learn about
different parts of the world, the need for evangelism and church planting, and the work of missionaries. If you
have a Sunday school, encourage the teachers to incorporate lessons about the world and missionary life as part
of the curriculum.

B. Send Out Church Planting Teams

The church planting model you use to plant other churches will determine how you will train workers, fund
projects, recruit outside help, etc. If you have been using the cell group model, then planting daughter churches
is quite simple. As cell groups multiply, they can send out a strong new group which can, under the guidance of
the leadership, transition to a new church which reaches people in a different target area. Some churches
maintain about 15 active cell groups and whenever five new cell groups develop, they send them off under the
cell group leadership (including the zone leader) as a new church.
The following recommendations can help with most any model:
1. Pray for and look for those whom God is calling to church planting.
Prayer is one of the most powerful tools God will use to stir up vision among His people for ministry to the
world. A new church should pray for world evangelization and specifically that God would raise up laborers for
the harvest for church planting work.
The Church is God’s primary instrument for world evangelization and church planting is a task which belongs to
the whole church. Therefore, we can expect that God will want to set apart members from our own
congregations for the work of church planting just as He did in the early church (Acts 13:1-3). Look for people
in your church who sense that God wants them to be involved in church planting. The apostle Paul often spoke
about his calling (Ro 1:1, 1Co 1:1, 2Co 1:1, Gal 1:1,15-16). This awareness of "being called” by God keeps a
person serving when there are no objective reasons to continue or when the feelings say, "I quit!”
This "call” to ministry includes:
• a growing vision for ministry;
• a testing of one's character, vision and ministry;
• affirmation by one's local church, one's elders, one’s ministry team, and other church planters;
• the empowering of the Holy Spirit for putting the calling into effect (1Ti 4:15, Eph 3:7, Col 1:28-29).
In addition to the above qualities, look for a willingness to sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel. Church planting
is hard work on the front lines of the battle for the Kingdom of God. Most of the original apostles died as
martyrs for the faith. Church planters will make sacrifices. This does not always mean dying a martyr’s death,
being shipwrecked or imprisoned, but it could mean being misunderstood, giving up personal comforts, etc. The
apostle Paul spoke about the willingness to relinquish personal rights in order to reach people for Jesus (1Co 9).

Question 2: What are some of the sacrifices that will have to be made in your region as the Gospel continues
to advance? How can you prepare people ahead of time to be ready to make these sacrifices?

2. Determine where to send out the church planting team.

Pray and seek the Lord’s guidance as to where you should send out church planters and church planting teams.
Research both the geographic area and the people groups living in the target area (see Lesson 5, "Research:

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Information for Strategic Purposes” in Book One.) Use your research results to determine the training needs of
the members of the church planting team, to mobilize the congregation for prayer, to find financial support, and
to develop evangelism and church planting strategies for that target area.
3. Mobilize the resources of the church for involvement in church planting.
Planting churches happens best when the resources of the church are mobilized for that cause. These resources
include the people who will be on the church planting team, finances to support the church planting team,
materials, transportation necessary for the church planting ministry, and short-term helpers. Get as many people
active in the actual church plant as possible, even for short time periods. Members of the congregation can
serve the church planting team by prayer walks, music, evangelistic activities, and social ministries. This will
not only help carry the burden of the church planting team, but will help to increase the vision for church
planting and reaching the lost among the members of the sending church.
4. Train, care for and mentor the church planting team.
Determine the training needs of the church planting team. Do they need church planter training, cross-cultural
training, or vocational training? Most of the required training can be gotten informally, but some formal
training may also be required depending on the needs of the people in the target area. Once the team has been
fielded, it is important that they have regular visits by someone in church leadership with pastoral gifts. This
will help to keep the church and church planting team stay accountable to each other. This will provide the team
with spiritual and practical help in working through interpersonal issues and concerns which will arise as the
team serves and works together. In addition to pastoral care, it is important that the church planting team have a
mentor or several mentors who can help the team work through the different phases of the church planting
process.

Question 3: What types of training are necessary for a new church planting team from your church? Does it
need to be formal, or can it be informal? How much of this training can you do yourself in your existing
church?

II. THE ORIGINAL CHURCH PLANTING TEAM: PLANTING NEW CHURCHES

Should a church planter continue to work as an "apostolic” or "pioneer” church planter by moving on to start
another church, or should he stay and pastor the new church? The answer will depend partly on his gifts. Is he
called to be a pastor or to be an apostolic/pioneer church planter? Pastoral ministry occupies itself chiefly with
the work and people of one local church. Apostolic/pioneer church planters are front line evangelists who move
from place to place and may establish several churches during their lifetime. This decision concerning future
ministry also depends on his sense of the Lord’s will for him. This is determined through prayer.
Consider the following possibilities:

A. The Church Planting Team Moves On What is next Plant more

The church planter(s) turns the church leadership over to others for church churches?
and then returns to the sending church or moves on to plant a planters???
church in another location.
Pastor the
When church planters have apostolic gifts they will want to plant Church?
more churches. They should be encouraged to do so if the Lord
wills. Pioneer church planters, as spiritual parents, share in the Facilitate others
responsibility for the spiritual lives of those who are part of the in church
new church and therefore should take departure very seriously. planting?
To start the church and leave it prematurely is like a parent
abandoning a young infant. The apostle Paul had an ongoing relationship with the churches he had planted,

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writing letters and giving advice when problems arose. He also initially appointed the elders who led those
newly planted churches, ensuring that there was ongoing care of the church. This must be one of the
considerations when deciding the next ministry step for the team.
The most significant question in this option is, "To whom will the leadership of the church be given?" Church
planters must prepare the church for future leadership. Leadership often can be found in the new congregation
itself. It is wise for the newly established church to develop and recruit leaders from those who have had some
part in the church’s life from the beginning. Or, if a pastor or leader is chosen from outside the church, he
should have good pastoral gifts, as well as the same kind of vision and faith that you have instilled in the church.
People do not shift allegiance easily or quickly. There should be a time for bonding between the appointed
church leadership and the people. It is good to have a gradual plan to walk the new leadership into a close
relationship with the congregation, rather than to making abrupt changes which may be like throwing them into
ice cold water.

B. The Church Planting Team Remains To Pastor The New Church Plant
The church planter(s) stays in the new church and becomes the pastor of the new church.
The primary consideration here is, "Does the church planter have pastoral gifts?" If a pioneer type of leader
stays on as pastor but does not have pastoral gifts, the members of the church may fail to receive the
nourishment and nurture that they need.
A church planter might stay in the new church to organize, train and lead new church planting teams to go out
from the church. If this leader is also able to raise up new leaders to pastor the new churches, great
opportunities exist to advance the Gospel through further church planting. This kind of pastor will usually not
only pastor the new church but will develop other church planters and a church planting ministry from within
the new church.

C. The Church Planting Team Becomes A Facilitation Team

The church planter(s) facilitate others for church planting in the region.
Facilitation means helping people see their role in filling towns, cities and nations with churches, and showing
them that they can do it as God shows them how. Facilitating others is a necessary strategy for advancing the
Gospel in an entire region. This includes giving vision for church planting and then training, equipping and
mobilizing those who are envisioned. A facilitation team is a group of people who work together to give people
a vision of what God wants to do through them and then to help those envisioned in the fulfillment of that
vision. They are involved in the following activities:
1. Promote the Vision
The role of a facilitation team is to continuously share the vision of "What does God want for this region, city,
nation or people group?" Promoting the vision (or vision casting) includes preaching and teaching on the
purpose of the Church, the role of leadership in the church, and the nature of the Great Commission task.
Churches and believers need to constantly be reminded about God’s priorities, desires and passion to reconcile
lost people to Himself. As people respond to this vision, the facilitation team then needs to be able to help them
to act on that vision.
2. Begin Organized Prayer Efforts
Prayer links our efforts to God’s efforts. Church planting is spiritual work and requires spiritual labor. As
people respond to the vision of seeing their nation, region or city filled with churches, the facilitation team can
begin to call these people together to pray for the fulfillment of this vision. This may be two or three individuals
or a group within the church, people from different churches who have the same vision, or whole churches
praying together. The goal is to have an ever-enlarging circle of people praying for church planting.

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3. Train and Mentor People for Church Planting Ministry

One of the best ways to facilitate church planting among other churches is for the newly planted church to
become a training center for the region. By hosting training events, the church leadership has the opportunity to
influence others toward a church planting movement. The church planters being trained are sent out by the
churches and denominations from which they come.
4. Develop Church Planting Partnerships
Often, local churches feel they do not have the resources to fully train and support church planters themselves.
But they still have a responsibility and need to participate in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The
facilitation team can help churches to form partnerships and together support and send out missionaries and
church planter to work among a particular people group or in a particular region. This allows for especially
smaller churches to participate more fully in the Great Commission than they might be able to on their own.

Question 4: What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the three possibilities listed above?
Which of these possibilities would work best in your church plant? Why?

CONCLUSION
As the newly planted church is established, it must understand its role in a church planting movement. It should
have a desire to reproduce itself through the training and sending out of church planters from its midst, and
through prayer for world evangelization. The church planting team has to make decisions concerning its future
role and the transition of leadership in the newly planted church. The growth and multiplication of the new
church and the team’s involvement in a church planting movement are important considerations in the church
planting team deciding their next steps of ministry.
Facilitation is a key means for helping to encourage church planting movements. A facilitation team is a group
of people who work together to give people a vision of what God wants to do through them and then to help
those envisioned in the fulfillment of that vision. Its role is to cast vision, resource, train and encourage
believers in every way to become involved in a church planting movement. Facilitation is necessary for region-
wide or nationwide church planting movements to occur.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What role in the church planting task should you now assume?
• Does the church you are planting have a vision for a daughter church? If not, what steps will you take to
pass on that vision?
• Describe the differences between an apostolic/pioneer church planter and a pastor in terms of calling and
giftedness.
• What sacrifices will you have to make to see churches multiplied?
• How can you help facilitate others in either your sending church or in the new church to be church planters?

ASSIGNMENT
• With your church planting team and mentor, pray and consider what should be your next steps in church
planting ministry.
• Identify one or two potential church planters in your newly planted church. Spend time talking with them
about their vision and mentoring them in preparation for church planting work as part of a church planting
team.

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Lesson 3: Training As Part Of A Church Planting Movement

I. TRAINING AS PART OF A MOVEMENT

For saturation church planting to happen, new churches have to be planted everywhere! Someone must plant
those churches, and therefore there must be enough church planters to do this task.
According to 2 Timothy 2:2, what Paul taught Timothy was not just for Timothy. He was supposed to pass it on
to others. Timothy was responsible to find and teach faithful men, and these faithful men were responsible to
find and teach others. Paul, Timothy, faithful men, others...four generations of teaching! This is how
multiplication takes place.
Training as Part of a Movement

“ A n d t h e t h i n g s y o u h a v e h e a r d m e s a y ...e n t r u s t t o
fa ith fu l m e n w h o w ill a ls o b e q u a lifie d to te a c h o th e r s ”
(2 T m o th y 2 :2 )

F a it h f u l M a n O
Paul T im o th y T
H
F a ith fu l M a n
E
R
F a ith fu l M a n
S

This means that not only is it important to train every believer, but each one of them should also begin to train
and disciple someone else. This training takes place more in the context of personal relationships rather than in
a formal institution. As each new believer is discipled, he or she begins discipling an even newer believer, and
the process continues.
Similarly, in order for a church planting movement to develop and continue into succeeding generations, church
planters must continuously be training others. Just as the apostles became leaders and teachers of others, some
church planters also need to train and mentor other church planters.
How do you know if you should be involved in training church planters?
• Has God used you in touching people’s lives?
• Is one or more of the subjects in the training interesting to you?
• Do you want others to learn what you have learned in your training?
• Are you completely convinced that God wants new churches to spring up?
• Are you willing to try with the Lord by your side?
While formal theological education has an important role in the Church, it is not for everyone. However, the
process of a more mature believer training a less mature one is a process for everyone. The amount of formal
training needed for each next higher level of leadership increases, even as the number of leaders decreases. The
figure below shows this relationship.

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Training for Church Leaders

More formal
training needed National Leaders
More
practical Regional Leaders
training
needed
Church Leaders

Group Leaders

Family Leaders

The Church needs many family leaders, but these need little formal or theological education. Rather, they need
helpful, practical training that they can use right away in their family relationships. The family leadership role is
informal but very real. This leadership influence is strong, even among younger leaders (1Ti 4:12). National
church leaders at the other extreme, however, should have a considerable amount of formal training in the areas
of theology, ministry, administration, finance, etc. Fortunately, fewer national church leaders are required so
that the Church is not excessively burdened with their training.
It becomes increasingly difficult to provide training as we move to higher levels of leadership. In many parts of
the world, the Church is simply not able to provide the training needed for leaders at regional and national
levels, so leaders may need to travel abroad. In any case it is important to at least be aware of the needs for
leaders at these levels so that provision can be made as the needs arise.
Every church planter is also a trainer, always equipping others to learn and minister in their many roles from
evangelism through local church leadership. To further the potential of church multiplication it is always
important to be identifying and training others in the important role of starting new congregations. Others need
to be getting the training you are getting in this curriculum regardless of the form of the training process.

Question 1: If you have not yet begun to train someone else using this material, think and pray about how
you can begin doing this. List 2-3 people with whom you can start.

Question 2: What types of practical, informal training are available to group and family leaders in your
region?

II. FOUNDATIONS FOR TRAINING CHURCH PLANTERS

Church planter training does not "just happen." It takes hard work and much prayer to challenge local churches
to send people for training, prepare materials for the training, and then actually train and mentor these new
church planters. The following section describes some foundational activities that a church planter needs to be
involved in so that church planter training continues and is passed onto others as part of a church planting
movement.

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A. Motivate Prayer
A church planting movement is an act of God. Prayer shows that we expect God to work and wait for Him to do
His part in making unbelievers receptive and getting believers to participate in the task. Rally prayer support
within and outside the nation. Pray and encourage other to pray for workers for the harvest, conditions for the
harvest, and people groups who would turn to Christ as commanded in Matthew 9:38, 1Timothy 2:1-5, and
Romans 10:1.

B Raise Vision
Give people a vision concerning God's will for their nation, region, city or town. Help them to embrace a vision
that everyone hear and see the Gospel in a culturally relevant way through the witness of a living church in their
community. Help them work toward planting churches that will multiply, grow, and saturate the nation in God's
time as He gives conditions, freedom, and workers for the harvest.
Sharing vision with others can be done in a variety of forms: one-on-one through personal networks of
influence, in small group settings, or in large group settings, as God gives you opportunity.

C. Meet with Leaders And Pastors

Visit leaders and pastors. They are the ones with the authority and influence to sponsor and encourage people to
get involved in church planting. Also, they are the ones who will know which members in their churches or
organizations have the potential to be effective church planters.
When you meet with pastors and leaders, tell them boldly, "We train church planters" and ask them, "Do you
know someone in your group with an interest in church planting?" Discuss with them the benefits of church
planter training and how they can be involved in and oversee the expansion of the church!

D. Produce and Disseminate Literature

Various types of literature can help promote and accelerate church planting in your region. You should begin
creating and printing your own literature that deals with topics related to church planting movements and church
planter training. Literature brings legitimacy to what you are doing and carries your work beyond your circle of
influence. It also speeds up the multiplication of leaders.
The training manuals you have received during the church planter training sessions will begin to serve this
purpose. Media such as newsletters, magazines, radio, e-mail, and video are all valid ways to disseminate
information about church planting. The production quality of your literature or media does not need to be "state
of the art”, but it should be of similar quality to the existing media and literature in the country.

E. Find Leaders
Find other like-minded leaders who will embrace the saturation church planting vision. These are usually
leaders with a youthful vision, unencumbered by a great number of ongoing responsibilities, and rising in their
leadership skills and role.

F. Network with other training programs

In addition to church planter training, other types of training are essential in order for a church planting
movement to continue to advance. Training on such topics as saturation church planting, prayer movements,
evangelism, how to train and send out missionaries from your local church, spiritual warfare, youth ministry,
outreach to children, etc., are all important for the growth and development of a church planting movement in a
country. One of your roles in church planter training might be helping to connect the church planters whom you
are training with other training resources they might need in order to help their church planting ministry
succeed.

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G. Expect Results
It may seem obvious, but church planter training should produce churches. From the beginning it is important to
expect nothing less than God working through those who are involved to build His Church through them. Make
sure that a clear objective of planting new cell groups and churches is the foundation for organizing your church
planter training. When there is an expectation of new churches and cell groups, those who begin to participate
will find their place as prayer warriors, organizers, financial backers, encouragers, helpers, and church planters.
They are all necessary components of a church planting movement and the training should help them find their
place and work toward planting churches.

Question 3: Which of the above activities are you already involved with? Which of them do you need to begin
doing?

III. THE PROCESS OF TRAINING CHURCH PLANTERS

A. Begin Training
You can train church planters by responding to an invitation or by setting up and organizing training sessions
with your team. When you are invited to do the church planter training, it is better to let the host dictate the
approach, protocol, and logistics. If you are hosting the training, you can experiment with different forms.
However, make sure that you determine the content of the training material and who will be the trainers. You
can use these materials in whole or in part, and supplement with other materials as necessary in your context.
Do not be discouraged by the results of your first round of training. It takes time to find the best trainers and
environment for training. Learn from your mistakes and continue to press on with the training. God may
surprise you with the results of a "difficult" training session.

B. Discover New Trainers

Use the training sessions to discover new trainers from among your trainees. Get them to do training as soon as
possible. Model for them what they need to do with others, and have them begin teaching some of the lessons
while you observe. Don’t wait until you have completed training with a particular group of church planters
before asking some of them to help you with the teaching. As you watch them teach, you can give them advice
on how they can improve as trainers.
It will take time for your new trainers to completely understand everything in the materials, but the more they
teach, the more they will learn how to equip others to start new churches. Make sure you give them a vision to
eventually find their own new trainers to equip in the same way that you have equipped them.

C. Decentralize Training Sites

Develop a geographic strategy for the training. Find strategic zones in the country or region where there is
receptivity to church planter training. People from that area can carry out the training for church planting
themselves. To do this, you must find leaders from the training who are active in church planting and want to
mobilize others in their own zones. Help them to establish training in their zone. Encourage them to find and
equip leaders from the local region. This will help the training multiply and will be a positive step towards a
movement.

