| Stage 3: Reproducing
11. Stage 3: Reproducing STAGE 3: REPRODUCTION (Reproducing Children) GOAL: Start a new church or two. PROJECT: Develop and implement a vision statement sealing God's will for the church over the next 6 months. This vision statement should be in two parts: a plan for evangelism by the believers, and a plan for edification which is the responsibility of the church planter and the initial leaders (Eph. 4:12). These two ministries are related. Edification includes equipping the congregation to reproduce (disciples, leaders, and other congregations). The vision should have measurable goals which can be evaluated periodically over the 6 month period by "health checks". ACTIVITIES: A new church's first vision statement will be fairly simple. When it reproduces, it draws up a new, more complex vision statement. We will focus now on a new church's vision statement. The Vision Statement includes evangelism and edification. The church planter works on the edification part, the congregation on the evangelism part of the statement. It should envision the next 6 months measurably and realistically. Several things should be included: 1. Teaching on leadership for the community meetings. Home reading schedules are provided with Bible verses corresponding to the activities in the vision statement. The church is equipped by God's Word at once to embrace and implement the vision. Heads of families need to be encouraged and equipped to continue the training in their homes through this daily Bible reading. The men continue to lead the community meeting on a rotating basis. 2. Appoint the first provisional leaders. These work with the church planter to implement the edification activities of the vision statement. In the process they learn how to work within a leadership team. These shepherd's-in-training should be appointed as soon as possible since they set the pace for the other believers. This uncovers potential, but shy leaders, as well as proud, would-be leaders who need to learn patience. Be prepared to bring those who desire leadership for carnal motives to a place of repentance. Also be prepared to deal with the initial pride which may come out in newly appointed leaders. A focus on the leader's home life and humility and may be helpful. If there are two itinerant church planters still involved, one should definitely phase out of the community meetings and start other gathering meetings. He may exploit the social circles of those in the new church or find totally new contacts. Each member of the church should continue to evangelize their own social circles. They can also help the second church planter to find new contacts outside of their social circle, visiting them with the church planter. If there is no second church planter, the church planter heading up the new church should train one or two men for evangelism of new social circles and to lead the resulting gathering meetings. These men may be the core of a new church planting team. As soon as the provisional leaders show themselves to be faithful men, the church planter ordains them as elders. He then moves on and serves as a coach outside of the church for these new elders. Elder appointment normally occurs at the end of the REPRODUCTION stage and serves to send off the church planter to start a new church. At least one church planter remains nearby to train the elders until they are able to raise up new churches and elders without his help. 3. "Discipleship chains" are set up around the new leaders and new believers coming into the fellowship. "Single link chains" all linked to one church planter are a recipe for destruction. Multiple link chains must be set up around one or more of the provisional leaders or elders. All new believers should be discipled by the ones who bring them in, who are coached by the elders. 4. As events develop, the leadership team discerns how the Lord desires the church to reproduce. Two common ways are: a. Grow until the group must divide in two. Our experience shows that a group should make plans to divide when it approaches 12 covenant members (excluding children--covenanted teens are considered adults and expected to serve as such). This is the most difficult way for a group to reproduce since it traumatizes the entire group. Often it leads to slow reproduction since it takes time for both groups to reorient themselves. However, if the group does grow and refuses to reproduce, it will become ingrown and exclusive and not be of much value to God for extending His Kingdom. b. Reproduction through penetration of social circles in the group. This will normally happens in one of two ways: (i). A person who has contacts in the area gets saved and comes to the church. He begins to evangelize and gather these contacts to hear the gospel. If he needs help either the church planter, (the gatherer) or a man being trained by the church planter goes and helped with the gathering meeting. The new believer often may need to be challenged and helped to do a lot of the work himself. This will especially be true if the work grows rapidly. Remember: God uses consecrated inadequate vessels all the time. As this gathering group develops it also starts community meetings and covenants. During its "covenanting" stage it will probably have much contact with its "mother" church. (ii). New ground is broken by the "gathering" church planter. He should be helped by someone from newly covenanted church from which he has left. When gathering meetings start and develop into a church, it already has a relationship with a "mother" house church with which to form a fellowship or network of house churches. Be continually on the lookout for perspective church planters. Don't presume it will take a long time for these to be developed. 5. Finally, as a new church comes into existence, begin networking the churches together so that the older leaders help the newer leaders, and the resources of one church can help the other. (See Chapter 13) Our Fellowships of house churches meet monthly for a time of worship and united celebration. Each house church is autonomous, but not independent, since all are in fellowship with each other. Decisions which may affect other house churches are brought to the Fellowship Overseer Board for prayer and consultation. Some events may be organized for all the churches' participation, to further edify the saints or reach the lost. But the Fellowship itself remains loosely organized. Once there are five or six house churches in the fellowship, new fellowships are encouraged to begin as new churches are formed. Back |