Comments on: Paul Inc. http://www.steveaddison.net/2007/01/02/st-paul-ministries-inc.html Steve Addison's blog about movements for the renewal and expansion of the church. Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:27:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Rick http://www.steveaddison.net/2007/01/02/st-paul-ministries-inc.html#comment-15643 Rick Wed, 10 Jan 2007 15:46:35 +0000 http://www.steveaddison.net/2007/12/21/st-paul-ministries-inc.html#comment-15643 In point #1, is he suggesting that we (today) need to first primarily go to "eminent persons" in a community? If so, is that really what Christ, Paul, and the other Apostles would have recommended? In point #1, is he suggesting that we (today) need to first primarily go to “eminent persons” in a community? If so, is that really what Christ, Paul, and the other Apostles would have recommended?

]]> By: Jamie Cain http://www.steveaddison.net/2007/01/02/st-paul-ministries-inc.html#comment-14743 Jamie Cain Tue, 02 Jan 2007 20:25:19 +0000 http://www.steveaddison.net/2007/12/21/st-paul-ministries-inc.html#comment-14743 I find Rodney Stark's approach and conclusions consistently interesting. I'm not sure Paul's model fits any modern approach to church planting. I have seen occasional church planting efforts that employed the "instant congregation" model, but it's not the rule. More often, a church planter goes into a new area alone, or at best with a few core members or volunteers. The disadvantage here is that they have none of the networks Stark mentions, and none of the support either. That probably accounts for the fact that many church plants don't survive, or if they do, they never grow very large. The other, more interesting, thing to me is the fact that Paul felt responsibility for the congregation without needing the prestige of leading the congregation. So many "planters" today end up as regular pastors after a certain point. They don't go into the enterprise planning to move on after the community's established. Frankly, I'm not sure how I feel about it at this point, but this model seems (at first blush) to shame much of our modern effort. I find Rodney Stark’s approach and conclusions consistently interesting. I’m not sure Paul’s model fits any modern approach to church planting. I have seen occasional church planting efforts that employed the “instant congregation” model, but it’s not the rule.

More often, a church planter goes into a new area alone, or at best with a few core members or volunteers. The disadvantage here is that they have none of the networks Stark mentions, and none of the support either. That probably accounts for the fact that many church plants don’t survive, or if they do, they never grow very large.

The other, more interesting, thing to me is the fact that Paul felt responsibility for the congregation without needing the prestige of leading the congregation. So many “planters” today end up as regular pastors after a certain point. They don’t go into the enterprise planning to move on after the community’s established.

Frankly, I’m not sure how I feel about it at this point, but this model seems (at first blush) to shame much of our modern effort.

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