D. Pass On Leadership
Walk others into leadership and oversight of the church planter training movement. Keep finding other people
with a vision to fill the land with churches and give them opportunities to lead in church planter training. Try to
back out of your leadership and develop gradual but definite steps to pass it on to others. Be a mentor to them,
helping them lead as they grow in their vision and capability to implement that vision through training other

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church planters. Encourage them to reproduce your mentoring with others they train, multiplying towards a
movement.

E. Develop Funding Structures

Develop a funding structure for the work. As the movement grows you will need to fund the production of
materials, travel costs, and at times, financial support so that leaders can minister full time. A healthy mix of
local giving and outside funds should work together to support the needs of this work. Deliberately foster
internal giving. It is very important to raise local and in-country funds. Church planting movements around the
world are sustained by local giving. This means you will need to teach on the subject of stewardship, and train
others to do the same.

IV. MENTORING CHURCH PLANTERS

Training church planters is not just a matter of seminars. Mentoring is a valuable and necessary supplement to
seminars. Mentoring is simply a purposeful relationship when someone with more life experience guides and
directs another to accomplish his or her goals and objectives with greater personal effectiveness. A mentor, then,
is a person who affects and influences the development and growth of another person toward certain ends. The
mentoree, the person being helped, is guided so as to reach his potential, to maximize his gifts, talents and
abilities, and to do his best. The Christian mentor strives to help the Christian mentoree reach his God-given
potential and to accomplish God's goals for his life, for the glory of God!
The mentoring of church planters is vital. Reports from those in church planter training seem to indicate that
where mentoring takes place, more churches are planted. Conversely, where no mentoring takes place, often
there are few resulting churches.
The goal of mentoring is empowerment. Empowerment is the sharing of appropriate God-given resources at the
right time, resulting in progress or development in the mentoree’s life and work. The benefits of having a
mentor include:
• Promotes genuine growth and change (2 Timothy 1: 7-8).
• Provides a model to follow (1 Peter 2:21).
• Helps you reach your goals sooner (Romans 16:1-2).
• Plays a key role in the maturity process (Hebrews 13:7).
• Benefits others through you (2 Timothy 2:2).
The mentoring process should be linked to the practical training for church planting and be intentional from the
start. It involves a clear agreement on the relationship and includes the following when meeting: review,
refocusing, resourcing. Mentors need to constantly develop their own skills of listening, asking questions,
taking notes and giving wise counsel.
A Godly life and growth in Christian character is the essential outcome of mentoring for the long term, while the
short term should produce local churches planted! Thus a model of training can be ‘caught’ for the future.

Question 4: How is mentoring a church planter different than training a church planter? Is it possible to
train without mentoring?

Question 5: What would mentoring look like in your context? List five practical ways that you can mentor
your church planters/trainers:

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CONCLUSION
One of the most valuable things you can do as you come to the end of this training to pass the training on
to others. Do not hesitate to propagate the training you are now completing and be careful to identify and
mentor other potential church planters who could benefit from your zeal and growing experiences. Just as
Timothy was asked by Paul to pass on what he had learned, so it is now your responsibility to pass on what God
has taught you.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• How does insistence upon formal training inhibit the growth and multiplication of churches?
• Why is training such a key part of what a church planter does?
• Why should church planter training be decentralized?
• Why is mentoring an effective part of church planter training?

ASSIGNMENT
Prayerfully choose a location where you could begin church planter training. Talk with church leaders there and
develop a plan to begin training. Begin training church planters according to your plan.

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Lesson 4: Signs Of A Movement

A movement is a social phenomenon. One way to describe a social movement is to say that, “What was once
rare is becoming more common.” It involves a growing number of people who are convinced about a common
cause, an opportune time, and leaders who desire to make radical changes to the status quo. Special leaders
emerge to inspire, motivate and lead their respective groups toward that cause. Movements motivate new events
and activities. Simply put, it means that something that only a few people did is now being done by more
people. It means that something that people did rarely, they now do commonly. It has enough of an impact on a
group of people that it even changes their thinking, but not without conflict in the process.
The democratic movement in Eastern Europe that began in 1989 is an example of a secular movement. As a
vision for political change swelled in the hearts of common people, revolutions came in a swift, spontaneous,
and dramatic way that few could have predicted. The spread of the Gospel in the New Testament, the Protestant
Reformation, the Wesleyan revival and contemporary church planting movements are all examples of spiritual
movements.
The clear goal of this church planter training is to help a church planting movement get underway in your
region. When there is a movement of God in a nation, believers will have a renewed passion for the Gospel that
should lead them to the spread the Gospel through spontaneous planting of churches and cell groups.

I. SIGN 1: A SPECIAL TIME

When the time is right, God moves and accelerates what He’s doing in a nation. God is never early and He is
never late—He always does what must be done at exactly the right time.
For a movement to happen, there is a delicate sense of timing. Within a nation or ethnic group, events,
conditions, and expectations come together in a certain moment of history to form the foundation of a massive
movement. In the Bible, timing is so important that God Himself ordained the time for movements. In the book
of Exodus, it took four hundred years for the people of Israel to be ready to move out of Egypt, but what a
movement it was! Two million people walked out of a devastated Egypt as the cloud led them by day and the
fire by night. Daniel noted that God’s time of seventy years had come as he prayed for Israel to move back to
the promised land from captivity under the Persian Empire (Da 9:2). As God heard Daniel, many Jews began
returning to Jerusalem. They rebuilt the temple and the city walls and the desolate city came to life once again.
Galatians 4:4 says that, “At the right time God sent His Son..."
In the New Testament, timing is also a factor in starting and mobilizing the church. The disciples of Jesus were
told to wait till they received the Holy Spirit. They waited until Pentecost (Ac 1:4; 2:1). The church was begun
on that day, and a great movement in Jerusalem followed. Home meetings spread across the city, teaching
God’s Word. Believers also met publicly. In addition to teaching, there was fellowship, eating together, and
people praying with one another (Ac 2:42-47).
Another great movement of the Church recorded in the New Testament is the great advance of the Gospel in
Asia Minor. Acts 19:10 states that, “everyone in Asia Minor heard the word of the Lord, both Jew and Greek."
God’s timing was so critical in that movement that God would not even let Paul enter the region a few years
before! Acts 16:6 describes Paul and his companions as “having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching
the word in the province of Asia."
It appears that timing is extremely important. God brings people to a point of receptivity to the Gospel, which is
the message of a church planting movement, and mobilizes the Church to preach that same Gospel and plant
more churches. A receptive population and a mobilized Church combine to form great advances of the Gospel.
These movements will also leave their mark on history. If it is not God’s time for a massive movement, do not
be discouraged—You can still join in where God is moving even in a small way. Like the parable of the
mustard seed demonstrates, God starts great things from a very small beginning.

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Question 1: What evidences do you see in your target area that God is working? How can you join in there
with a vision for a church planting movement—even if it is a tiny, seemingly microscopic mustard seed
beginning?

EXAMPLE:
Argentina had always been known for the pride of its people. After losing at war to the British in 1982, the
nation was humbled. This brought on a special timing for the advance of the Gospel because more people
recognized their need for God when they experienced such a national tragedy. Within five years, the “Vision of
the Future” cell group church planting movement swelled to 100,000 people.
Look at what God is doing and where He is working in your region and join in working there toward a church
planting movement.

II. SIGN 2: EMERGING LEADERSHIP

Many times in history when it seems that the kingdom of darkness is certain to overcome the forces of
righteousness, God calls leaders who “understand the times” and know what God’s people should do. At just
the right time, not too late and not too soon, God works powerfully through these leaders to bring the kingdom
of darkness to its knees. So it was with Moses, David, Nehemiah, John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul, Martin
Luther, John Wesley and others.
EXAMPLE:
The 18th century preacher, John Wesley, was such a leader. They called him “the most useful Saint in the
British Empire” (Miller p. 63). The revival led by him and George Whitefield in England began at a spiritual
low point when churches seemed powerless to impact society for Christ. Wesley’s ministry resulted in the
conversion of hundreds of thousands and had a social impact that helped avert a revolution like the one in
France. The Wesleyan revival spilled over into America, and led by Jonathan Edwards and Francis Asbury,
resulted in saturation church planting of Congregational and Methodist churches.
Movements are all about leadership. For a saturation church planting movement to happen, leaders must come
forward. They must promote the vision, develop new leaders, and convince existing leaders to support and join
the movement. As the movement takes momentum, new leaders start emerging to carry it forward.
Like a rowboat heading upstream in strong current, these leaders will usually face some opposition. Usually,
when directing a change in the status quo, those who lead a movement at its very beginning are more radical.
This radical element can be like a new stallion in a herd of horses, challenging all of those who have been in the
herd a while—they cause friction. Hooves may fly as leaders rear up and react! People will react to what
leaders in a movement stand for—some positively, some negatively.
Movements can actually gain momentum from opposition as the resistance forces leaders to modify, solidify,
and develop their sense of direction and convictions. Hopefully, if leaders of Christian movements hold radical
opinions that are not biblical, they will modify their directions and convictions toward a biblical position.
Some leaders cast vision and ideas (such as the prophets, from Isaiah to John the Baptist). They demand
change, but motivate it by reaching deep into the longing of people’s hearts for God to work among them. As
they proclaim God’s intentions for His people, they work to convince them to depart from the status quo and
follow God’s plan. A church planting movement needs leaders who will plead the cause of saturation church
planting to other leaders who may be reluctant to accept this vision.

Question 2: As you spread the vision for a saturation church planting movement in your region or country,
what types of opposition do you expect to face from other leaders in your area?

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The Apostle Peter did this excellently in a public sermon as he focused on the hopes and dreams of the Jewish
heart. He quoted his and their Scriptures from the prophet Joel. His message provoked their longing for God to
send His Spirit to once again bring a prophetic word. But instead of speaking about the Spirit coming upon
some distant, exalted prophet, he overwhelmed their expectations by quoting Joel and saying that their own sons
and daughters would prophesy! What could be described as a spiritual movement followed (Ac 2). But
opposition also followed his message. A church planting movement needs leaders who draw out the longing in
peoples’ hearts for God to work through them, advancing His Gospel by multiplying churches in the land.
Paul was a leader who took action. If Christ was not preached somewhere, he would go there to do it (Ro 15:20-
21). He set an example for others in ministry. In spite of hardships, persecution, and even destitution, (2Co
11:23-27) he planted churches! Others followed him in this example (2Ti 2:3). This is obvious, but must be
said: A church planting movement needs leaders who will lead teams to plant churches!
Barnabas was a leader who developed other leaders even when they were considered a risk to the cause of the
Gospel. He stood beside Paul when there was great doubt over whether his conversion was sincere and genuine
(Ac 9:26-27). While Paul was alone in Tarsus, Barnabas called him over to Antioch and released him into his
teaching ministry (Ac 11:25-26). It was from his ministry at Antioch that Paul went on to become a recognized
apostle and church planter.
Barnabas also faced opposition when Paul refused to take young Mark with them again after he had failed on his
first trip. Barnabas split from Paul to restore Mark to useful service (Ac 15:36-39). After time, not only did
Paul himself say that Mark had become useful, but he became as a son to Peter and even wrote a Gospel! See
for yourselves in 2 Timothy 4:11, Colossians 4:10, and 1 Peter 5:13 and read them aloud.
EXAMPLE:
J. Christy Wilson was the first person in 1500 years to plant an evangelical church in modern day Afghanistan.
He has inspired many other Christian leaders for missions, both on the foreign mission field and in pastoral
ministry. He himself does not lead any organization. Bill Bright, leader of one of the largest missions and
evangelism organizations in the world, says that Dr. Wilson has deeply influenced him as the most spiritual man
he has ever met. Dr. Wilson prays for hundreds of people every week, simply that God would use them. He
encourages people, he believes in their spiritual gifts and he uses his own heavy influence and powerful
connections to give them every opportunity to use them. As a pastor, professor, missionary, friend and
counselor, he helps others see how God will use them and encourages them to work for the Lord before others
notice them. Often, he will stand by and publicly speak well of someone, who although controversial, is serving
the Lord and being used by Him.
One can pass the fire of a torch to another unlit torch without dimming one’s own light. Lighting the torches of
new leaders so they may also lead helps a small flicker in the night turn to a great blaze which can be seen a
long way off. In the same way, equipping, or ‘facilitating’ others into leadership makes a movement grow.
Acts 19:1-10 describes how in Paul’s last ministry before he was imprisoned, he developed other leaders by
beginning with twelve men in Ephesus. Paul himself stayed in the city, but those he trained reached all of Asia
Minor with the word of the Lord. He describes how he worked with them during that time in Acts 20:17-38.
Paul lit their torches! A church planting movement needs leaders who will influence and develop other leaders
who will keep the movement expanding.
Leaders in a movement hold people accountable to the truth when it is overshadowed by traditions. Peter,
Barnabas and Paul appealed to the ethics and conscience of other leaders to convince them regarding Gentiles
and the Jewish law. They told the apostles and elders how God had used them to bring uncircumcised Gentiles
to Christ. From this argument, they convinced the apostles and elders to write a letter freeing Gentile believers
from obligations to Old Testament ceremonial law (Ac 15:6-7,23-29).

Question 3: What are some of the traditions in your area which might hinder a church planting movement?

Question 4: Do you see new leaders emerging in your context? If not, what can you do to help them to
develop?
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III. SIGN 3: PEOPLE GET INVOLVED

When a movement is underway, people continue to get involved in aspects of the movement in growing
numbers and growing levels of commitment to the common cause. For a church planting movement, the
common cause is to fill the land with churches that preach the Gospel! This means that more people will need
to be involved in all the aspects of starting new churches. More people will become fully committed church
planters. More people will help with special skills like music, evangelism, research, and in any other way that
will be a help to plant churches. More people will be part of the sending team by regularly praying for church
planters and their ministry.
EXAMPLE:
In Romania, the beginning signs of a prayer movement are evident. From Alba Iulia, Romania, a group of
three women began praying for each other and their husbands. They progressed to pray for their churches, their
region, for the nation and for new churches to be planted. This fellowship grew to over 30 groups with
approximately 150 women involved in prayer. It spread to Bucharest where a prayer brochure for Romania was
produced and used all over the nation and outside of the country. In Sibiu, two churches which are not of the
same denomination pray together. In Cluj, there is a monthly women’s prayer gathering open to all churches.
Often, unconverted women attend, and some even become believers through this fellowship.
The invisible, empowering relationship that we have with God through prayer is the intimate link with Him who
gives birth to and drives on a movement. That expression of a movement of His Spirit is signaled as multiplying
groups of believers come together to meet with Him in prayer. First a few, then more and more gather for
prayer, until the movement of His Spirit sweeps across a nation.
The very nature of a movement is the reason why it attracts more and more people. People are convinced and
committed to the common cause, and pass on their conviction and commitment to others. People are committed
to a church planting movement because they are convinced that it is God at work among them.
EXAMPLE:
The Deeper Life movement in Nigeria grew out of a Bible study in the home of William Kmuye, then a
university professor. It has grown to more than three thousand congregations from that one Bible study. People
sensed that God’s presence was among them through the serious study of His word. Although growing rapidly,
the Deeper Life Movement is committed to biblical practices, sound doctrine and quality leadership training
through cell group ministry.

Question 5: How do people see God working in your region? What types of ministries are growing? How
can you begin to involve more people in the church planting task?

IV. SIGN 4: NEW FORMS

When a movement is underway, it’s not only professionals and ordained leaders who serve in ministry, but
ordinary believers discover that God wants to use them, too. A movement gets people involved at every level.
Leaders emerge with a passion for ministry. People become active in serving God in all sorts of ways that they
may have formerly thought only professional or well-established Christians could do. For example, not only
seminary-trained leaders may preach and teach, but also believers in the church whom God has gifted for this
ministry.
EXAMPLE:
Someone asked a church planting pastor of the Assembly of God in Brazil where he attended seminary. Since
very few of the Assembly of God leaders have ever attended any formal theological education he looked at the
person who asked him with surprise that he would even ask. His answer was, “Why, the seminary of the street!"
Such a great church planting movement needs leaders and their leaders are trained through practical ministry
experience.

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What happens next? As more people start working in the ministry of the Gospel they will discover more
successful, interesting, or unique styles of ministry that help others get involved also. For example, in a church
planting movement a certain song may become popular because of how it touches the hearts of those who hear
and sing it, or because of how it turns people to the Lord. Other trends that may appear in a church planting
movement include evangelism methods that are successful, cell group meetings, and even preaching styles.
EXAMPLES:
The Lord’s Army, a cell group movement which preached the Gospel from the Romanian Orthodox church,
experienced great growth from the 1930’s to the 1950’s. While most music in the evangelical churches was
imported and translated (often badly), the Lord’s Army movement began producing praises to God in music
born on Romanian soil and coming from the Romanian soul. Evangelical believers in Romania from other
churches use this music to praise the Lord today.
A group of “hippies” from Calvary Chapel started making music, founding Maranatha Music and producing
songs that have been translated all over the world. Two of those songs are Seek Ye First and As the Deer.
The Icthus cell group church planting movement out of England has made the March for Jesus a world event.
The song Shine Jesus Shine also comes from this movement.

