There are a variety of Church Planting Models. If you think you don’t fall into one of these, you’re probably ignorant or arrogant. I wanted to break the mold when I started planting. Then, I realized that God uses all of them. All these models, correctly or incorrectly assume that the planter is gospel focused. My hope is that, by laying these out, you will get a sense of where you are and how you might need to correct in the planting process to plant a better church, to cultivate a more missional people.
- Program-driven: mission by program, by generation
Southern Baptist Churches - Purpose-driven: mission by purpose, by paradigm
Saddleback Churches - Community-driven: mission by people, by relationship
House, Cell, Missional Communities - Seeker-sensitive: mission by profile, by target group
Willow Creek Churches - Ministry-driven: mission by mission, by ministry
Community Development, Evangelistic/Gatherables
Which do you identify with and why? Are all of the models missional? In what sense?
[1] Adapted from The Church Planting Village, North American Mission Board: http://www.churchplantingvillage.net/site/c.iiJTKZPEJpH/b.784555/k.D77/Church_Design_Models.htm
5 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 14, 2008 at 11:03 pm
jason allen
Which one best describes what you guys are doing?
I certainly don’t want to be “ignorant” or “arrogant” but I have a hard time knowing if we fall into any one of these real neatly. I know we have a model. And I know it’s surely characterized by one of these. Maybe I should check out the rest of the article.
Thanks for the post.
November 15, 2008 at 8:20 am
Stephen
Jonathan could you elaborate a bit on the 5th model – the ministry driven model?
November 15, 2008 at 2:42 pm
jdodson
The rest of the article is helpful, Jason.
The ministry driven model makes some kind of ministry its focus, like community development. They aim on building the church out of strategic investment in some kind of focuses ministry. I have a friend who did this by creating a nonprofit called South Austin Cares (brandon hatmaker). They held off on community groups or missional communities and just served the city on a lot of Sundays.
November 17, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Monday Links | Subverting Mediocrity
[...] Church planting models. Check it. [...]
April 23, 2009 at 10:51 am
Rev. Jinu John
I am happy to see and read you Web. Myself leading a church planting ministry in North India. I wish more of you resources for equiping people. Currently we have 52 church planting programs in different parts of India.
Expecting you help in equiping people
Yours In HIS ministry, Faithfully
Rev Jinu John