There’s a great article on the Christianity Today web site that asserts crusades and personal witnessing are no longer the cutting edge of evangelism - it’s church planting. I’ve enclosed the article in entirety in case the link goes down. Good stuff.

Bob
Fides Quaerens Intellectum

Go and Plant Churches of All Peoples

Eric found this interesting blog and gives some pertinent comments. I agree with his mixed feelings.

Bob
Fides Quaerens Intellectum

Interesting… It gives some insight to what church planting methods might be more successful than others. It completely focuses on mechanics/academics and not so much on spiritual/biblical/calling factors…

Acts 29 has a posting listing the essential characteristics of a church planter as espoused by Dr. Charles Ridley. The list is quite practical and I’m sure immensely useful in helping to gage the readiness of someone to plant a church. While I haven’t read anything by Ridely and the other expert Scott Thomas quotes (Malphur), I have to wonder though if this approach can’t see the forest for the trees.

Wondering why the Sojourn church plant is really necessary in Huntsville, a city that “seems” to already have so many churches? Drew Goodmanson has an excellent video on Post-Christian America & the Urgency of Church Planting. Thanks, Drew …

Bob
Fides Quaerens Intellectum

Scott Thomas and Mark Driscoll discuss what it means to replant a church.

Bob
Fides Quaerens Intellectum

Derek Brown has some kind words for us in his list of Top 15 Church Plants.

thanks, Derek.

Bob
Fides Quaerens Intellectum

Perry Noble gives us the Top Ten Mistakes Church Planters/Pastors Make.

I like #4 - Listening To The Wrong People

“Christians are the ONLY people in the world who will buy a book and read it…and the author has never done what he has written about…all he has is theories. NO ONE in the secular world would do that crap! Seriously, if I wrote a book on surgery and then tried to say, “Buy my book…my wife is a doctor,” there isn’t a doctor in this country that would think my book was necessary for success…but many church planters are victims of that exact scenario. That is equal to asking your bankrupt brother-in-law for financial advice…it just doesn’t make sense.”