V. SIGN 5: SPONTANEITY AND EXPANSION

When a massive movement is underway, no one person or organization can control it. It simply gets too big for
any one person to organize. However, leaders in a movement can get together and influence the direction of a
movement. It is completely unrealistic to think that separate denominational and independent churches will join
together to become one denomination for the sake of a church planting movement. The differences are too great
for them to be the same entity. But they can unite together as separate organizations toward the common cause
of advancing the Gospel through church planting! That happens in a saturation church planting movement.
It is very possible for leaders from different denominations to get together and plan to fill their nation with Bible
preaching churches, whether Pentecostal or Baptist (and others too)! Therefore, a movement cannot by nature
be organized, but people and structures in a movement can be directed toward the cause of church planting.
EXAMPLE:
In a meeting that brought major denominational leaders together to discuss advancing the Gospel in Brazil, the
president of the Assemblies of God, Jose Wellington, read Psalm 133, “Behold how good and how pleasant it is
for brothers to live together in unity!" This meeting started the process which led to the Brazilian AD 2000
delegation and interdenominational good will.
A spiritual movement is always unpredictable. Movements by their very nature are inherently dynamic.
Participation in a movement of God is often uncertain. We carry on and advance within chaos, simply trying to
manage that which we can and leaving the rest to God’s sovereign care. Never knowing if there will be enough
money, never certain that God will open the doors we envision or expect Him to open, never certain if there will
be other people to join us, never certain if our strategies are 100 percent implicated in His movement, we
advance in faith and confidence in His loving kindness.
A good test to see if what is happening is a movement of God or a human program is to ask, “Can a person
control this?" Humans have obvious limitations. A movement of God must exceed and surpass human abilities
and expectations. Can a person make another’s heart receptive? Can a person convict another of sin? These are
things the Spirit of God does. It is highly unlikely that what the human mind programs and controls is a
movement of God. Get involved in ministry that will only succeed if God is in it. Avoid being involved in a
“good” ministry that you know will succeed through your own human efforts.

Question 6: If a movement begins to spontaneously grow beyond what we can control, should this be cause
for concern? Who is ultimately responsible for the outcomes of such a movement?

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VI. SIGN 6: PEOPLE AND STRUCTURES ARE MOBILIZED

Rapid growth requires new structures, more leaders and new ways of communicating. As a church planting
movement gains momentum and new forms for ministry emerge, Christians will also begin to be mobilized at all
levels to be involved in planting churches. Existing structures like local churches, denominational leadership,
Christian organizations, and even schools will begin to find ways to participate in and help the church planting
task. Sometimes new structures are formed for helping existing ones cooperate toward a church planting
movement. Literature and communication media need to emerge to take the movement farther. The following
things may happen when people and structures mobilize:
When existing leaders such as pastors, denominational officials and other key Christians see that the church
planting movement is clearly the will of God, they will encourage the structures they lead to help.
EXAMPLE:
The Discipling a Whole Nation (DAWN) ministry brought together church leaders in the Philippines in 1973 for
prayer and planning. Each denomination set their own church planting goals, for a sum total of 50,000 new
churches by the year 2003. They are on target today as God has honored both their faith and unity!
When previously inactive Christians see that the church planting movement is of God, they will often begin to
join in by prayer, financial giving, and even going and working! Informal training will take place to help
ordinary believers participate in very practical ways, and some of that training may find its way into Bible
schools and seminaries as well.
Literature and other communication media will inform, instruct, and inspire people en masse concerning the
main ideas and themes of the movement. This is an essential element to help different groups in a movement
grow together in the same direction. Media, especially literature, also legitimizes. Literature and media can
help people to take the movement that produces them seriously. They also help a movement to spread beyond
our imagination. Literature and media also reach geographically where the leaders and participants in a
movement never could. The New Testament epistles are an excellent example of literature that grew out of a
church planting movement. They are still informing, instructing and inspiring church planting movements
today! Do you think first century Christians imagined that Paul’s letters would be instructing and inspiring
believers around the world almost two thousand years later?

CONCLUSION
How do you find out where Jesus is actively working? He will always be found dwelling in His people. The
first place to look to determine how God is at work is to check where He lives! How is God working in your
midst? Some of the signs of a movement may be evident in your region if you begin to look for them.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What can you do now to help lay the groundwork for a church planting movement in your region?
• How is God working at this time in the place you will serve Him for church planting? How can you stir the
longing in people’s hearts for God to work?
• Of the kinds of leaders in a movement, what kind of leader are you?
• What kind of literature is needed to accelerate a church planting movement?
• How would it be possible to have a consultation or congress toward a church planting movement in your
region or country?

SOURCES
• Miller, Basil. John Wesley. Minneapolis: Dimension Books, 1943.

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Lesson 5: Vision And Telescoping—Taking The Gospel Into The

World

The church must obey the great commission by making disciples of its own nation and of all the nations. This
specific lesson will work from Acts 1:8 which compels the church to be Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem (locally),
Judea (regionally), Samaria (cross-culturally), and to the ends of the earth (new cultures, languages, and places).

I. DEFINITIONS OF VISION AND TELESCOPING

For local churches to effectively participate in the Great Commission, they need vision. Vision is the ability to
see beyond what is to what could be. Spiritual vision for reaching the world for Jesus Christ is the ability to see
nations, regions, and peoples of the world as places and peoples where the Gospel will advance by means of
evangelism and church planting.
A vision is only a nice idea unless it becomes a reality. Telescoping is a metaphor which describes the various
types of penetration into the world (geographic and cultural) which the church must make in order to fulfill the
Great Commission. The church extending and reaching out is like a telescope that extends and increases,
bringing objects which are further and further away into sharper focus. Each type of penetration will require
local churches to take concrete steps of sacrifice and commitment to advance the Gospel. Local churches need
to be taking the Gospel to people in their communities, nations and overseas.

II. LOOKING WITH A VISION FOR GOD’S HARVEST

Jesus calls the church to have vision for His harvest of men’s souls. Jesus also used the harvest metaphor in
Matthew 9:38, commanding his disciples to pray that there will be enough workers for this great harvest. On the
day of Pentecost, Israel was celebrating the wheat harvest. With the coming of the Holy Spirit on that day, the
harvest vision transformed when the church was born. Instead of rejoicing over the wheat harvest, the church
proclaimed the glory of God to the nations in their own languages, harvesting men’s souls— three thousand the
first day! These people coming to Christ, the new meaning of God’s harvest, made them a part of the new
church.
Could we use church planting terminology and say that what happened on Pentecost was the first New
Testament church plant? The church that started on Pentecost has reproduced itself over a million times
throughout every inhabited continent on earth! The harvest must still go on however, as several million more
churches must be planted. Jim Montgomery, in his book, DAWN 2000, says that about seven million more
churches need to be planted to reach the whole world. The vision we have is to preach the Gospel, plant
churches, and bring people into the church as followers of Jesus Christ. The church obtains vision for God’s
harvest by "opening her eyes” and "looking at the fields” of the world. Vision is the beginning of the church’s
adventure to fulfill the Great Commission.

III. TELESCOPING FOR GOD’S HARVEST

Acts 1:8 describes the progressive growth of the church from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth and even
provides an outline for the book of Acts.
ACTS 1:8: "Jerusalem” "Judea” "and Samaria” ends of the earth
Meaning the local city the region the neighboring the world
region
Outline of Acts 1-8 Acts 8-12 Acts 13-28
Acts (Ac 5:28) (Ac 8:5) (Ro 15:19)
Biblical "Thessalonica” "Macedonia” "and Achaia” "everywhere”
example 1 Th1:6 1 Th1:7 1 Th1:7 1 Th1:8

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In the old days of shipping, an able navigator could extend his vision further by using his telescope. As he
extended his telescope, far away places that he could remotely see with the naked eye became nearer and clearer
to him. Applying this analogy to the fulfillment of the Great Commission, picture a telescope with four
extending sections. Notice in the figure that each section of the telescope relates to Jesus’ command to his
disciples in Acts 1:8: "...and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth.”
Penetrating The World With The Gospel (Telescoping)

J e r u s a le m Judea S a m a ria T h e E n d s o f th e E a rth

V IS IO N

S e c tio n 1 S e c tio n 2 S e c tio n 3 S e c tio n 4

L o c a l M in i s t r y R e g io n a l C r o s s - c u ltu r a l I n t e r n a t io n a l
M in i s t r y M in is t r y M in is tr y

A. Section 1: Local Ministry

Opening the telescope to the first section, we can look at the local ministry of the church. The disciples who first
heard this command obeyed it locally by filling Jerusalem with their teaching about Jesus (Acts 5:28).
As one of the first assignments of this training program, you identified a "target area” where you are now
seeking to plant a church. Your church planting ministry has focused on a village, a town or a neighborhood of
a city within that target area. Once your church is established, it will continue to minister to the people of that
local geographic area. This is that local church’s "Jerusalem."
The nature of your Jerusalem will determine how you reach out to them. Very few cities are homogeneous.
Most cities are comprised of people of varied age, education, culture, ethnic background, language, etc. It is
unlikely that one single church can respond to the wide range of needs that this situation presents. Also, many
cities are so large that travel to and from a central location hinders attendance. Our task is a local church within
access of everyone. The presence of one local church in a city seldom means the task is complete. The
multiplication of the church to reach others is the best method to complete the task.
Our mandate is clear. We are to reach out to the lost. It is not the responsibility of the lost to come to us. With
God’s help, a growing local church will begin to pray about the lost in their city that have no witness, and
actively be a witness for them.

Question 1: How many churches do you think are needed in your “Jerusalem”?

B. Section 2: Regional Ministry

Opening the telescope further to the second section allows for the church to see beyond its own local context
into a wider geographic area. This principle corresponds to being a witness in Judea as described in Acts 1:8.
This kind of outreach mobilizes the body of Christ to plant a new church in another nearby geographical area,
where the culture and language are likely to be the same as that of the members of the local church. This kind of
outreach would result in a “daughter” church.
Every church from its beginning should already consider that its purpose is to reproduce. In nature all living
things sooner or later plateau, and even die, while their fruit or offspring lives on. The principles are similar in
church ministry. In a sense the true ‘fruit’ of a church is not a new convert, but a new church. The most
effective way for a church to have a regional impact is through reproducing itself, planting daughter churches.

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Example
In Brazil, over a twenty year period one church filled a geographical area with 200 congregations. These
churches sent a missionary to Albania. As he was teaching on multiplying churches to church planters there, he
said, "Our church growth was slow compared to others, but even so, when we plant a new church immediately
that new daughter church plans to plant other daughter churches as soon as possible. Our churches know their
purpose is to plant new churches from the very beginning." It is this kind of thinking and purpose that can
mobilize churches from their beginning to be ministry minded within their own congregation and beyond.
When the church has the desire and the faith to fulfill the vision for telescoping by planting daughter churches, it
will have to take some necessary steps. It takes a greater commitment and sacrifice among the members of an
existing church to plant a daughter church. These steps would include training workers, sending them, raising
funds, and most importantly, continuing in prayer toward completing the vision through telescoping.

C. Section 3: Cross-Cultural Ministry

The opening of the telescope to its third section can be compared to witnessing in Samaria. This describes
advancing the Gospel cross-culturally. Although the Samaritans were not geographically far from the Jewish
believers in Jerusalem and Judea, they were a different culture and ethnic group. They had many different
customs and traditions as well as their different religious practices. Although Jews were antagonistic to the
Samaritans, Jesus loved them both! The early disciples (Philip in particular) took the Gospel to Samaria as they
worked to fulfill the Great Commission (Ac 8:4-25).
The church is responsible to reach out cross-culturally to different people groups. We can reach out to nearby
ethnic groups for Jesus, even when political and ethnic tensions may exist. This will often require that those
whom the church sends out take cross-cultural training, learn the language, and study the people’s culture where
they will plant the church. It is this extra effort that will often cause the new work to grow and reproduce.

Question 2: Are there any ethnic groups in your region which are different from you culturally while still
speaking the same language? How far would you need to travel before being able to minister cross-culturally
to one or more of these groups?

D. Section 4: International Ministry

Opening the telescope to its complete length refers to the ends of the earth mentioned in Acts 1:8. This is
extending the ministry of the church to people who are distant geographically, culturally and linguistically. The
best early church example of obedience to this command is found in Acts 13 and following when Paul and
Barnabas (later others) were sent out to have a cross-cultural and international church planting ministry.
By praying, giving, and sending missionaries to the ends of the earth, a local church completes the entire
telescoping process. It has ministry happening at all levels—"Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the
earth."
Our task is not completed until the Gospel has penetrated the whole earth, presenting the message of salvation to
every person. It is not "natural” to be concerned for the lost condition of strangers. However, this is God’s
desire, and our responsibility. As the new group is transformed into a church, it is not finished with its work.
Rather, it has just taken the first step in an exciting and rewarding journey for the Lord.
It is important and biblical to pray for people groups (Ro 10:1; 1Ti 2:1-2; Eph 6:19) and churches should be
praying from the beginning for the Gospel to advance to "all the nations” (Mt 28:18-20) and for workers for the
harvest. Do people in your church have this vision? Are there people praying for the nations?
From this missions vision it is also possible to telescope through financial giving to missions. The Philippian
church gave financially to Paul’s missionary and church planting outreach (Php 4:17-19). In this way a church

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can telescope through financial support of missionaries who are working in a faraway place even if they are not
from that congregation.
EXAMPLE
Luis Bush (who led a movement in Latin America for churches to send missionaries), and others traveled
throughout Latin America proclaiming the vision for missions as part of the COMIBAM (the acronym stands for
“Ibero American Cooperation in Missions”) movement. The cry rang out, "Latin America, from a mission field
to a mission force!" At this time, Latin American countries were going through economic hardship and many
could not see how it was possible to send missionaries to other countries if they were struggling financially.
Luis used the example of Abraham, whose body was good as dead but his faith was alive. It was his faith that
brought the promise of a son. In this way he compared the financial powerlessness to Abraham’s body saying,
"In Latin America, we don’t have the money- BUT WE HAVE THE FAITH!" Church after church accepted
the missionary call and since COMIBAM in 1987, thousands of missionaries have been sent by churches in
Latin America. They have had the faith and God has provided the money!
It is a great and joyful experience when a church sends missionaries to the world from its own and its best. A
congregation more deeply owns and identifies with God’s love for the nations when sending someone out who
is dear to them. Not every church may be able to support a missionary on its own. However, it is possible to
partner with other local churches to send out missionaries from your own congregations. By sending out its own
missionaries, the members of the local church are able to feel both the joys and the hardships of advancing the
Gospel among an unreached people.

IV. SPIRITUAL POWER AND AUTHORITY

From planting a church in a local target area to planting one at the ends of the earth. the church does so under
the authority of Christ and with the power of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus gave the Great Commission to His
followers, He began by saying, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Mt 28:18). He
ended by assuring them that, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Mt 28:19). Sandwiched in
between these promises is the disciples’ task—to make disciples of all nations.
Shortly before returning to heaven, Jesus promised His disciples, "But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you" (Ac 1:8). The result of receiving this power was that the disciples would be witnesses of
Christ to the ends of the earth. Both the authority and the power of God are given to His children to enable them
to make disciples to the very ends of the earth. The rest of the book of Acts shows how the believers went out
under this authority in spite of being warned not to do so by earthly authorities. They were determined to obey
God rather than man. As they did so, under the power of the Holy Spirit, the word of God spread throughout the
whole region.
As believers, we too have the authority of Christ who lives in us. We have the power of the Holy Spirit. We
can reach out to our neighbors and beyond with confidence, knowing that God will give us all we need to
disciple the nations.

CONCLUSION
Vision and telescoping are characteristics of an obedient church. Vision looks to the future to fulfill the great
task the Lord has given His church to expand the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Telescoping is a picture of the
obedient church, obediently penetrating the world. It is a picture of the local church taking concrete steps
(praying, giving, and going) to reach out both geographically and culturally to see the "glory of the God cover
the earth” (Is 11:92:14). A local church does not need to completely reach its neighborhood before it begins
praying and working towards planting other churches and sending out missionaries to other parts of the world.
This should be happening simultaneously in the life of a local church. In addition, it is important that newly
planted daughter congregations, as modeled by the mother church, should also have a desire to penetrate the
world with the Gospel. From one location it is possible for a church to make a significant impact and contribute
to a movement that will fulfill the promise of Acts 1:8.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What are hindrances to vision and how can you overcome them?
• How can you promote vision and telescoping in your new churches?
• Why is one church rarely enough to reach a whole city for Christ?
• How far have you opened your own telescope? How far open is the telescope of your church?
ASSIGNMENT
Using the telescope shown below, begin to share vision with your church(es) about reaching out more and more
with the Gospel. For each section of the telescope, write your "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and ends of the
earth." In what sections is your church actively working? If there is a section of the telescope in which your
new church is not involved, what can you do to promote this?
Telescoping For A Local Church

Jerusalem Judea Samaria The Ends of the Earth

VISION

Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4

_____________ ____________ ___________ ____________

SOURCES
• Montgomery, Jim. DAWN 2000: 7 Million More Churches To Go. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library,
1989.

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CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY

Lesson 6: Contextualizing The Gospel

Bringing the gospel to a new people group involves understanding their culture and presenting the gospel in a
way that makes sense to them in their world view. We never change the gospel (Gal 1:8), but we must change
the way we explain it according to the understanding of the people. This process is called “contextualization”.
In this lesson we are going to discuss how to do just that.

I. SENSITIVITY TO THE CONTEXT

The Gospel is the good news that salvation has been fully purchased by Christ and is available to every person
who trusts in Him. It is a wonderful message. However, the way we present Jesus to the lost can greatly affect
whether or not they take the time to taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps 34:8).
Contextualization begins with an understanding of Form and Function (see lesson 1, “Form and Function” in
Book Two), but goes further to the next logical step. The principles of Form and Function help us distinguish
between the purpose of church activities and the methods that we use to accomplish them. Contextualization
involves evaluating which forms are the most effective at accomplishing functions within a specific cultural
group. In other words, contextualization is the skillful application of Form and Function principles in cross-
cultural ministry. Contextualization begins with evangelism, but is also important in discipleship, church
planting and developing theology.

Question 1: Explain how contextualization is different than simply understanding form and function in a
church.

Diversity in the Body of Christ

Jesus prayed that His disciples would become “one” (Jn 17:11, 21-23). But what did He mean by “one?”
Clearly, we are “one” in the sense of being unified, of having a common faith, a common bond, and a common
future (Ro 15:5; Eph 4:3, 13; Col 3:14). We are to consider one another and to act for the common good (Php
2:1-4). However, “one” is not equivalent to “the same.” Within the unity of the body, God has created great
diversity for His glory and pleasure (1Co 12). All of history is moving toward God’s goal of having people from
“every tribe and language and people and nation” fall before Him in worship (Rev 5:9; 7:9).
Would you enjoy a choir with just one voice? A song with one note? An orchestra with one instrument? A
painting in one color? How dull and boring! In light of the incredible variety of the world that God has created,
why would we think that He wants believers to look and act alike? For the church planter working with another
culture, accepting diversity can be challenging, but extremely important. We are not trying to make everyone
part of “one nation”, but to bring “all nations” into a relationship with their Creator (Ge 12:2-3; Ps 67: 2-3).

