Wednesday Dec 25, 2024

So, You're Interested in Parenting or Planting a Church...? (feat. Todd Wilson and Brett Andrews)

Today’s episode will help us understand the dynamics of church planting, including the challenges, distinctives, and importance of collaboration to ensure successful and sustainable growth in the movement.

Church Planting Masterclass: Insights from Todd Wilson, Patrick Bradley, and Brett Andrews

Join Todd Wilson, Patrick Bradley, Brett Andrews, and various other church leaders in an in-depth discussion on church planting and disciple-making. Drawing from experiences with New Life Christian Church, Passion for Planting, and Exponential, this session explores the importance of fostering a disciple-making culture, theological grounding, and healthy support systems for church planters. Discover valuable insights on overcoming common challenges, the significance of early involvement, and the power of collaborative efforts. With practical advice and real-world examples, this episode is filled with essential tips for effective church reproduction and multiplication.

Check out Discipleship.org for resources on disciple-making: https://discipleship.org/resources/

Key Takeaways

00:00 Introduction and Marine Background

00:07 Family Military History

00:59 Personal Military Service

01:18 Grandfather's War Stories

03:30 Community and Local Connections

08:31 Church Planting Introduction

10:16 Interactive Session and Introductions

21:33 Challenges in Church Planting

45:32 Paul and Barnabas: Church Planting Pioneers

46:09 The Power of Multiplication in Church Planting

46:45 Preparing for Q&A: Introducing Renew Movement

48:44 The Importance of Theological Grounding

51:31 Disciple Making and Reproduction

56:18 Healthy Support Systems and Accountability

58:44 Collaboration in Church Planting

01:01:07 Encouragement and Next Steps

01:15:02 Interactive Session: Introductions and Discussions

01:25:55 Introduction to Patrick Bradley and Passion for Planting

01:26:26 The Origin Story of Passion for Planting

01:27:25 Interactive Q&A Session

01:28:01 The Importance of Church Planting

01:29:53 Challenges in Church Planting

01:31:19 National Studies on Church Planting

01:33:22 The Bell Curve of Church Life

01:35:19 Reproduction vs. Addition in Church Growth

01:45:05 Overcoming Fear in Church Planting

01:50:36 The Role of Collaboration in Church Planting

01:53:35 Six Distinctives of Renew Movement

02:08:58 Final Thoughts and Q&A

Resources on Discipleship

Reaching & Discipling Women: A Guide to Women’s Ministry in Your Church

What Is Church? And How Important Is It?

Family Discipleship Blueprint: A Year-by-Year Guide to Family Discipleship

Becoming a Disciple Maker

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The episode titled "RENEW Movement 1" presents a detailed discourse on various aspects of church planting, particularly through the lens of the Renew Movement. The session begins with an informal group interaction, setting a relaxed yet engaging environment for the participants. Todd Wilson, the main facilitator, invites all to share their names, locations, and their interest or involvement in church planting. The participants hail from different regions and backgrounds, bringing diverse perspectives to the discussion.

Todd Wilson introduces himself as someone who transitioned from the marketplace to ministry over 20 years ago. He mentions his association with New Life Christian Church and his involvement with Exponential, a significant church planting initiative. Wilson, along with other leaders like Patrick Bradley and Paul, emphasizes the collaborative nature of the Renew Movement, highlighting their aims to foster disciple-making and church planting initiatives.

Wilson outlines two major national studies that illustrate current challenges in the U.S. church planting landscape: less than 5% of U.S. churches have a disciple-making culture, and less than 7% are actively planting new churches. These statistics underscore a significant disciple-making and reproduction problem within American churches. This orientation sets the stage for discussing solutions and best practices in church planting.

A noteworthy part of the session explores the normative measures of success within the church context. Wilson emphasizes that while adding members (level 3) is common and celebrated, true success entails reproduction (level 4) and multiplication (level 5). He argues that the focus should be on churches reproducing themselves, akin to the natural life cycle where reproduction ensures continuity and growth. However, he points out that current data shows only a small percentage of churches actually engage in these higher levels of multiplication, emphasizing the need for more robust disciple-making cultures within churches.

One significant barrier to church planting identified by Wilson is fear—namely, fears related to resources and expertise. Churches often hesitate to plant new congregations due to concerns over insufficient financial and human resources. Brett Andrews echoes this sentiment, stressing the importance of overcoming these fears through a deeper trust in God’s provision and the practice of risk-taking in faith.

The session also touches on practical aspects, offering six key distinctives that the Renew Movement adheres to, which can serve as a guideline for other churches or networks looking to engage in church planting:

**Theologically Grounded:** The importance of a clear theological foundation and faith statement to maintain accountability and doctrinal integrity.
**Disciple-Making Focus:** A commitment to fostering a disciple-making culture from the outset of a new church.
**Reproduction:** The expectation for new churches to engage in reproduction from day one, planting 'pregnant' with the mission to multiply.
**Healthy Support Systems:** Providing new churches with robust support including coaching, training, residency programs, and project management tools.
**Accountability:** Ensuring that new churches have temporary elder boards or management teams to guide them initially.
**Collaboration:** Encouraging churches to work together in planting efforts, pooling resources and expertise to overcome individual limitations.

The session further emphasizes the concept of planting collaboratively. By doing so, churches can pool their resources and experience, thereby mitigating the individual limitations concerning expertise and funding. Collaboratives like the Renew Movement focus on creating a supportive network where newer or smaller churches can engage in planting efforts alongside more experienced ones.

Moreover, practical pathways for involvement are discussed. The Renew Movement offers initiatives like the Multipliers Journey and the MOS (Multiplication Operating System) cohort, tailored programs aimed at equipping existing churches and new planters with customized church planting plans and disciple-making strategies. These cohorts provide structured support, from initial training to ongoing coaching, fostering a hands-on approach to planting new churches.

The session concludes with an affirmation of the urgency and necessity of church planting as a strategic mission. Wilson and Andrews encourage participants to discern specific actionable steps they can take to engage in church planting endeavors. The overarching message is clear: churches need to move beyond addition and strive for reproduction and multiplication to ensure the continuity and health of their congregations.

In summary, the "RENEW Movement 1" episode is a rich dialogue revolving around the pressing need for disciple-making and church planting within the American church landscape. The conversation, led by experienced ministry leaders, provides insightful strategies, addresses common fears, and presents practical solutions for engaging in collaborative church planting efforts. Through this comprehensive approach, the Renew Movement aims to cultivate a robust disciple-making culture and encourage a substantial increase in church planting activities nationwide.

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