Mere Church Plantery

Church Planting Series, Part fourteen

C.S. Lewis published “Mere Christianity” in 1952. The book was based on radio talks he gave in the 1940’s. These talks outlined the basic fundamentals of the Christian faith.

What if there was a “Mere Church Plantery” book? What essentials of church planting might be included?

PASSION – The starting point is one person with unstoppable passion to share Jesus. Salary or not, the love of Christ must be passed along in deed and word.

GROWTH – Immersion in prayer, a life of worship, and study of the Bible marks every church planter and church planting effort.

TRAINING – Those who plant churches need to be seasoned in the Scriptures, faith, and life. They must be able in relationships, teaching, and the sharing of tasks.

INTEGRITY – Honoring God and His people is essential.

ORGANIZING – The church planter must be able to formulate a plan, form relationships, and help guide others into effective outreach for Christ.

COMMUNITY – Those in ministry must learn to mentor, share, and collaborate. This is not a one-person show. The goal is to create a movement of passionate evangelists.

SERVING – The goal in everything is ultimately to reach out with the Good News of Jesus.

RISK – Never satisfied, the question is always, “What next bold step needs to be taken for the sake of the cross of Jesus Christ?”

Mere Church Plantery isn’t contingent on a building, sound equipment, new computers, or even money! These are secondary to the central task of growing a movement of God’s Spirit of grace in and through people. The secondary tools might become important, but if the first things are taken care of, the secondary items will develop and will serve the primary focus.

What secondary areas might be distracting you? How do you need to get back to Mere Church Plantery?