II. CONTEXTUALIZATION OF THE GOSPEL

When we contextualize for evangelism, we choose methods that clearly and effectively communicate the Gospel
in ways that are as intelligible and acceptable as possible. We must carefully adapt the presentation without
changing the core content of the message.

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A. The Gospel Message

Contextualization of the Gospel should never involve changing the message itself. There is only one true
Gospel, and God is the author (Gal 1:11; Eph 4:5; 1Th 2:8-9; 2Ti 1:11). The Apostle Paul dogmatically stated
that anyone who preaches a different Gospel should be cursed (Gal 1:6- 12; 2Co 11:4). In 1 Corinthians 15, he
explained that the Gospel consists of two key facts: First, Christ died for our sins—the proof being His burial
(1Co 15:3-4). Second, Christ rose from the dead—the proof being His appearances (1Co 15:4-8) This simple
statement summarizes the wealth of truth found in the Passion and the Resurrection. Christ’s death for our sins
assumes that we understand that we were lost sinners, and that only the blood of Christ could appease God’s
wrath. This part looks back at our forgiveness through Jesus. The fact that Christ rose assures us that He is the
Son of God with the power over life and death, and gives us confidence that we will indeed spend eternity with
Him. When Paul spoke to the Ephesian elders, he explained that this message of repentance and faith was what
he preached to both Jews and Greeks (Ac 20:21).
A true Gospel message cannot neglect either of these two key components. The Cross must be preached even if
it is offensive or foolish to the hearers (Ro 1:14-16; 1Co 1:17-24; 1Co 2:2; Ro 3:9-11). We must not suggest that
any other religious act or god has any merit before the Lord (Jn 14:6; Ac 4:12; 1Ti 2:5-6; 1Jn 5:11-12). Those
who change the Gospel message in order to please the hearers are false teachers—not servants of God (Gal 1:10;
2Ti 4:2-5).

B. The Gospel Presentation

Although there is only one Gospel, there are many ways to deliver it to the lost. Mothers know that it is easier to
get a child to take medicine with sugar or honey. Wise Gospel preachers follow their example. They find ways
to encourage the lost to taste the Gospel that cures their separation from God. They adapt the presentation of the
message. Some of the things that we must carefully consider as we minister in cross-cultural situations include:
• the language and form of speech used
• the relationship of the speaker to the hearers
• the attitude, expressions and body posture of the speaker
There are many examples of contextualization of the Gospel presentation in the New Testament. Although the
Apostle Paul was unwilling to compromise on the message of the Cross, he made every effort to become “all
things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (1Co 9:22). When he spoke to the Athenians,
he began by recounting his study of their religious alters and objects (Ac 17:22-23). At Ephesus, he began with
their knowledge of John’s baptism (Ac 19:1-6). In Jerusalem, he switched his language from Hebrew to Greek
(Ac 21:37-39) to Aramaic (Ac 21:40-22:2). Before the Sanhedrin, he appealed to his former status as a Pharisee
(Ac 23:6). In his trials before Felix and Agrippa, Paul used very respectful and educated language (Ac 24-26).
He used his Roman citizenship as a means to testify to Caesar (Ac 25:11). In an even more striking act, Paul
circumcised Timothy to facilitate his witness to the Jews (Ac 16:3) even though he adamantly opposed to
circumcision as a requirement for the salvation (Ac 15:1-2). He was in favor of circumcision to promote the
Gospel presentation, even though he was against circumcision as part of the Gospel message. In the same way,
he avoided payment for his preaching for fear it might hinder the Gospel—instead living on his own earnings or
on gifts from other churches (1Co 9:6-18). Paul was sensitive to the way people from every culture might react
to him, preferring to yield his own rights, privileges and preferences in order to make the Gospel attractive (Tit
3:2; Heb 12:14).

Question 2: What are some different ways that you have adapted the presentation of the gospel so that your
hearers would understand it?

C. The Gospel Messenger

Although we have been talking about the presentation of the Gospel, it might also be accurate to say that many
of these biblical examples concern making the messenger attractive to the lost, so that they will listen to the
message. Paul was so concerned for the lost that they understood that his love was genuine—not an act to fool

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them (Ac 20:18-20; 1Th 2:6-9). Carefully planned methods will not work without genuine love (1Co 13).
Biblical love should motivate the missionary to be sensitive to the issues that are important to his audience.
Ministers of the gospel who humbly admit that they do not know all the answers are more likely to accepted by
the hearers.

III. IMPLICATIONS FOR CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY

It is vital that the church planters continually go back to Scripture for counsel on issues of church forms,
evangelism, etc. Bringing forms and methods from one culture into another without critical evaluation of them is
never wise and hardly ever effective. A cross-cultural missionary must be both flexible and grounded in the
Word.

A. Effective Evangelism
When bringing the Gospel to another culture than your own, do so with humility and as a learner. You may
understand the Gospel more clearly than your audience, but you do not necessarily understand the people. Take
time to listen to them, and reflect deeply on what they are saying. Make every effort, like the Apostle Paul, to
appreciate the things in their culture that are not sinful, and look for common bonds and points of contact.
Everyone in every culture has some common issues involving family, children, parents, work, health, etc. Find
those areas of common interest and experience and use them to build bridges to the people.
Learn to do things in new, culturally-appropriate ways, even if they seem strange to you. Russians present gifts
of flowers wrapped in newspaper—something that would be offensive in Western Europe. In some countries,
handing an Arab a gift of food with the left hand would also be offensive. In some cultures, the elderly merit
special respect and deference. Other cultures may strictly limit interaction between men and women. Dress that
is stylish in one country may be shameful in another. We need to honor those differences if there is not a clear
biblical reason not to do so. Our goal, like Paul’s, is to become all things to all men in order to win them. In this
way, we follow Christ, who became flesh for us, yet without sin (Heb 4:15).

Question 3: What are some ways that you can learn the cultural cues that will help you develop effective
evangelistic methods in a different culture?

B. Appropriate Discipleship
One of the hardest things for some missionaries to learn is that they are to make disciples who look like Jesus—
not like the missionary. The disciples at Antioch were called “Christians” because they acted like Christ, rather
than like Saul and Barnabas (Ac 11:26). The purpose of disciples is to multiply themselves—passing on their
faith to others (2Ti 2:2). Therefore, the missionary will make much more progress in penetrating the new culture
with the Gospel if they help their new converts find a form of Christianity that is both biblical and relevant to
the local culture. If this balance is achieved, the new disciples will be even more effective in ministering to their
culture than the missionary. That should be the missionary’s goal, rather than a threat.
At the same time, the missionary has the responsibility to teach the principles and commands of God’s Word to
the new believers. Although they will know more about the local culture than the missionary, they will initially
know less about the Scriptures and the Christian faith. The process of discipleship is not finished until the
believers understand and obey all of the commands of Jesus (Mt 28:20). In order for this to happen, there will
also need to be faithful local leadership that can pass on their faith (2Ti 2:2). As burden of ministry shifts from
the missionary to the local believers, the missionary will need to guide them in adopting forms and practices that
do not conflict with biblical Christianity. The end result should be Christianity with a local flavor, but with a
solid foundation (1Co 3:10-11).

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C. Meaningful Church Planting Forms

Contextualization should not end once a person is saved. It should also guide the spiritual growth of the disciple
and the local church. Just as changes in the presentation and messenger can lead to greater acceptance of the
Gospel, culturally-sensitive forms and methods in the church can lead to greater maturity, more sincere worship,
and more effective leadership development in the church. Contextualization causes us to ask questions like:
• Should the church meet in a special room or place?
• What symbols of our faith should be on display when we gather for fellowship and worship?
• Should drums, guitars, a piano or something else be used for worship?
• Should the leader wear a robe? Should worshippers wear special clothes?
• What foods will the church forbid or permit?
These are “form and function” issues which are best answered by reflecting on what they communicate in the
culture at large in combination with biblical teaching. However, the Bible gives us “Christian liberty” in many
of these areas. What do we mean by “Christian liberty?” While some things are allowed or forbidden for all
people, other issues are more complex. Some things were permissible only to particular people, or at particular
times.
For example, Adam was only allowed to eat plants and fruit (Ge 1:29). But after the flood, God added meat to
man’s diet, but without blood (Ge 9:3-4). Later, God gave to Israel a very specific list of allowed and forbidden
food (Lev 11). Yet in the early church, Paul says that instruction to “abstain from certain foods” is the sign of
false teachers, and that “nothing is to be rejected” (1Ti 4:1-5). Daniel was praised for abstaining from unclean
food (Da 1:8), but Peter was rebuked by the Lord (Ac 10:13-15). Even the preferred day of worship appears to
be a matter personal freedom (Ro 14:5-6).
There are many New Testament examples where the distinguishing between “Christian liberty” and “sin” is
difficult. Marrying or remaining single was an individual decision, depending on one’s gift from God and ability
to live in purity (1Co 7). Paul was free to eat meat sacrificed to idols, unless his freedom became a temptation
for a weaker brother (1Co 8). He preached against drunkenness (Eph 5:18), but told Timothy to drink wine for
his stomach problems (1Ti 5:23). Paul confronted Peter for ceasing to eat with Gentiles when other Jews were
present (Gal 2:11-14).
Therefore, we need to be very careful not to apply random verses to a particular audience, but instead to
carefully study how the Scripture applies to each situation. The biblical principle is to do everything possible to
promote the spiritual growth and health of other believers (Ro 14:19; 1Co 10:32).
An important task for any church planter is to identify the unique ways that God has created his congregation to
learn, worship, pray, teach, preach, and live. There is a great deal of freedom in this, but also a serious
responsibility. Diversity is not an excuse to do whatever we want. Some things are clearly sin for everyone
because the Word of God identifies them as such. Lying, hypocrisy, adultery, murder, and theft are just a few
that are forbidden throughout the Scriptures. No amount of sensitivity to culture can justify permitting these
actions. This was the error of the Corinthian church—they accepted immorality instead of judging it (1Co 5).
The Holy Spirit personally judged Ananias and Sapphira for their hypocrisy (Ac 5:1-11), and it seems that other
New Testament believers suffered disease or death because they failed to forsake their sin (1Co 11:27-34).

CONCLUSION
Contextualization is an ongoing process that begins with evangelism and continues through the discipleship and
leadership training stages. The primary objective of contextualization is to adapt the presentation of the Gospel
and the messenger of the Gospel (the missionary) to be more acceptable to the local culture. However, the core
message of the Gospel cannot and must not be changed. Repentance and faith is Jesus is a universal message
that applies to all people, everywhere, in every culture.
God’s ultimate purpose in salvation is to sanctify a group from every tribe, language, people and nation that will
glorify Him forever (Rev 5:9). Cross-cultural missionaries have the privilege of reaching some those diverse

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people and help them maintain the beautiful diversity that God has created, while confronting and correcting
sinful attitudes and practices that are contrary to the Word of God. In order to do this effectively, missionaries
must approach their ministry with humility and love, knowing that the task is complex, but extremely important.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What is “contextualization?”
• What is wrong with changing the Gospel message to make it more acceptable to the lost?
• What is the role of “diversity” in the Body of Christ?

ASSIGNMENT
Write out a sample Gospel presentation as if you were giving it to a lost person. Then carefully evaluate it to see
if it contains the essential elements of the Gospel. Also note which things you have included would really be
cultural preferences or practices. Rewrite your presentation until all core Gospel points are present. Then begin
to add examples that would make it more clear to your target audience.

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SPIRITUAL CHARACTER

Lesson 7: The New Nature

The Bible says that if any man is in Christ he is a “new creation” (1 Cor 5:17). This does not mean that we are
perfect, or that we never struggle. We do struggle. We struggle to understand the “new creation.” We struggle
against the old sinful nature. And these struggles may discourage us and even blind us to the reality of the new
nature. An important key to the ongoing victory over the old sinful nature is to understand the new nature with
all its privileges. In this lesson we are going to explore four aspects of our new nature.

I. A NEW RIGHTEOUSNESS
As believers in Jesus, our sins past, present and future are forgiven. This is good news. But there is more. We
each also have a new nature that includes a new righteousness. We have not only forgiveness, but God’s favor
too. The righteousness that we have as believers is not our own. It is the righteousness of Christ, which we
receive as a free gift. Bearing Christ’s righteousness makes us fully pleasing to the Father (Rom 5:1, 10:4).
Jesus’ life and death have made a way for us to know His favor and forgiveness in spite our failure and
shortcomings. Romans 4:25 says “He (Jesus) was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for
our justification.” His death and life work together on our behalf!
Jesus’ Death Jesus’ Life
“Jesus died for our Sins” “Jesus was Raised for our justification”
Sins Forgiven Righteousness Credited
Forgiveness Favor
Just as if I had never sinned! Just as if I did everything right!

Question 1: Read Romans 1:17 and 3:21-22. How do believers receive the righteousness of Christ?

Question 2: What difference would it make if God’s plan was only to forgive me but not to give me his
righteousness?

Had Jesus only forgiven sins, but not granted us righteousness, we would owe God nothing, but still have
nothing to offer him. To use money as an illustration, we would not have a debt, but we would still be poor.
God’s standard is high. Is it enough that we are forgiven? No. Therefore the good news is that we have been
forgiven, rescued from spiritual debt, and additionally made spiritually rich!
There may be plenty of days when this truth does not feel real. But the truth of it does not depend on our
feelings, but on his faithfulness. The blessing of the righteousness of Jesus is that you do not have to fear
failure, manipulate others to succeed or hide you sin because you can be confident that you are acceptable in
God’s sight.

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II. A NEW IDENTITY

Saint or Sinner?
Are believers saints, or are believers sinners? As Martin Luther said, there is a sense in which we are both saints
and sinners. We are sinners in that we still struggle with sin. But more importantly we are saints because that is
what Jesus makes us!
We know we are saints – but sometimes we do not feel like it. Perhaps you are accustomed to thinking (or
feeling) the following about yourself.
Sinner: This is who I really am. My sinful nature, my successes and my failures define me.
Saint: Who I would like to be. Possibly what I might become when I get to heaven.
Do you think of yourself in the way described above? If you do, then you do not understand the new nature. The
Bible teaches a very different understanding of who believers are. Remember, believers are "new creations”
from God’s perspective. Although the flesh is real, and you will continue to struggle with sin, at your core you
are a new person with a different heart! The following describes the correct understanding of our identity.
Sinner: Part of me that must be repented of, but not my identity.
Saint: Who I am in Christ, a new creation, the real me, my identity.

Question 3: Do you see yourself only as a sinner or a new creation?

Question 4: How does God see you right now?

Question 5: Do you really believe that at the core of who you are there are good desires that flow out of the
new you?

III. A NEW COVENANT

Paul used the term “new covenant” to describe this new relationship we have with God. God has created a whole
new internal dynamic in our hearts that is key to us changing and becoming like Him.
The new covenant was promised and described thousands of years ago in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:31;
Ezekiel 36:24-28). These Old Testament passages tell us that in the new covenant God would provide a
cleansing from sin and impurities, a new heart, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the ability to keep God’s law, and
more (see Ezekiel 36:24-28). Old Testament believers no doubt waited in earnest for this new covenant. Then
Jesus who is called “the mediator of the new covenant” (Hebrews 9:15) came. Jesus introduced the new
covenant during his Passover meal with the disciples when “he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new
covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” (Luke 22:20). In dying as the sacrificial lamb for our sins
hours after the last supper, Jesus made the new covenant reality for those who believe.

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We live with the reality of the new covenant. This is described clearest in 2 Corinthians 3. Read 2 Corinthians
3:6-18 and note the differences between the Old and New Covenant. The following table notes many of the
differences.
Old Covenant New Covenant
Letter Spirit
Kills Gives Life
Glorious More Glorious
Condemns Brings Righteousness
Fading Lasting
Veiled Unveiled

What does all this imply for us? The New Covenant means that our relationship with God is different. How
God treats us and how we can honor God changed because of what happened at the cross! We were enemies of
God – but now we are his children, reconciled as friends (Col 1:21-22). We have God’s presence in a more
personal way (through the Holy Spirit) and we see and experience more of his glory. We do not have to
approach God with fear or a sense that we have to hide something.

Question 6: How are the old and new covenants different? Do you ever treat God as if you were still living
under the old covenant?

IV. A NEW SPIRIT

Indeed the new righteousness, the new identity, and the new covenant that we have been talking about are truths
that we cannot understand or live out if not for the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. What influence does
the Holy Spirit have in my life?
• The Spirit gave birth to the new me, regenerated me - John 3:5,6
• The Spirit shows me my sin - John 16:8
• The Spirit empowers me for ministry - Acts 1:8, Acts 8:29
• He teaches me spiritual truth - John 14:26; 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:9-13
• He lives in me - John 14:16-18
• He gives me His good desires - Romans 8:5
• The Spirit is at war with my sinful nature - Galatians 5:17
• The Spirit produces God’s fruit/character in me - Galatians 5:22,23
• He helps me in prayer - Romans 8:26,27
• The Spirit comforts and encourages me as my counselor - John 14:16
• He helps me relate to God as a “daddy” in confidence, not fear - Romans 8:15,16
• He guides me in daily living - John 16:13; Romans 8:14; Psalm 139:7-10
• The Spirit gives me a “New Way of life” - Romans 7:4-6, 8:1-4
Question 7: Which of the above things can you do without the Holy Spirit?

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Question 8: Is it possible to live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit? What happens when we try?

CONCLUSION
We have looked at only four of the many privileges of being a child of God. How can we summarize these great
truths? At our core, we are something completely new (2 Cor. 5:17). From our hearts, we cry out to God as his
children (Rom. 8:15-17). We have good godly desires that spring from our new heart (Luke 6:45). We each are
designed with a purpose as His workmanship (Eph. 2:10). In our inner being, we delight in God’s law (Rom.
7:22). God does not condemn his children (Rom 8:1) but speaks to us from within, as He guides by his Holy
Spirit (John: 16:13, 14).

