Church Planting Movements » Steve Addison’s blog » World Changers

Stuart Robinson has stepped down as senior minister at Crossway, our home church. After 25 years he has some other giants to slay.

As a young pioneer missionary Stuart helped spark a church planting movement in Asia that is still going strong. He returned to Australia and built one of the nation’s most significant churches. Now Crossway has become a movement and is planting churches. The church supports over 50 missionaries worldwide. Michelle and I are among them.

Stuart has faced death a number of times, persecution, disease, war, and militant Islam. He’s faced devastating family crises. The greatest challenge of all? Trying to lead a reluctant church to believe that our God is a God of miracles.

I’m guessing we all have something to learn from Stuart Robinson’s journey of forty years in ministry. He sums up the stages in his walk with God using just three words.

Stage 1: If. If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God. Gen 28:20-21

Stage 2: Because. I love the LORD, because (not if) he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. Ps 116:1-2

Stage 3: Though. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. Hab 3:17-19

Each stage has its place. We must move through each one until we come to a place of deep trust and obedience and can say with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in Him.” Job 13:15

Take the time to listen to this message. It may not make the journey any easier, but it will help you understand God’s agenda and what true success looks like.

Peter Kirk is asking questions about the accuracy of recent research into British church decline: Christian Research Confusion.

No one is questioning the reality of decline, just the accuracy of the figures.

Rush over to Bob Robert’s blog and check out the highlights from his new book.
Then go and buy it.

“The Multiplying Church: The New Math for Starting New Churches” (Bob Roberts Jr.)

HT: vinceantonucci

Here’s the link if you want to purchase the full report: Christian Research: Religious Trends No 7 (2007/2008)

If current trends continue in Britain, by 2050 there will be three times the number of active Muslims to Christians attending church. The ratio of church attendance to the active Hindu population will be about 1 to 1.

British church on its knees.

The Times reports on new research that shows church attendance in Britain is declining so fast that the number of regular churchgoers will be fewer than those attending mosques within a generation.

The fall – from the four million people who attend church at least once a month today – means that the Church of England, Catholicism and other denominations will become financially unviable.

A lack of funds from the collection plate to support the Christian infrastructure, including church upkeep and ministers’ pay and pensions, will force church closures as ageing congregations die.

In contrast, the number of actively religious Muslims will have increased from about one million today to 1.96 million in 2035.

According to Religious Trends, a comprehensive statistical analysis of religious practice in Britain, published by Christian Research, even Hindus will come close to outnumbering churchgoers within a generation. The forecast to 2050 shows churchgoing in Britain declining to 899,000 while the active Hindu population, now at nearly 400,000, will have more than doubled to 855,000. By 2050 there will be 2,660,000 active Muslims in Britain – nearly three times the number of Sunday churchgoers.

more. . .

Carmine Gallo on what we can learn about presenting from Steve Jobs

How to Present Like Steve Jobs (article with tips).

HT: PresentationZen (of course)

Dave Lawton has finally launched his blog. He’s been a practitioner in India and now he’s making a mess as he fuels the Crossway church planting movement.

He knows a thing or two about church planting so make sure you pay him a visit.

Here’s a list of the 21 differences between church plants that grow fast and those that struggle.

1. Assessment: Using the Ridley Assessment is a must! The higher the score the better.
2. Finances: Adequate financial support is a necessity. There is a delicate balance between too much and too little support.
3. Full-time Planters: A majority of fast-growing church plants were led by full-time planters.
4. Shorter Support Period: An extended period of support is not good for a new church – recommend less than two years.
5. Give Additional Funding: A higher percentage of fast-growing churches received additional funding beyond the initial salary given.
6. Limit Additional Funding: Most growing church plants received less than $50,000 additional funding within a one-year time frame.
7. Planters Add Funding: Planters need to be responsible for raising a portion of their support.
8. Vision Ownership: The vision for the church plant should be birthed in the heart of the individual planting the church.
9. Audience Determination: The church planter should have the freedom to choose the target audience they want to reach.
10. Financial Decisions: Planters of fast-growing churches were given freedom to spend their funding as they saw fit.
11. Release Control: Sponsoring agencies need to give freedom to the church planter.
12. Support Emotionally: Adequate emotional support for the planter is vital.
13. Adequate Training: Church planters should receive more than one week of specialized training.
14. Staff at Start-up: Planting a church with a team is a must! Don’t send a lone ranger to plant a church.
15. Launch Team Size: A minimum of 40 people should be involved on the start-up team prior to launch—or wait!
16. Ministry Opportunities: Fast-growing churches had at least three ministries in place at time of public launch: worship, children, and youth.
17. Gathering Activities: Preview services and small groups should be utilized to build the start-up team prior to launch.
18. Preview Services: Preview or “practice” services should be on a bi-weekly basis for at least three months prior to a public opening.
19. Large Birth Weight: Do everything within your power to get at least 100 people to your public opening.
20. Stewardship Training: Start teaching stewardship within the first six months. Don’t be overbearing, don’t whine, and don’t be secretive about your finances; instead, be transparent.
21. External Focus: Fight like mad to keep your ministry focus outward.

HT: Dave DeVries

“Planting Fast-Growing Churches” (Stephen Gray)

If you’re into church planting and you want them to grow, or at least survive here’s a promising book based on research of plants that grew fast and those that didn’t: “Planting Fast-Growing Churches” (Stephen Gray)

Living in the southern hemisphere means that I don’t have a copy yet but will rely on Dave DeVries for a list of interesting findings.

• Church planters who had strong emotional support, personal investment, and conceptual freedom were more likely to succeed than those who had weaker support, investment, or freedom.
• Church plants who received more funding for longer periods of time were overall less effective than churches that received less funding for shorter periods of time.
• If a church plant doesn’t break 200 in weekly attendance within its first two years, there is an increased likelihood that it never will.
• 93% of church plants do not reach 200 in attendance and become self-supporting within three years.
• If a planter cannot bring a church plant to be self-supporting within three years, this likely means that the wrong leader has been chosen.
• A shorter period of financial support forces the planter to be more aggressive in growing the church, raising additional funds, and teaching stewardship. An extended period of support is detrimental to the development of a church plant.
• Church planters who received specialized training achieved a worship attendance that was three times higher than those who received no training.
• 88% of fast-growing church plants had a church planting team in place prior to public launch. By contrast, only 12 percent of struggling church plants had a church planting team.
• An approach that utilizes a healthy dose of both small groups and preview services is the best way to go about building a large core group.
• 92% of growing church plants offered three or more ministry opportunities from Day 1 (typically worship, children, and youth). Conversely, 64% of struggling church plants offered only an adult worship service on Day 1.
• The early introduction of stewardship teaching is a critical factor affecting the size and survivability of a new church. According to this research, after four years, church plants that expected tithing experienced an average attendance of 120. Those new churches that did not teach any form of financial stewardship averaged around ninety in attendance.

Next post, the 21 major differences between church plants that grew fast and those that didn’t.

“Planting Fast-Growing Churches” (Stephen Gray)