» 2007 » June

Trinity Magazine interviewed Eckhard Schnabel and asked him, What do we know about the disciples as missionaries?

Here’s a few edited highlights.

On the novelty of the Christian movement. . .

The novelty of the “universal” dimension of the early Christian mission cannot be overestimated.

The early Christian mission was without precedent in the ancient world including Judaism.

This dimension [...]

This week I’m in Sydney speaking at the national conference of the Church Army Australia on movements.

I did some research on the Church Army and their founder Wilson Carlile. An inspiring tale.

Carlile left school at fourteen to make his fortune which he did by the time he was twenty six. Then came the depression of [...]

What’s the survival rate of church plants? For years I’ve been hearing, “80% of church plants fail.”

See: What about the church planting failures?

No one can name the source of the 80% failure rate estimate. Ed Stetzer can name his source for an estimate of about 33% closure rate after four years. It’s a comprehensive study [...]

If you’re within travelling distance of Melbourne you’ll want to get along to Church Planting Today: 8-11 August, 2007.

Stuart Murray-Williams from the UK is speaking. So is Andy Bennett, one of my favourite church planters.

Get all the details here.

Church Planting

I’m continuing my journey through Eckhard Schnabel’s study of Early Christian Mission.

He describes how Christianity from its beginnings has been a missionary movement with a drive for expansion. The early Church endeavored, with fearless commitment and sacrificial courage, to win other people to their convictions.

Schnable defines “mission” or “missions” as:
The activity of a community of [...]