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MONTH 12
Review of Month 11

In the last month of training, the main emphasis was on church planting movements. You were asked to do the
following:
From Lesson 1, “Church Planting Cycle”
Together with those you are working with in your church planting ministry, answer each of the following
questions. At this point, you may not be able to realistically answer all of them. However, answering them as
best as you can will be very good preparation for multiplication:
• What research needs to be done? Who will do it? What regions or peoples are still unreached? Are
there potential leaders among them that can be trained?
• What goals need to be set and published? Who is heading up the prayer effort to support this ministry?
• Who assigns and oversees all new ministries? Who will train them in continuing education?
• Are there other ministries/agencies that could be included in this effort? Who should invite them to
join forces? What special contribution will they make to the overall mission effort?
• What kinds of training are needed for the movement? How will it be supported?
• Is the movement self-propagating, self-supporting, and self-governing? If not, what needs to be done
to make sure that it is?
• Who are the leaders with “apostolic” giftedness for the movement? How do we work together with
them? How can we encourage and support them? What are their needs?
From Lesson 2, “Next Steps—Planting More Churches”
• With your church planting team and mentor, pray and consider what should be your next steps in church
planting ministry.
• Identify one or two potential church planters in your newly planted church. Spend time talking with them
about their vision and mentoring them in preparation for church planting work as part of a church planting
team.
From Lesson 3, “Training as Part of a Church Planting Movement’
Prayerfully choose a location where you could begin church planter training. Talk with church leaders there and
develop a plan to begin training. Begin training church planters according to your plan.
From Lesson 5, “Vision and Telescoping—Taking the Gospel Into the World”
Using the telescope shown below, begin to share vision with your church(es) about reaching out more and more
with the Gospel. For each section of the telescope, write your "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and ends of the
earth." In what sections is your church actively working? If there is a section of the telescope in which your
new church is not involved, what can you do to promote this?

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Telescoping For A Local Church

Jerusalem Judea Samaria The Ends of the Earth

VISION

Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4

_____________ ____________ ___________ ____________

From Lesson 6, “Contextualizing the Gospel”

Write out a sample Gospel presentation as if you were giving it to a lost person. Then carefully evaluate it to see
if it contains the essential elements of the Gospel. Also note which things you have included would really be
cultural preferences or practices. Rewrite your presentation until all core Gospel points are present. Then begin
to add examples that would make it more clear to your target audience.

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SCP VISION

Lesson 8: Biblical Examples Of Saturation Church Planting

Movements

In the early days immediately following the ascension of Jesus, the gospel had had no impact on the world
outside of Judea, Samaria and Galilee. At first, Christianity appeared small and frail in comparison to the
political powers of the day. Yet it rolled like a tidal wave across the Roman empire so that within one
generation, worshipping communities were established everywhere from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond.
Modern historians marvel, wondering how Christianity could have spread so widely in such a short time.
Was this just a haphazard expansion? Did the first missionaries blindly wander the world to spread the
gospel? Not exactly. A careful study of Acts reveals that the expansion of the church resulted from Spirit-
guided plans based on ministry principles that we can still use today.
During this lesson we will study the Scriptures, the best text book anywhere on church planting. We will
look for the factors that contributed to the rapid expansion of the church, believing that it is possible to
extract ministry principles for advancing and saturating any region with the gospel.

I. THE SPREAD OF THE CHURCH IN ACTS

A. The Early Church

The Birth of the Church
The Day of Pentecost, when the New Testament church was born, played a major role in the rapid expansion
of Christianity. Pentecost took place during a time of a major celebration when thousands of Jews and
proselytes came to Jerusalem from all over the world. Luke records people from 13 different regions
including Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappodocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt,
Cyrene, Rome, Crete and Rome. Many of the Pentecostal pilgrims took their new faith back to their
homelands, but only after receiving instruction and experiencing the church life that took place after the
Pentecost celebration (Ac 2:42-47). This initial training could explain how the church in Rome was well
established before any of the apostles arrived there.
Persecution
In Acts 8 a great persecution broke out that caused the believers in Jerusalem to flee (Ac 8:1; 11:19-21).
This also influenced the spread of the Gospel. As the believers scattered, they spread the gospel mostly to
fellow Jews. At Antioch in Syria, however, many Greeks were won to Christ, resulting in the establishment
of the first church made up largely of Gentiles. This was considered so unusual that the leaders in the
Jerusalem Church sent Barnabas to investigate the situation (Ac 11:22-24).
Barnabas was so impressed with the Gentile believers at Antioch that he spent at least a year ministering
there. He even recruited Paul all the way from Tarsus to join him (Ac 11:25-26). Together with several
others from different regions, they made up a dynamic leadership team (Act 13:1). It was here in Antioch
that the disciples were first called “Christians” (Ac 11:26).
Paul’s Missionary Journeys
"So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyicum, I have fully proclaimed the
gospel of Christ" St. Paul (Ro. 15:19).

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Paul was many things: an apostle, a theologian and a teacher. But in all these things his role as a church
planting missionary was clear. Others have received more converts than Paul, some have preached to larger
audiences, but probably no one has been so successful in planting churches. As we walk through Paul’s
missionary journeys, notice the kinds of cities Paul targeted as well the many people he influenced.

B. Paul’s First Journey (Acts 13-14)—Expanding into Cyprus and Galatia

Paul and Barnabas were sent off as missionaries first to the Island of Cyprus, Barnabas’ homeland. They
started by preaching in the synagogue in Salamis, the largest city on the island. Later they went to the city of
Paphos, the administrative capital of the island. The conversion of Sergious Paulus (the proconsul) would
have given them favor in the region (Ac 13:1-12).
After their ministry on Cyprus, they went to Galatia in modern day Turkey. In Pisidian Antioch, an
administrative capital of southern Galatia, Paul preached in a synagogue and saw many Gentile converts.
Being the strategic city that Antioch in Pisidia was, the impact of Paul and Barnabas’ ministry was not
limited to the city as “The word of the Lord spread throughout the whole region" (Ac 13:49). In spite of this
success, the persecution incited by the Jews was so severe that Paul and Barnabas were forced to leave (Ac
13:14-52).
Paul and Barnabas traveled next to Iconium, an important commercial center also in Galatia (Ac 14:1-7).
Having been driven away, they fled to Lystra, a military city with strong Roman elements. After the healing
of the lame man in Lystra, the people proposed to worship Paul and Barnabas, confusing them with Zeus and
Hermes. The Jews stirred up opposition and Paul was stoned. Undaunted, Paul and Barnabas escaped to
Derbe (Ac 14:8-20).
From Derbe, Paul could have easily gone back to Antioch via his home town, Tarsus. But he considered it
more important to encourage the new believers and appoint leaders in the four churches he had planted in
Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe in spite of the danger he could again face (Ac 14:20-23).

Question 1: What types of persecution did Paul encounter on his first missionary journey?

C. The Council at Jerusalem (Acts 15)

Right after Paul’s first journey, an important meeting was held in Jerusalem which had a great impact on the
rapid spread of the Church among the Gentiles. The events leading up to the meeting include several
incidents of Jewish and Gentile animosity. The first evidence of conflict occurs when Gentile widows of
Jerusalem are neglected (Ac 6). Stephen, one of those who were chosen to solve the problem, is then stoned.
Tension is seen again in the personal experience of Peter. He was asked by God to break the Law previously
given and eat "unclean food." Only after this did Peter witness the conversion of the first Gentile, Cornelius
(Ac 10). The third event involves the Church at Antioch, which included many Gentile converts. It seemed
strange to the Jews in Jerusalem that Gentiles in Antioch would be following the Jewish Messiah. Thus, they
investigated it for themselves, sending Barnabas to inspect (Ac 11:19-24). The first missionary journey was
the final element which led to the events of Acts 15. Paul and Barnabas saw and sought Gentile converts in
many cities of Galatia. Soon some Jewish Christians from Jerusalem were in Antioch, the center of the
Gentile Christian movement, teaching that all Christians were required to observe the Law of Moses (Ac
15:1).
This led to the conference at Jerusalem. The essential issue was whether the Gentiles needed to observe the
Law of Moses. Or put another way, was the Gospel open to the Gentiles or were they expected to convert to
Judaism first? By God’s guidance, the council made its decision without much trouble. Liberty was
extended to the Gentiles so that they were not expected to observe the Law of Moses. “It seemed good to the
Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you (Gentiles) with anything beyond the following requirements: You are

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to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual
immorality" (Ac 15:28-29).
The events in Acts 15 have great missiological and theological truth. Church planting movements take place
when the Gospel, in all its fullness, is embraced by the Church. When the Gospel is hidden or replaced by
traditions, laws or man-made “forms,” its power to transform lives is diminished. We tend to put much
emphasis on the “forms.” It was natural for the first Jewish converts to expect the Gentiles to express their
faith with exactly the same "forms" that they were accustomed to. But God was doing a new thing! Had the
Jerusalem Council made the wrong choice, Christianity would likely have remained a small branch of
Judaism instead of spreading among “all the nations” as it was intended.

Question 2: What forms might need changed in your church in order to reach the younger generation in
your region?

D. Second Journey (15:36-18:22)—Expanding to Macedonia and Achaia

As a result of a disagreement, Paul and Barnabas began to minister separately. Barnabas and John Mark
returned to Cyprus. Silas was chosen to accompany Paul on his second missionary journey. This new team
began by returning to the Galatian cities. In Lystra they invited Timothy to join them in the ministry (16:1-6).
Paul intended to go to the province of Asia but the Spirit led him away through a vision (Ac 16:7-11). Soon
Luke joins them so the team (Paul, Silas, Timothy, Luke) moved together on to Philippi (16:12-40). In
Philipi, Silas and Paul were beaten and jailed because they delivered a slave girl from demons. The jailer
and his ‘household’ are saved when Paul and Silas are delivered from prison (Ac 16:16-40).
Paul, Silas and Timothy arrive in Thessalonica from Philipi, the district capital and chief port of Macedonia.
Once again, they begin in a synagogue where Paul preached on three consecutive Sabbath days. There is a
good response. But jealousy on the part of some Jewish leaders leads to persecution (17:1-9). So Paul moves
on to Berea. When the Thessalonian persecutors follow the missionaries to Berea, Paul is forced to escape
leaving Timothy and Silas behind in Berea (17:1-15).
Paul waited for Timothy and Silas to catch up to him in the city of Athens, which at that time was the
cultural and intellectual center of the world. While there he preached an excellent sermon in which he
established common ground with his audience and then proclaimed the distinctives of the faith. Some were
saved (17:15-34).
After this Paul settled in Corinth, the capital of Achaia, an important transportation and communication hub
for the region (Ac 18:1-16). Paul is joined by Aquila and Priscilla, fellow tentmakers from Rome. Now the
team includes Paul, Silas, Timothy, Aquila and Priscilla. Like so many other places, Paul’s ministry in
Corinth had a regional impact in the province of Achaia (2 Co. 1:1).
After 18 months Paul sailed to Antioch in Syria, leaving behind Silas and Timothy to carry on the work in
Corinth. On the way Paul stopped in Ephesus, a sea port in modern day western Turkey. Paul was well
received in the synagogue and they invite him to stay. Having earlier been forbidden by the Spirit to preach
in Asia, He promises to return “if it is God’s will.” Paul leaves Aquila and Priscilla there to carry on the
work (Ac 18:19-21).

E. Third Journey (Acts 18:23-21:15)—Expanding into the province of Asia

Paul began his third missionary journey by visiting the churches he planted in Galatia for the fourth recorded
time (Ac 18:23). He then made his way through the interior to Ephesus (Ac 19:1). Ephesus was a seaport on
a major caravan route with easy access to the Roman province of Asia, for which Paul had had a burden for a
long time. Ephesus was also a stronghold for sorcery and idolatry. At that time it was one of three main

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cities of the eastern Mediterranean world (the other two important cities are Alexandria in Egypt and Antioch
in Syria). This was indeed a strategic place in which to minister.
As was his pattern, Paul preached in the synagogue and was rejected after three months. So "...He took the
disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so
that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord" (Ac 19:9-10).
How is it that everyone in the province of Asia heard the “word of the Lord”? Other passages in the New
Testament reveal that Churches sprung up in the cities of Colosse (Col 1:2), Laodicea (Col 4:16), Hierapolis
(Col 4:13), Smyrna (Rev 2:8), Pergamum (Rev 2:12), Thyratira (Rev 2:18), Sardis (Rev 3:1), Philadelphia
(Rev 3:7), and elsewhere (probably Magnesia, Troas, Militus, etc.). These churches in the province of Asia
give evidence to a church planting movement and substantiate Paul’s statement that all of Asia heard the
word of the Lord. In addition, the books of Ephesians, Colossians, First and Second Timothy, Philemon,
First, Second and Third John, Revelation, and portions of Acts, are all about churches and church leaders in
Asia that came about from the great advance of the gospel there.
After three years in Ephesus, Paul decided to go back to Macedonia and Achaia to visit four the churches he
had planted on his second journey in the cities of Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea and Corinth. He sent
Timothy and Erastus ahead of him (Ac 19:21) and stayed in Ephesus a little longer. When a riot forced Paul
out, he went to Macedonia. Paul was traveling with Sopator (from Berea), Aristarchus and Secundus (from
Thessalonica), Gaius (from Derbe) Timothy (from Lystra), Tychicus and Trophimus (Ac 20:3-6). Some of
these were colleagues Paul had been training in the hall of Tyrannus in Ephesus.
Paul encouraged the brothers in Macedonia and Achaia by staying in Corinth for three months (Ac 20:1-3).
On the way to Jerusalem Paul stopped in Miletus, where he meets with the Ephesian elders to instruct them
in their leadership (Ac 20:17-38).

II. PRINCIPLES BEHIND STRATEGIC MISSIONARY ACTIVITY

Scripture gives us a great amount of detail on Paul’s activity. We do not know as much about the other
Apostles. However, tradition says that the Apostle Matthew planted churches in Mesopotamia, Thomas in
India, Peter in Rome, and Mark in Egypt, while Andrew took the gospel to Scythia north of the Black Sea.
In any event, the church continued to expand steadily even after the Apostolic era. By around AD 200,
secular writings from the time report Christians and churches in every corner of the Roman Empire and
beyond.
How did this happen? Was it haphazard? A careful study of Acts reveals that the expansion of the church
resulted from Spirit-guided plans based on ministry principles that we can still use today. Now that we have
carefully studied Acts, lets examine some of the principles we find there.

A. Submission to the Leading of the Holy Spirit

Much missionary activity is not only a result of biblical strategizing or good decision making, but of direct
divine guidance. The Spirit sent Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch; the Lord told Peter to go to Cornelius’ home;
the Holy Spirit spoke to the leaders at Antioch telling them to send Barnabas and Paul as missionaries. The
Spirit guided Paul to Macedonia instead of Asia (Ac 16:6ff). Jesus appeared to Paul in Corinth telling him to
stay on there. The Holy Spirit and the prophet Agabus confirmed what Jesus said to Paul at his conversion,
that “he must suffer for my name” (Ac 9:16). This prophecy led him on toward Jerusalem.
We cannot fully comprehend the ways of God, but we can be sure that there were reasons for all that is
described above. Perhaps God forbid Paul to work in Asia during the second journey because the time was
not right and because God knew that the most strategic place to reach Asia was from Ephesus and not from
Bithynia and Mysia. It is interesting to note that when Paul went to Macedonia, one of the first people he
meets is Lydia who is from Thyritira a city in the province of Asia. Also note how God prepared the way for
his later arrival in Ephesus by sending Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos there ahead of him.

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Already involved in the work, Paul and others sometimes received guidance while “on the move.” There is
no biblical excuse for someone to remain inactive until receiving a “special call”. Those involved in church
planting must work from good planning and strategy, but they need to realize that God will intervene—even
changing their plans—guiding them as they actively pursue their church planting objectives.

Question 3: How has the Holy Spirit open doors and lead you in your church planting ministry to this
point?

B. Moving Quickly
Paul spent an average of only a few months in most of the cities where he planted churches. For example he
spent perhaps only three weeks in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-4). How could Paul plant churches so quickly?
The answer is that Paul understood that he was called to be an Apostle. This meant being a “pioneer”, a
“foundation layer” (Ro 15:20; 1Co 3:6-8). Paul trusted others who would become gifted as pastors to lead
the churches he founded. Specifically, Paul 1) trusted the Holy Spirit to guide new believers and 2) he trained
local leaders.
The impact of these two concepts (trusting the Holy Spirit and training local leaders) lead to the same
qualities in the churches Paul planted. In other words, the little time Paul spent in each city encouraged the
new converts to 1) depend on the Holy Spirit and 2) to practice leadership. The training of the first converts
sets the pattern for the future of a church plant. If the first converts are taught to depend upon the church
planter, the new community learns to be passive.

Question 4: What are two things that Paul did that enabled him to plant churches so quickly?

Question 5: How long does it typically take to plant a church in your region? How could the strategy be
change to enable churches to be planted more quickly?

C. Facilitating Others in Ministry

Studying Paul's journeys reveals a gradual shift in emphasis during his ministry. During his first journey, he
planted at least four churches and made a follow-up visit to each. His emphasis was on frontier evangelism
and direct church planting. But during his last journey, he does not seem to have the same objective. Instead
of moving about, he spent most of this journey in Ephesus. It appears that he planted only one church
(Ephesus) during this journey but he invested his travel time in visiting at least nine cities where he had
planted churches before. His focus had changed from frontier/evangelism to discipleship/training. During
this journey Paul had many disciples traveling with him (Ac 20:1-2).
More broadly we see that Paul trained other missionaries who traveled in teams including John Mark, Silas,
Timothy, Epaphras, Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, Luke, Demas, Titus, Epaphroditus and others. These
workers planted, strengthened, and led new churches from Antioch to Rome. These leaders were necessary
as teachers, encouragers, problem solvers and messengers for the new congregations. The development of
such leaders in your country could be a necessary strategy for advancing the Gospel. As a church planter
your goal is not just to plant churches – but to train leaders who will train others also (2 Tim. 2:2).

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D. Preaching to Responsive People

All the cities Paul visited seemed to have a sizable Jewish community with the exception of Philippi. Paul
normally entered synagogues to preach his message. This is partly because he was Jewish himself, partly
because the Messiah's coming has unique significance for Jewish people (Ro. 1:16), and partly because the
people in the synagogues would be "pre-evangelized." They could understand and accept the Gospel, which
had Jewish roots, with the least amount of cultural disruption.
While Paul started in the Jewish synagogue and preached there, his real target was the God-fearing Gentiles.
God-fearers were Gentiles who believed in monotheism and would have converted to Judaism had it not
been for the strict legal requirements, especially of circumcision. God-fearers attended the synagogue
meetings and would have studied the Old Testament Scriptures. When the Gospel was proclaimed by a
Pharisee (Paul) in a synagogue, and circumcision was not required, many God-fearers would feel that this
was a logical faith for them. Paul’s message included the monotheism that attracted them to the synagogue
without the legalism that kept them from converting to Judaism.

Question 6: Who are the receptive people in your region?

E. Working from a strategic base for a regional movement

The apostolic model is to begin ministry in a strategically located city from which the Gospel would spread
and permeate the whole region. In the beginning of the New Testament Church, Jerusalem was the strategic
base from which the church went out. The next strategic center was the church in Antioch. From there, as
the Antioch of Syria church leaders worshipped and sought God, the Holy Spirit sent out Barnabas and Saul
to take the Gospel to the Gentiles (Ac 13:1-3). On a smaller scale, by preaching in Pisidian Antioch “The
word of the Lord spread throughout the whole region (Galatia)" (Ac 13:49). Likewise, Paul planted the
church in Thessalonica which had a broader impact (1Th 1:8). This is seen in Ephesus (Ac 19:10) which
replaced Antioch of Syria as the next strategic center. Ephesus was the gateway to the province of Asia and
central to the four provinces (Galatia, Asia, Macedonia and Achaia) in which Paul invested most of his
church planting ministry. Eventually Rome, the capital of the empire became the strategic center for the
advance of the Gospel.
Nearly all these cities mentioned in the previous paragraph were usually located on the most important
highways of the day and served as centers of trade and commerce. Paul and the Apostles, by divine
guidance, made the natural highways of commerce the vehicle for spreading the gospel from Jerusalem all
the way to the capital city of Rome.
Every church planter has a starting point. It is important to select a strategic starting point in which to plant
churches so that they multiply to saturate the surrounding region. Working from a strategic center applies to
evangelism as well as training. Developing a geographic strategy for the training can result in more people
being equipped. Find strategic locations in your target area where there is receptivity to church planter
training. This will help the training multiply and will be a positive step towards a movement.

Question 7: Where are the strategic centers in your country?

CONCLUSION
Was the expansion of the church given to chance? No. The expansion of the church resulted from Spirit
guided plans based on ministry principles that we can still use today. In summary, Paul’s plan was to
evangelize responsive people in strategic centers, facilitating regional church planting movements under the

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guidance of the Holy Spirit. What church planters need above everything else is simply to use the
missionary methods of the early church.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• How was the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 a great day for the spread of the Gospel?
• Why was the counsel in Jerusalem so important to the expansion of the Church?
• How did persecution affect the spread of the gospel? Has persecution resulted in the expansion of the
Church in recent generations?
• Describe the shift in emphasis between the first and third journeys of Paul.

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Lesson 9: Strategy Components For A Church Planting

Movement

Strategy is the effective method for accomplishing a task. It has been said that valor and bravery have won
many battles, but that strategy has won more. This is illustrated best for us in the book of Joshua. The
conquest of the land of Canaan under the command of God’s servant Joshua was indeed strategic. With three
swift campaigns, one through the interior, one to the south and one against the united forces of the north, the
Israelites gained control of the land in spite of the fact that the enemy remained. Joshua’s army was not
better equipped, stronger or more numerous than the Canaanites. But with God’s help they were able to
strategically overtake the enemy. Strategy has a legitimate and important place not only in warfare, but also
in the task of taking the Gospel to all the world. In this lesson we will examine several strategies that can be
used to work towards a Saturation Church Planting movement.

I. SPREAD THE VISION

The most important characteristic for a saturation church planting movement is vision. The vision is to
establish Bible-believing, gospel-preaching churches in every town and neighborhood of a region. Not
everyone will immediately accept this vision. Some will accept the vision and join the effort. Others will
oppose it or will appear to accept it, but not join in heart and soul. How can you encourage those who accept
the vision and win over those who resist it?

Question 1: How well is the vision for saturation church planting embraced in your region?

A. Teach the vision as God’s will

The vision of saturation church planting is not man’s idea. It is a calling from God.
One way to build conviction and vision is to constantly ask the “Z” question–“What does God want?" This
should be the topic of prayer, Bible study, sermons and ministry planning. In answering the question, we see
over and over again in the Bible that God has a plan to redeem the world through his people. This is clearly
seen in the life of Abraham the Patriarch. Abraham was blessed so that he would bless others (Gen 12:1-3).
This was the purpose of the nation of Israel. The purpose of the Church is the same. Jesus said we were
chosen “... to bear fruit” (John 15:16). We are to witness in such a way that the unbelieving world is
impacted.
Studying the history of God’s people reveals two succinct and quite different responses to God’s will. The
first response is one of doubt and disobedience; the second comes from faith and results in obedience.
1. The Response of Doubt and Disobedience
God’s ultimate desires are clear. But many will respond with skepticism and fear concerning the reality of its
achievement. The best biblical example of this is found in Numbers 13:26-33 when the 12 spies returned
from the land of Canaan that God had promised them. Ten spies, having seen the difficulty of the task,
concluded, “We cannot attack those people for they are stronger than we are” (Nu 26:13:31). Their unbelief
produced fear and disobedience, for which the Israelites were punished.
The following fears are common objections to aggressive and broad church planting. These fears have no
basis in truth. In fact, they are simply lies of Satan.

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“The Lies” “The Truth”

Believing the lies leads to fear Faith in the truth leads to obedience
We need to take care of the home Just as Abraham was blessed to bless others, so the purpose of the
church first. church always exists outside of itself. The truth is that in God’s
economy, there are enough resources to take care of existing
churches if we will be faithful to God’s mission.
We do not have enough trained leaders. We often do not have enough leaders because we place barriers of
education and experience in people’s lives. It is a form of control
resulting from distrust of the Holy Spirit to lead and teach others.
We do not have enough money. God provides enough money to see His will done. Luke 6:38
clearly shows that if we give, we will have more than we could
hope for. Throughout the history of the church, men of faith have
been provided for by the Father.
One church is enough for this city. Saturation means a culturally relevant witness within access of
every person. If God expects the great commission to be fulfilled
through the church, this is what God wants.
We will divide the church. Multiplication of the body of Christ is God’s natural way to fill the
earth for His glory. The Holy Spirit is one and can not be divided.
We will lose the standards of our Fear not, for the Holy Spirit will lead in truth and righteousness.
morals. He will purify the bride of Christ.
We can’t do this without outside help. There is not a people on the face of the earth who do not have the
resources for their own spiritual work. This attitude has often
produced unhealthy dependence and created complex church
structures which can not be reproduced or multiplied.
We shouldn’t work with “them.” Disunity and anger within the body of Christ is Satan’s greatest
weapon to keep the Church from completing God’s mission.
Adapted from: Correll, Richard C. The Glory of God among the Nations. Grand Rapids: Church Planters' Training International.

2. The Response of Faith and Obedience

Returning to Numbers 13, we find that Caleb, also one of the 12 spies, saw all the challenges associated with
conquering the land. But Caleb, a man of faith, said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for
we can certainly do it” (Nu 13:30). Caleb’s faith resulted in a desire to obey God.
As the writer of the Hebrews says, “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6). In the same
chapter we read of the great Old Testament heroes—those “who through faith conquered kingdoms,
administered justice and gained what was promised” (Heb 11:33). Faith is essential to see what God wants.
In order for a church planting movement in your region to be a reality, you must build faith in the vision.
Responses by faith will be blessed by God!

Question 2: Which of the “lies” listed above are commonly heard in your region?

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II. MOBILIZE FOR PRAYER

An effective way to unite people and instill vision concerning the fulfillment of the Great Commission is by
aggressive prayer in search of wisdom concerning what God wants for the region. People who rarely pray
have a problem accepting God’s vision for saturation church planting. Prayer brings together those who have
been longing for a great movement of God to impact their nation, people, and region.
A church planting movement can only go on if fueled by prayer. From the beginning, the early church
dedicated itself to prayer (Ac 2:42), and even when persecution pressed hard, the believers held a prayer
meeting (Ac 4:23-31). Paul stated the classic church planter’s prayer request in Ephesians 6:19-20. He
asked twice for boldness to proclaim the Gospel. Paul also asked that they pray for the right words to be
given to him, words that move peoples’ hearts to a decision for Christ, and that he would have no fear.
If you want to see a church planting movement in your region, one of the most strategic things you can do is
encourage aggressive prayer. Prayer is necessary in both the church planting task and in keeping the church
planting movement continuing in the proper direction.
1. Intercessory Prayer
Prayer is needed on behalf of missionaries, church planters and pastors. These people are in critical spiritual
positions and need the prayers of God’s people. Paul states the importance of praying for political and other
leaders as a priority in the prayer life of believers (1Ti 2:1-3). This dedication to prayer for people in
authority is so that there may be positive conditions for the spread of the gospel.
2. Prayer for Unity
Jesus prayed that his followers would be one (John 17:22-23). Paul encourages believers to pray in a spirit of
unity with one another (1Ti 2:8). Perhaps nothing encourages unity like corporate prayer. Prayer is often
used by God to bring believers together, when they might be divided over other issues.
3. Spiritual Warfare Prayer
The expansion of the church is spiritual warfare. Satan does not want a church planting movement in your
region and will mobilize demons against it. Powerful spiritual warfare against Satan, demonic rulers,
authorities, powers of the dark world, and spiritual forces of evil requires solid Christian living and prayer
(Eph 6:10-20).

Question 3: How would you describe the existing prayer focus in your region? What could you do to
improve it?

III. SET GOALS BASED ON FAITH

Goals are tangible expressions of the vision. Challenging goals stir up and mobilize people. Leaders and
laymen alike will want to get involved in a challenge. It is exciting to work together towards a worthwhile
and challenging goal. Goals should be set for towns and cities, counties, states and whole countries, as God
leads.
Goals should be specific and measurable. Specific numbers and specific dates get people involved and enable
them to rejoice in achievement. Remember, when setting goals there are things you can plan to do and there
are things you can hope to see happen. Setting goals does not exclude the Holy Spirit from the process;
rather, it helps you to better understand what God wants to do in your region.

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EXAMPLE
The Muria Church in Indonesia has grand growth plans. In the mid-1980’s they had about six congregations
with a combined membership of just over 500. The leaders set a goal to have 10,000 members by the year
2,000. This goal may have seemed completely unrealistic, yet today they are ahead of schedule. They set
out to reach the goal by breaking it down into mini-goals. Each person is to lead another person to Christ
every three years, while each congregation is to plant another congregation every three years.
Realistic goals are set so as not to discourage the people. Goals not based on the present facts in terms of
what is possible, can be worse than no goals at all. Make goals large enough to be a challenge, but realistic
enough to avoid discouragement.
It is important to seek God and set challenging goals, not just easily attainable ones. Goals set under the
guidance of the Spirit are "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb 11:1). In
other words, goal setting by the Christian is an act of faith, without which "… it is impossible to please God"
(Heb 11:6).
Example:
In Central America, leaders were setting church planting goals. One leader felt that the goals were too easy.
His words were, "We could do that in the flesh!" He requested that higher, more challenging goals be set
that would require not only human effort but God’s power as well. Make sure that goals are not so fantastic
that they will disappoint people if not attained, but equally important you must set goals that only with God’s
help you can attain, and He gets all the glory!

Question 4: What are some church planting goals that have been set for your nation and region?

IV. RESEARCH THE HARVEST FIELD

Research enables God’s people to see how God is working by making clear the big picture of what God
wants to do in their nation or people group. Research also provides the information that helps Christian
workers make correct decisions about ministry efforts and strategy. More specifically, it helps agencies and
churches know where churches need to be planted, and which methods of evangelism are successful and
which are unsuccessful among various people groups.
Church planting movements often include research because people involved want to know where and how
God is working. Sometimes research is one of the first things that takes place and results in motivating
others, unleashing a movement.
Research can be done on different levels, depending on the desired information:
1. Specific Location (Single Church Plant )
By revealing the worldview and felt needs of people living in a target area, research can help determine
which evangelism and church planting strategies should be used. Research will also reveal available church
planting resources which may be mobilized to help with the church planting effort (see lesson 1, “Research-
Information for Strategic Purposes” and the attached worksheet in Book One of this course).
2. Entire Region (Church planting in a Nation/Province/County/City)
Researching a whole nation or specific region can give a general picture of the status of Christianity within it.
Simple information such as the number of churches and the number of towns without churches, can then
challenge church leaders to mobilize believers for evangelism filling that region with churches.

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Question 5: What research needs to be done in your region?

V. TRAIN CELL GROUP LEADERS AND CHURCH PLANTERS

A saturation church planting movement requires people full of conviction advancing the cause of the Gospel
through starting new churches everywhere. As these people emerge, the movement is best served by
developing them in their area of giftedness. Empowering average believers with vision and training them to
evangelize, disciple, lead cell groups and start new churches is critical to reaching saturation church planting
goals.
EXAMPLE
George Whitefield and John Wesley were both leaders in the 18th century spiritual revival of England.
Whitefield preached before audiences of sixty to eighty thousand at a time and was considered to be a better
preacher than Wesley. Yet the strategic nature by which Wesley worked led to a greater impact. Wesley
believed that the laity was the key to the spread of the Gospel. He understood the power of small units and
he knew how to harness manpower. He wisely gathered his converts into ‘classes’ which we would today
call ‘cell groups.' Several classes in a region then constituted a ‘society.' Some 100,000 people gathered in
10,000 ‘classes’ at the height of the movement. Wesley’s role as a leader in the movement was as a traveling
facilitator who not only preached, but more importantly empowered, the leaders of these societies.
How can we empower others? Empowering people toward a church planting movement requires:
• Mentoring people more than managing them.
• Equipping people more than controlling them.
• Investing in people more than demanding from them.
• Challenging people more than pushing them.
• Encouraging people more than criticizing them.
• Convincing people more than commanding them.
• Training people more than lecturing to them.

VI. PUT INTO PRACTICE THE PRINCIPLES WHICH MAXIMIZE GROWTH

A. Natural Growth Principles

Many ministry models do not yield lasting results. The following list summarizes some of the common
tactics that promote or do not promote the natural spread of the Gospel.

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Things that Promote the Natural Things that May Not Promote the
Spread of the Gospel Natural Spread of the Gospel
The establishment of churches The establishment of missions
Self-governing churches External control of churches
Self-reproducing churches Stagnant churches
Self-supporting churches External dependence
The multiplication of leaders The addition of leaders
Training while in ministry Training prior to ministry
“Z” thinking “Maintenance” thinking
Cooperation/unity among believers Division among believers
Local initiative and ownership Dependence on foreign leaders
Ministry training done in local churches Institutional education

Question 6: Which of the natural principles above were illustrated in the book of Acts?

Question 7: What does the table reveal about the ministry models you have used in church planting?

B. Multiplication Versus Addition

The result of these natural tactics is multiplication. Remember, the goal of church planting is not just one
new congregation, but multiplying churches in each and every region. A church planting movement can be
described as the planting and growing of churches in a particular region in an unusually rapid fashion under
the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Addition is the most common approach to ministry. We think about adding one new church, starting one
more new small group, leading one more person to Christ. These are good intentions. But God’s way is not
addition—it is multiplication (2Ti 2:2). Using addition, three becomes four. But in multiplication three
becomes nine.

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Multiplication vs. Addition

M ultiplication
A ddition

The multiplication principle applies to evangelism, discipleship, cell groups, church planting, leadership
development and more. New converts should be taught to find other converts, cell groups should multiply
regularly, and churches should reproduce and plant daughter churches. Leaders should train other leaders to
train still others. All this is multiplication. In practice, the principle of multiplication means we should
employ ministry methods and models that are reproducible within the culture. Church planting models that
depend heavily on foreign support or expertise may not be reproducible. Training programs that require long
term residential study are also difficult to reproduce.
A look at nature can give us some insight into multiplication. All living things (plants and animals) grow.
But there is a natural limit to their growth. Sooner or later the growth stops and there is a natural death. The
fruit or offspring they have produced, however, live on. Growth is like addition, while reproduction is like
multiplication.
The principles are similar in church ministry. If a witnessing church is to live on in a region, simply having
growth is insufficient. To have a witness in successive generations, the church will need to reproduce itself,
planting daughter churches. The best leaders for the daughter churches come from within the church itself,
rather than from a distant place such as a seminary or Bible school. Leaders need to encourage vision for
multiplication so that more churches can be established in the city and region.

CONCLUSION
The strategies we have studied are the kind of methods that are used in parts of the world where church
planting movements are flourishing. “Ministry as usual”, which focuses on maintaining and controlling,
does not lead to the releasing of the power of God to work through His people. Your task is to consider
which of the strategies discussed in this lesson would be helpful for your region?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• Why is vision so important in church planting movements?
• Why is multiplication so important in church planting movements?
• Of the strategies discussed in this lesson, which ones may apply to your current situation? How can they
help you to progress in your church planting efforts?

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CHURCH PLANTING SKILLS

Lesson 10: Shepherding Within A Movement

All over the world where church planting movements are underway, these movements face challenges
concerning leadership, doctrine, finances, ongoing evangelism, etc. Where do we find the answers to these
difficulties? We may not traditionally think of the Bible as a church planting textbook, but since it teaches
divine truth and since much of it was written in response to the expanding church, it is the best place in the
world to learn about church planting movements.

I. LEADERSHIP IN A CHRUCH PLANTING MOVEMENTS

One of the keys to a church planting movement’s health and vitality is a strong leadership structure. There is
never one leader of a movement. Instead there are a variety of leaders serving different functions. For
example, national and regional leaders shepherd pastors (local leaders). The pastors in turn shepherd the cell
group leaders. The cell group leaders are the front line of the advance of the movement.

A. Movement Leaders
Some leaders exercise influence over multiple churches. Those in this level of leadership might be called
overseers, bishops, presbyters, or many other titles. The name is much less important than the role they
fulfill. Movement leaders train church planters and pastors, ensure that the movement stays on track
theologically, and spread the vision for planting churches every where. The apostle Paul was such a leader.

B. Local Church Leadership

One of the most common issues in church planting movements is that of leadership. When the Gospel
advances powerfully and churches are planted rapidly, there is often a period of time when adequate
leadership is difficult and sometimes impossible to find.
Mature local leadership is the best arrangement for a new church, and the church planting team’s effort
should be devoted to the development of mature local leaders. However, rather than place men into
leadership prematurely, the apostles allowed churches to exist without elders until they appointed them on
the second visit (Ac 14:21-23). Sometimes leadership came from outside for a time. Paul sent Silas and
Timothy to lead the ministry in Berea (Ac 17:14). He left Priscilla and Aquila in Cenchrea/Corinth (Ac
18:19). Toward the end of his life, Paul left Timothy to oversee Ephesus and Titus to be responsible for
Crete (Tit 1:5). The goal of outside help is to train and release new leadership.

C. Cell Group Leadership

One of the most important components of a church planting movement is the cell group. As we talk about
the “big picture” of multiplication and movement it would be wrong to ignore the reality of the “little
picture” that is repeated over and over again in cell groups as they grow and multiply. Cell group leaders
should be trained and supervised at the local church level. But, national leaders/shepherds of movements
should be engaged in a process that helps local churches train and resource cell group leaders on a broad
scale. If cell groups are not the focus, the church planting movement will die.

Question 1: Why should shepherding cell group leaders be a priority in a church planting movement? Is
this a priority for you? How so?

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II. CORRESPONDING WITH NEW CHURCHES

New Testament leaders shepherded new churches through visiting and through writing Epistles. By studying
the Epistles we can discover how to apply spiritual truth to problems which young churches face. These
letters were written to clarify theology, encourage the believers, instruct concerning church problems and to
train new leaders.

A. Instructions to the Galatians

Paul wrote the book of Galatians to some of the very first churches he planted in order to stamp out the false
teaching of the Judaizers who taught that obedience to the Mosaic Law was a necessary part of the Christian
faith. False teaching is a common weapon of the enemy, and new churches can be most susceptible to it.
With great passion, Paul countered this false teaching by re-explaining the gospel and the role it plays in our
salvation and sanctification. It is critical that church planting movements embrace the true gospel.

B. Instructions to the Macedonian Churches

1. Instructions to the Philippian Believers
Paul wrote Philippians from prison in Rome. Philippians is all about joy. What a testimony that Paul was
joyful even in prison! It is no wonder that Paul is so joyful, as he reveals great understanding into the
character of Christ in one of the greatest Christological passages in the Bible (2:5-11). Indeed for Paul, “to
live is Christ, and to die is gain” (1:21).
2. Instructions to the Church at Thessalonica
Paul wrote two letters to the believers at Thessalonica. According to 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10, these believers
had an impact on their province (Macedonia), the neighboring region (Achaia) and the world. This church
was doing well! The dominant theme of Paul’s writing concerns the second coming of Christ.

C. Instructions to Corinth in Achaia

The church in Corinth was indeed weak and spiritually needy. We learn in Paul’s epistles to them that the
church was plagued with divisions, jealousies, immorality, and confused about church discipline, spiritual
gifts and the Lord’s Supper. However, Paul did not give up on this troubled church as many leaders would
be tempted to do. He even tells them that the answers to their problems are in their midst (1Co 1:4-9).

D. Instructions to the Churches in the Province of Asia

1. Instructions to the Church in Ephesus
Ephesus was the dominant city of the province of Asia, where Paul stayed and worked for three years. Many
theologians believe that the letter to the Ephesians was intended not just for the Ephesians but also for the
daughter churches which resulted from the advance of the Gospel in the province of Asia (Acts 19:9-10).
The teaching in this letter has much to do with church planting movements. The statements concerning the
purpose of the Church (chapters 2-3) make it clear that God intends for Gentiles (nations) to understand the
Gospel through the presence of the Church.
2. Instructions to the Church in Colosse
Paul’s letter to the Colossians is addressed to a church that he did not plant, in a city he had never visited.
The church in Colosse was a part of the movement which started in Ephesus and spread to the entire province
of Asia (Ac 19:9-10). The Colossian church was planted by Epaphras (Col 1:7), who had been trained by
Paul and was sent out from there to accompany Paul in missionary work in other places (Col 4:11-13; Phm
verse 23).

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3. Instructions to Timothy
After Paul left Ephesus, Timothy became Paul’s emissary and a leader in the Ephesian church. Having told
Timothy to “stay in Ephesus” (1Ti 1:3), Paul wrote two letters to his “son in the faith” while Timothy
supervised the churches in Asia from Ephesus. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul taught actions and
precautions necessary to keep a church planting movement healthy. These include watching over doctrine
(1Ti 1:3-5), public worship and prayer, the qualifications for leadership, warnings about financial gain,
maintaining spiritual integrity, and practical advice on how to deal with people and matters of social action.
From his dungeon, facing his last days on earth, Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy. Here Paul uses the
family as the model for relationships between leaders in a saturation church planting setting. Most of the
admonishments are personal, as a father to a son whom he loves dearly (2Ti 1:2; 2:1). Paul told Timothy to
set an example of how to treat other believers in the church (1Ti 5:1-2). He simply said to treat each other
like family! Women are sisters or mothers and men are fathers or brothers. A family atmosphere guarantees
that people are loved and accepted. Everyone can feel like they belong.
4. Instructions to Philemon
Paul wrote a sensitive letter to his friend Philemon, a member of the church in Colosse. A difficult social
issue, that of slavery, had arisen when a runaway slave, Onesimus, became a believer. Paul encouraged
Philemon in Christian love to accept Onesimus back as a brother in Christ.
When he treated this problem, Paul noted that he had the authority to tell Philemon to change his position.
However, rather than force Philemon to change, Paul wanted to persuade him to take a new position toward
his slave. In the same way, when Paul taught in the school of Tyrannus, Scripture says that “he reasoned” or
“he discussed” (Ac 19:9). Although it may be more difficult, it is more effective to gently help people
change their convictions rather than just tell them what to do. A movement always goes further when people
advance the Gospel from their own convictions rather than only blindly obeying commands.
On the basis of their relationship as friends and brothers in Christ, rather than from a position of authority,
Paul was able to encourage Philemon to change his conviction and accept Onesimus as a brother. This same
principle can be used in solving sensitive social issues in the church today. What are some issues facing you
in your church, and what guidelines from this example can you apply to resolve them?

Question 2: How can you stay in touch and provide instruction for the groups and churches which God
begins through your ministry?

5. John’s Vision on the Island of Patmos

Revelation was given to the Apostle John for the churches of Asia while John was in exile on the Island of
Patmos. The seven churches (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea)
represent the second generation of the church planting movement.
The Lord Jesus Himself addressed the churches to tell them what really matters to Him. By paying close
attention to Jesus’ own evaluation of the churches, we can work to plant churches that please Him. Church
planters must teach their congregations the qualities that Jesus praises in order to avoid the criticisms with
which Jesus reproves the seven churches. For a biblical ecclesiology, or view of the church, chapters 2-3 of
Revelation are essential.
The apocalyptic vision of John recorded in Revelation 4-22 is a unique part of the New Testament that in
many ways is difficult to interpret. But the message of the vision has one reoccurring theme about which
there can be no doubt—Jesus will build His church! “All nations will come and worship” (15:4). This
should be great comfort to believers in all circumstances.

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E. The Letter to the Romans

Although Rome was not part of any of the regions that Paul evangelized during his missionary journeys, a
strong church developed there as a result of the labors of other believers. Paul’s letter to the Romans is one
of the most valuable parts of Scripture. In great detail, Paul explained the meaning of the Gospel about
which he was “not ashamed” (Ro 1:16). Paul knew the power of Gospel, for it had transformed his life, as
well as the lives of thousands of others. Why is it that we do not see God working in powerful ways today?
Perhaps part of the answer has to do with the fact that we fail to fully understand and release the Gospel in
ministry.
Example:
The powerful book of Romans has been the spark that has ignited several spiritual movements. In the 16th
century a young German Catholic monk and seminary professor named Martin Luther had a desire to be
close to God. The problem, however, was that he did not know how and it seemed that neither did the other
religious leaders of the day. Luther found the answer he was looking for in 1515 while lecturing on Paul’s
letter to the Romans. When he came to chapter 1, verse 17 he rediscovered the biblical doctrine of
“justification by faith.” Luther went on to preach the Gospel of salvation as a free gift apart from works. As
the Gospel was preached, countless lives were eternally changed and Europe was transformed.
200 years later, in 1735, a young Anglican priest named John Wesley left England to serve a three-year
missionary term among Native Americans in the US, where he encountered many difficulties. Upon
returning to London in great discouragement, he went to a meeting where a group of believers was reading
Martin Luther’s introduction to his commentary on Romans. Then and there, on May 24, 1738, John Wesley
heard the Gospel for perhaps the first time. Wesley went on to lead one of the greatest revivals the world has
ever seen.

F. The Letter to Titus (on the Island of Crete)

Paul sent Titus to oversee the churches on the Island of Crete. Titus’ first task was to appoint leaders in
every village (Tit 1:5). It is interesting that although Cretans were not known to be of good character (Tit
1:12-13), Paul expected Titus to find local leaders, and not import outside leaders from other established
churches. Paul also gives a list of the qualifications for leadership (Tit 1:6-9) so that Titus would know what
to look for.

III. GUARDING AGAINST HERESY

As we have already seen, doctrinal issues are some of the problems a church planting movement will usually
face (1Ti 1:3-5). It is possible to plant many churches, but if they are not strong in biblical teaching, serious
problems may arise. Extremes may go from legalism to mysticism. All such teachings must be regulated by
Scripture. It is critical that new believers are taught that the answers ultimately reside not in the mind of
leader or in denominational tradition – but rather in the Bible.

A. A Portrait of Christ
A portrait is an accurate picture of someone. A caricature, like those in newspaper and magazine cartoons,
twists the accurate image to emphasize one or two aspects of the person’s image. Training leaders to adhere
to good, solid Bible teaching will help the Church be an accurate portrait of Christ. Often, because of
legalism or experiences, the accurate portrait of the Lord becomes twisted into a caricature. This can happen
when a denomination or group of churches strongly urges members to follow only one, or a few parts of
Scripture, or emphasize experiences. Remember:

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1. Experience should be interpreted by Scripture and not vice-versa. Scripture is the basis for teaching and
training (2Ti 3:16-17).
2. Avoid extreme legalism or mysticism (Col 2:18-23). Instead, make Jesus Christ the center of everything
(Col 1:27-29; 2:2-3,6-9; 3:4,15-16).

Question 3: What is the role of the Holy Spirit in guarding against heresy in a movement? What is your
role?

B. True Christianity Requires Love Among Christians As Well As Correct Doctrine

According to church tradition, the Apostle John wrote First, Second and Third John while in Ephesus. John
speaks strongly against those who distort the doctrine of Christ (1Jn 2:22) and who do not have relationships
that are marked by Christian love (1Jn 2:9).
People who mixed Christianity with popular philosophies of the day distorted correct doctrine (1Jn 4:1-3).
People like Diotrephes (3Jn 9) were leaders in the church who caused dissension and division, who wanted to
be the most important, and who did not practice Christian love in their relationships. The old apostle
affirmed that Christ-centered faith and relationships of Christian love are the marks of a movement that
practiced true Christianity (1Jn 5:1-2).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What are some of the issues that church planting movements face? How does the Bible help us respond
to these issues?
• What heretical teachings threaten the Church in your region? What parts of Scripture address these
issues?
• What kind of leadership is necessary for a church planting movement?

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Lesson 11: Mobilization

During a time of war, the sense of urgency and need to survive dominates everything people say and do.
Whether people are on the front lines in the heat of the battle or at home, far from the battle, the war affects
their interpersonal relationships, their thoughts, and the management of their time and resources. The cry
during war is to MOBILIZE! To "mobilize” simply means to assemble people into readiness to participate
where they best contribute in a common cause with a common goal .
As the church strives to grow, the eternal destiny of millions is at stake. Mobilizers see the expansion of the
Church as it truly is—a spiritual war. With military-like zeal they cry out for mobilization. In this lesson we
will discuss the importance of mobilization as well as some practical ways in which mobilization can
encourage churches to be more effective in fulfilling the Great Commission.

I. COMPONENTS OF MOBILIZATION

A. Common Vision
Mobilization is impossible without common vision. Why should people work together when they are not
trying to accomplish the same things? Without vision, what do people mobilize around?
A common vision provides the focus for mobilization. A common vision can only come from God—only a
vision from the Lord can hold people united in the spiritual battle. As has been said repeatedly throughout
this track, prayerfully asking “what does God want?” is perhaps the most helpful way to stir up vision toward
mobilization.

B. Training
A common vision does not automatically result in mobilization. People must be trained and equipped for the
fulfillment of the vision. Training naturally follows vision. How many people do not evangelize because
they have never been trained in how to share their faith? When people have not been trained to serve God as
they should, then they are not mobilized. Mobilization can only happen when people have been trained.
On the other hand, training in and of itself does not equal mobilization. Training must lead toward the
fulfillment of the vision. For example, a church planter training program is successful only if new churches
are planted as a result. The number of people involved is not necessarily and indicator of success, nor is the
quality of the program. Although we hope that there are many involved and that the program is of a good
quality, the success is determined by the vision—establishing churches everywhere.

C. Resources
One of the most notable aspects of mobilization includes resources. As the Church grew in the New
Testament, believers mobilized resources needed for its growth. The people of the Jerusalem Church gave
sacrificially to assist others in need (Ac 4:32-37). Christians were exhorted to support other believers who
had no other tangible means of support, such as godly widows (1Ti 5:9-16). The wealthy were encouraged
to give more, to help those with less (1Ti 6:18-19).

Question 1: What resources can you think of (besides money) that are needed to start and further a
church planting movement in your region? Take a moment and list some of them now.

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A. The Principle of Self-Support

Scripture teaches that local giving was part of the church planting movement in the first century. Paul
expected churches to support their leaders financially (1Ti 5:17, 1Co 9:3-12). Ministry resources, including
money, may be drawn from foreign sources occasionally. However, the fulfillment of the Great Commission
in a region should be done primarily with the resources and initiative of the believers of that region. At the
heart of the issue of resources is the fundamental truth that God’s own people provide the primary means for
the work of the Gospel. Their own tithes and offerings should be used to support their work.
As Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mt 6:21). As a person gives
according to one’s means, the person becomes committed in their heart to what they are giving to. If people
do not give sacrificially to local ministry, then the work has no heartfelt following. Something very powerful
happens when people decide that a ministry or program is theirs and that its success or failure depends on
God’s work through them alone.

B. The Principle of Sharing

The collection from Galatia, Asia, Macedonia and Achaia for the needy believers in Jerusalem (1Co 16:1-2;
2Co 8,9) indicates that churches were expected not only to support the local ministry, but also to give to
others in need. While it is common today for “mother churches” to provide for the financial needs of
“daughter churches”, we see that the opposite took place when Paul collected money for the Jerusalem
church. Note also that this collection did not violate the principle of self-support (2Co 8:13-15).
Paul normally supported himself financially in order not to be a burden on others (Ac 18:2,3: 1Co 4:12). He
did, however, receive help from the Philippian believers (Php 4:15-20). It is interesting to note that the often
repeated phrase “my God shall supply all your needs...” is found in the context of Paul congratulating the
Philippians for their giving to church planting ministry. In other words, as they were giving, Paul assured
them that God would supply all of their needs.
Financial giving is a basic discipline of the Christian life that enables churches to minister, reach out, and to
plant more churches. Believers were never to be greedy (1Ti 6:3-10), and it is “more blessed to give than to
receive” (see Acts 20:32-35). In fact, most of the giving in the New Testament was done out of poverty, or
at least beyond one’s means. Wealthy people also have an important role in a church planting movement.
However, those who are well off must understand that 1 Timothy 6:17-19 includes six instructions for rich
people who turn to Christ: not to be arrogant, not to put their hope in wealth, to hope in God alone, to do
good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

Question 2: Have you talked to the wealthier people in your church about the six commands directed
toward them? What was their response?

Question 3: What are some ways you can teach the poorer people in your church about their responsibility
to tithe, trusting that God will supply their needs when humanly it does not seem possible?

D. Strategic Positioning
An army is not mobilized when it has its orders (vision) nor when it has been trained and supplied
(resourced). Rather, mobilization can only take place when trained and resourced personnel are in position
to carry out orders. When people are mobilized, they work in a variety of places in different ways, but
always toward the same goal. If all the churches in region are duplicating one another’s efforts and
channeling resources and workers toward the evangelization of a particular people group to the exclusion of

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another, than the churches are poorly mobilized. Research can show where and among whom churches are or
aren’t working, thereby revealing the most strategic needs which need to be addressed.

II. WHY SHOULD BELIEVERS BE MOBILIZED?

Jesus prayed that His followers would be united (John 17). He designed the Church to work together as a
body (1Co 12, Ro 12). God has called the whole church to take the Gospel to the whole world. Therefore,
God empowers every believer with spiritual gifts for the purpose of mobilization.
Mobilization then is not simply a nice idea, it is essential. No part of the Body can fight the spiritual war
alone. The Church works best when every part is mobilized toward the attainment of the goal. Without this
kind of mobilization, the Church fights from a position of weakness without making use of all its members as
God intends.
The Church is God’s agent for mobilization. When the whole body of Christ will consciously mobilize
around the cause to witness for Christ, God will accelerate the church toward reaching the goal of making
disciples, both in their own nation and also out to other nations! Each part of the body must understand their
role and each gift must discover its expression. In this all the members of the body join the cause and pursue
the goal.

III. BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF MOBILIZERS

A. Nehemiah
Nehemiah mobilized the Jewish people after the exile to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He did this by
giving vision, providing resources as well as placing people in strategic positions so they could use their
giftedness. Nehemiah’s vision and goal to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem came to him as a result of
information (research), having heard about the conditions in Jerusalem, and through prayer (Ne 1:2-4). He
secured resources for the project from King Artaxerxes (Ne 2:7-9). He wisely had people rebuild the part of
the wall nearest to their own homes (Ne 4:22-23).
The mobilization of the Jewish people in Jerusalem resulted in synergism so that the results were more than
the sum of the parts. The wall was completed in an amazingly fast 52 days, instilling fear in the surrounding
nations (Ne 6:15-16). When God’s people unite and work strategically to accomplish God’s plan, God
blesses in amazing ways.

B. Barnabas
Barnabas’ name was Joseph, but because he used his gift of encouragement so effectively, the apostles called
him “Barnabas”, meaning “son of encouragement.” He was also generous and gave financially to the Lord’s
work in Jerusalem (Ac 4:36-7). Barnabas had a desire to see the Gospel advance throughout the world. He
served the church in Antioch and then worked as a church planter in Cypress and Asia Minor.
Barnabas’ greatest contribution to the advance of the Gospel was his mobilization of the apostle Paul into
effective ministry. After Paul’s conversion on the Damascus road, Paul went to Jerusalem and tried to join
the disciples, who, doubting he was a true disciple, were afraid of him. But Barnabas believed in God’s
transforming power in Paul’s life. Risking his own reputation and potentially the safety of the believers in
Jerusalem, Barnabas brought Paul to the apostles. Barnabas explained how the Lord had appeared to Paul
and how Paul had preached the Gospel fearlessly in Damascus (Ac 9:26-31). Based on Barnabas’
affirmation, Paul was accepted by the apostles.
After the church was established in Antioch, Barnabas, seeing a great opportunity and need for Paul’s gifts,
went to Tarsus and brought him back to the church at Antioch. Paul became one of the leaders of that church
and from there launched his church planting ministry throughout Cypress and Asia Minor (Ac 13:1-3). In all
this, Barnabas mobilized Paul so that Paul would do his part in the advance of the Kingdom. Imagine if

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Barnabas had not taken the role of mobilizer. Many churches may not have been planted, many New
Testament epistles may not have been written.

Question 4: Do you know a “Paul” who needs to be encouraged and mobilized? Write down their name(s)
and begin praying about how you can be a “Barnabas” for them.

C. Paul
Clearly the apostle Paul had a great commitment to the mobilization of the Church. Paul mobilized many of
the churches in Macedonia, and Achaia to give to the Jerusalem Church during her time of need (Ro 15:25-
27). In his epistles, Paul often taught on spiritual gifts (Ro 12, 1Co 12, Eph 4) and made the churches aware
of the potential they themselves possessed to accomplish what God desires (1Co 1:4-9, Ro 15:14).
Paul mobilized many others in pursuing God’s call in his life. Paul trained Timothy, challenged him to
boldly exercise his spiritual gift and instructed him to mobilize still others (2Ti 2:2). Timothy is by no means
the only one to have been mobilized by Paul. The last missionary journey of Paul seems to have been a
training/mobilization trip during which we read of seven people traveling with Paul, most of them learning
from him (Ac 20:4). In his epistles, Paul mentions Epaphras, Demas, Archippus, Titus, Phoebe and many
others. In Romans 16, Paul greets 27 people, many of whom he had influenced or some way facilitated in
ministry, giving more evidence for the vast network of people Paul had mobilized in his travels.

IV. CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE MOBILIZERS

Mobilization does not happen by accident. It takes people who are especially good at encouraging and
involving others in ministry. Mobilizers create conditions so that the church will naturally accept the vision,
pray for it to happen, and then train and release leaders and workers to carry out the task. They have the
following characteristics:

A. Vision
Mobilizers have a vision for the world. They help others who may find it difficult to look beyond the local
visible needs, to encourage them to believe that God has bigger plans than they could ever conceive. Some
regions are not mobilized because the local churches lack vision. In such a situation, once God’s vision is
proclaimed it can be a rallying cry, or a call to action leading to mobilization.

B. Faith and Encouragement

Mobilizers are people of faith. Faith means looking past present reality to what God can and wants to do. If
faith moves mountains, can it not also wake up the body of Christ to join the cause of Acts 1:8 and pursue
the goal of Matthew 28:18-20? Faith believes Jesus when He said that He would build His church. A person
of faith will have a passion for the church.
A mobilizer’s faith affects the way in which he or she treats others. Like Barnabas, the "son of
encouragement”, many mobilizers have the gift of encouragement. They are able to see through setbacks
and discouragements and focus on positive things. Mobilizers help Christians to realize that they are special
because they belong to God, that God has gifted them for ministry to others, and they can, by God’s grace
and through His power make a difference in the world.

C. Influence
Mobilizers are people of influence and they invest this influence to see God’s purposes advanced. People
listen and respond to them because they have credibility—they have a good reputation in the church, a

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servant’s heart, and ministry experience. Many mobilizers are people oriented and have the unique ability to
remember names, faces and the abilities of people they have met only briefly. They are then able to link
people to resources and opportunities that can help to advance God’s Kingdom.

V. EXAMPLES OF MOBILIZATION
A local church is mobilized when the people in that church catch a vision for evangelizing the lost and then
act on that vision. Mobilization aims at people’s hearts—helping them to see the world through God’s eyes.
Most mobilization happens at a grass-roots level, among the members of a congregation.
Below are some simple ideas for mobilizing members of local congregations to help them catch a vision for
reaching the world with the Gospel. These are not exhaustive, but rather, are listed to encourage your
thinking. You will likely come up with other ideas of your own.

A. Corporate Prayer
One of the most important ways in which to mobilize people for world evangelization is to have them pray
together. Maps and research data can encourage specific prayer for unreached peoples and areas in your own
nation and around the world. As people begin to pray and learn about the lost, they will want to become
involved in reaching lost people. As mentioned in other lessons, prayer walking and concerts of prayer can
also be invaluable tools for allowing God’s spirit to touch people’s hearts and give them a burden for the lost.
Example:
In many churches in America, people meet weekly in small groups to pray for unreached people around the
world. Prayer groups may also pray that the Lord would send out from the members of their church a church
planting team to work among an unreached people group.
In one case, the Lord gave a church a special burden for the Kazakh people of Central Asia. Within two
years, three members of that prayer group became missionaries to the Kazakhs. The congregation then
adopted the Kazakh people as a special focus of outreach and began to send short-term teams of medical
workers, construction workers, children’s workers, musicians and business people to Kazakhstan.
Eventually, the church sent a long-term church planting team to work in western Kazakhstan. Prayer led to
the mobilization of an entire church toward reaching the Kazakh people.

Question 5: Do you practice corporate prayer in your church plant? What are some ways that you can
encourage your church to begin praying for the lost?

B. Children’s/Youth Programs/Sunday School

If we want our children to have a heart for the world and to be involved in God’s Kingdom work, we need to
give them opportunities and experiences of that while they are children. Children are an important element
of mobilizing churches for world evangelization. They are often links into unsaved families. Children who
grow up strongly committed to the Lord are often used by Him in significant ways as adults.
Example:
A Christian drama team of youth from Holland came to Hungary in 1992 to work with a short term
evangelism team who were helping a local Baptist church with evangelism. On the evangelism team were
two students from a Reformed teachers college who caught the vision of starting their own drama team.
They recruited seven others and started performing in the area churches. Through their ministry several
people were saved and joined the group. In the next three years, 20 people were trained and participated in

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the drama group. All of those 20 are now active members in local churches and five are involved in full-time
mission work.

C. Mobilizing Adults
Remember that to mobilize means to assemble and prepare people into readiness to participate where they
can best contribute in a common cause with a common goal. Adults must be convinced of the importance of
world evangelization (the common goal) and they must see how they fit into that picture. Mobilization needs
to happen through biblical teaching on the nature and purpose of the church, the Great Commission, and the
role of the believer in world evangelization.
Example:
In 1722 the Moravian Brethren, on the verge of extinction due to severe persecution, found freedom to
worship and grow on the property of a German Count named Nicolaus Zinzendorf. On the foundation of an
agreement emphasizing unity, prayer, the necessity of acceptance and forgiveness among believers and the
priority of evangelism, God's Spirit energized the group in 1727 into the first missionary movement of
modern times. By 1800 this movement had sent almost 1000 missionaries to every continent of the world
forming new congregations everywhere they went. It was their example that infused William Carey in 1791
with his vision to carry the message of the Gospel to the Far East, launching the mighty movement of
missions in the nineteenth century.

CONCLUSION
Mobilization is a spiritual work. Effective mobilizers have vision, faith, and influence. They are encouragers
who help people realize their God-given potential. They desire to see God’s glory fill the earth. They
advance the cause of Christ in the world and not their own agendas.
A church planting movement will not succeed without effective mobilization. It helps to focus and release
existing resources to the task of world evangelization—the establishing of new churches among unreached
peoples within a nation and also out to other nations. When the body of Christ is not mobilized—it cannot
fight at full strength.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• Why is mobilization important?
• Do you practice your spiritual gifts with enthusiasm as Barnabas did?
• Do you know someone who could be an effective mobilizer?
• Where do you think resources should come from to support church planting?
• What are some specific ways in which you can help mobilize the people in your church for evangelism
and church planting?
• Which qualities of a mobilizer do you best fulfill? Which is the most difficult for you?
• How can you help your church mobilize to advance the Gospel, reproducing by planting new churches?

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SPIRITUAL CHARACTER

Lesson 12: Ministry Through Weakness

The vision that this training material promotes is bold. There are and will be days when those who pursue
this vision will feel inadequate for the task. Questions like “What am I doing here?” and “How can God use
me?” plague every church planter and Christian leader at some point. We will not always feel qualified for
the task and will have to minister with a sense of weakness sometimes. How can we do that?

Question 1: Describe a time in your life when you felt incompetent or ill equipped for something God had
clearly called you to do.

I. GOOD DAYS AND BAD DAYS

Many believers live with the idea that the results of their ministry depend on our how well they perform or
how much of God’s favor rests on them at any given moment. Reasons for ministry success or failure are
numerous. But because of the way that God loves us and because of the nature of the Gospel, success in
ministry depends more on God’s power than on our performance.
In Class Exercise: Two days in your life.
Day of Strength: One Saturday you get up and go to a prayer meeting as is your routine. On the way out,
you have a brief and very pleasant conversation with your neighbor. You go on to have a wonderful day
filled with many successes. God’s presence is obvious in many ways. On the way home, you have an
opportunity to share the Gospel with a neighbor.
Day of Weakness: The next Saturday is quite a bit different. You wake up late, miss the prayer meeting, and
speak unkindly to your neighbor on your way out. The day is filled with failure, trouble and confusion and
God does not seem to be near. In general, you cannot seem to do anything right. On your way home you feel
terrible, but you have another opportunity to share the Gospel with someone.

Question 2: Would you share the gospel differently on a day of strength as you would on a day of
weakness? Why or why not? Is God more likely to use you when you are having a “good” day versus a
“bad” day? Why or why not?

We often think that while we are saved by grace, we either receive or lose God’s blessing based upon our
performance. If you would share the gospel differently on a “day of strength” compared to a “day of
weakness”, then that might be an indication that you are depending on your own strength instead of God’s.
But since our standing before God is based on Jesus Christ, our worst days are never so bad that God cannot
work through us. Likewise, our best days are never so good that we do need God. We are always in need of
God and His grace and He is always able to work through us in spite of ourselves.
Ministering out of strength and being dependent on our own performance is man-centered and results in
stress and eventually burnout. However, God has given us his Spirit and invited us to allow Him to minister
through us. This means that ministry does not have to be all about us and our abilities to “do it.” The
following table shows us a contrast between these two styles.

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Ministry through Strength Ministry through Weakness

• The strong person depends on himself. He has a • This person depends on Christ and is confident
“success/ failure” view of things. in Him.
• This person is characterized by pride. • This person is characterized by humility.
• Unbelief is a normal pattern for this person • Faith is central to this person’s life. The only
because deep down, he knows he has limits. failure in his mind is unbelief. His identity is
Even though he appears to be strong, on the not based on his successes and failures.
inside he is afraid of failure.

Question 3: Looking at the table above, would you say that you pursue ministry from strength, or
weakness?

II. VICTORY THROUGH WEAKNESS

God’s ways are not like the ways of the world. People naturally think that success comes through power,
strength, hard work and excellence. But the Bible talks about power made perfect in weakness (2Co 12:9)
and weakness turning to strength (Heb 11:34). How is this possible?
There are many examples in the Bible of God’s servants seeing success when they were outnumbered,
undersized, or in some way disadvantaged. Moses was not a dynamic speaker, but God called him to be His
spokesperson before the Egyptian Pharaoh (Ex 3). David killed the Philistine giant Goliath while he was still
a young shepherd boy (1 Sam 17). Gideon defeated an army of thousands of Midianite soldiers with only
300 men (Judges 7). In all these stories and in many others, victory came from man’s weakness. In this way,
God’s miraculous hand is obvious and God’s people are not able to boast in themselves, but praise the Lord
for what He has done through them.
We have referred to the church planting movement from Ephesus that impacted the province of Asia many
times in this course (see Acts 19:10). In many ways it is a model for us today. In is important to note that this
great movement came at a cost to its leader, Paul. We do not know the specifics, but Paul tells us that he
faced some very intense personal struggles in Asia (see 2Co 1:8-9). This does not appear to be a unique
situation. It is true even today that great church planting movements include difficult trials and struggles for
the leaders. This may come through ministry demands, spiritual forces, team conflict, persecution, etc. The
struggles do not mean that there is no victory. On the contrary, there is a reason that God allows these
hardships.

Question 4: Read 2Co 1:8-9. Why did God allow Paul to suffer in Asia?

The crucifixion of our Lord is the best example of victory through weakness. Jesus dies on a cross to redeem
us. The cross is foolishness to the world (1Co 1:18-23). But as 2Co 13:4 says “he was crucified in weakness,
yet he lives by God's power.” We see that God’s pattern is very different from the world’s. To redeem the
world Jesus did not kill, but died; he did not use force, but love; in this sense he was not strong, but weak.

III. REJOICING IN WEAKNESS

Once again the apostle Paul stands as a premier example of an important ministry principle. Paul had a lot of
strengths and was well accomplished in worldly and spiritual ways (see Phil 3:4-11; 2Co 11:22-29). Yet in
listing his accomplishments he often interjects phrases like “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that

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show my weakness” (2Co 11:30). Paul knew that the secret to his ministry was not his strength but his
weakness.
Paul had a “thorn” which we do not completely understand, but which he asked God to take away. This
thorn was effectively a weakness for Paul. Note his comments concerning this request: "But he [God] said to
me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the
more gladly about my weakness so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I
delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I
am strong" (2Co 12:9-10). It was more important from God’s perspective for Paul to testify through means
of “the thorn” and live in humble dependence on God, than for Paul to be free from the thorn and be proud.
God wants His children to depend on Him.
Compare and contrast the man who is strong on the outside (strong in himself) but weak on the inside with
the leader who is outwardly weak but inwardly strong.
Saul: Paul:
Outwardly Strong - Inwardly Weak Inwardly Strong - Outwardly Weak

This man was very strong in his When Saul was converted, he became less dependent on his
determination to “do the right thing.” own strength to accomplish things and more dependent on the
His zeal even drove him to put Christians Father’s strength working in him. As Paul, he was no longer
in jail. As a Pharisee, he followed the interested in how he was perceived outwardly and chose to
law strictly. He may have been allow God to work through his weaknesses. (Gal 1:10; 1Thes
outwardly flawless, but inwardly he was 2:4; 1Cor 2:1-5)
wasting away (Php 3:4-11).
We see a man who was powerful in ministry because he did not
care what others thought of him. He cared only about what
Jesus thought about him.

Question 5: What does it mean that ‘power is made perfect in weakness?’ (2 Cor 12:9)?

Question 6: Can you boast in your weaknesses?

Our Weaknesses lead us to Pray

Many Christians have little knowledge of how to live in complete dependence and trust in God. Our prayer
life can be a barometer of the degree to which we depend on God. A person who lives out of their strength
will not pray much. He does not feel he needs to! Prayer is a declaration of dependence on God. A
person who admits his weaknesses depends on God and will turn to him in prayer often.

Question 7: What does your prayer life reveal about your dependence on God?

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IV. CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST

In today’s modern world, we have constructed many things to train Christian leaders. Residential schools,
correspondence courses, books, videos, etc. In and of themselves, these are good things. But there is a
tendency to depend on them at the expense of an intimate walk with Jesus. People may put confidence in
these things, thinking that such tools qualify them for ministry, that they make them strong. It is true that
these tools may help. But, we want to point out several problems that come with this kind of thinking:
• Our human strength is inadequate to enable us to do what he has called us to do.
• Ministry based on human wisdom can work against the power of the cross (1Co 1:17; 2:1-5).
• Relying on personal strength to do God’s will is usually linked to an attempt to impress others (1Thess
2:4-5).

Question 8: What kinds of good things could we wrongly put our trust in to be used by God?

Another problem with having the wrong kind of confidence is that you will tend to pass on these extra-
biblical requirements to disciples. In other words, if you put confidence in having attended a certain school,
or in reading a certain book, then you may not trust cell group leaders and church planters that you are
training unless they have gone to the same school or read the same book (this principle is implied in Luke
6:40).

Question 9: What do you think qualifies you to be used by God?

Rather than having confidence in man-made programs, Paul tells us that our confidence and our competence
come from Christ (2Cor. 3:5-6a). When we properly understand that Jesus is the one who qualifies us for
ministry, then that is what we pass on to others. Our power for ministry is directly proportional to the
strength of our relationship with Christ.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps the phrase “I must decrease and He must increase” spoken by John the Baptist summarizes most of
what needs to be said in this lesson. The church planting ministry is all about God. It is His vision to see the
nations filled with churches and the vision should be pursued for His glory. Let’s be sure to surrender
everything, even our strength, to God in obedience to His call.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• Why do you think many Christians, including leaders, hide their weaknesses?
• How are you weak? How does this weakness keep you from ministry? How should this weakness lead
you into ministry?
• What ultimately qualifies us to be used by God?
• What difference does humility make in the life of a church planter?

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