Hello planters,<\/p>\n
Jesus said he would give to those he called \u2018my church\u2019, \u2018the keys of the kingdom.\u2019 (Matt 16:18-19) Today those keys are in the hands of multiplying missional groups \u2013 simple churches, house churches, established churches, caf\u00e9 churches, workplace churches, etc \u2013 gatherings of people whose lives are defined by Jesus Christ, sharing faith \u2018on the pathways of life\u2019!<\/p>\n
Since the first Church Planting News (in Dec 2000) the purpose of this newsletter has been to provide stories to encourage and inspire a movement of church planters! Check out these stories.<\/p>\n
Be faithful,<\/p>\n
Peter Roennfeldt<\/p>\n
CHURCH PLANTING NEWS \u2013 30 May 09 (check out www.newchurchlife.com)
\nNews stories<\/p>\n
Relational Outreach \u2013 plants Simple Church in Beverley and York: Terry and Glenda attended last year\u2019s Church Planting Summit in Western Australia \u2013 and came again this year with two other couples. Beverly, where they live, has the oldest demographic in the State \u2013 and Terry and Glenda are retired. They built friendships, Terry joined the men of the community in establishing a Men\u2019s Shed \u2013 and, at Christmas time, invited people in the community to a BBQ. \u2018About 50 attended,\u2019 Terry said, \u2018Some wanting to know what a vegetarian BBQ without alcohol would look like! Those who didn\u2019t come have heard the good reports \u2013 and they are keen for a Xmas-in-July\u2019. Recently a games evening was conducted \u2013 and in the future there will be a time of Bible reading before the games night. Two \u2018simple church\u2019 groups have now formed \u2013 one in Beverly and another in York; and a third is being planned.<\/p>\n
Baptism @ Simple Church: \u2018Mariana had recently been baptized when she invited her friend NaLynn to begin attending Simple Church,\u2019 Milton Adams reports in his Simple Church Occasional newsletter. \u2018After attending for about 6 months and completing Voice of Prophecy’s new Bible studies for kids (Kid Zone), NaLynn was baptized.\u2019 Check out the new web-page www.SimpleChurchAtHome.com .<\/p>\n
SKIDZ Alive attracts Kids: SKIDZ Alive is a monthly kid\u2019s church at Living Waters Community Church \u2013 conducted by teens. On Saturday May 16 \u2018the snake man\u2019 (with live reptiles and Australian animals) spoke to the enthusiastic kids about Creation. \u2018We did some records,\u2019 says Brian Boyland \u2013 chaplain at Gilson College and coordinator of the team. \u2018We had a record 65 kids.\u2019<\/p>\n
Caf\u00e9 7 reaches people who would not \u2018go to church\u2019! As well as operating as a full commercial caf\u00e9, Caf\u00e9 7 provides opportunities for friends from the community to connect with God. 25-35 mostly unchurched people now attend a weekly discussion and \u2018worship\u2019 opportunity \u2013 in the relaxed environment of their local caf\u00e9. \u2018Caf\u00e9 7 is reaching and contacting people the church normally doesn\u2019t reach,\u2019 says Phil Brown \u2013 State Coordinator for church planting.<\/p>\n
Planning to Multiply – \u2018each team to bring another team\u2019! Plans are already in place for the 2010 Church Planting Summit in Western Australia. Having just conducted another summit with 50 planters \u2013 leaders Glenn Townend and Phil Brown have sent out the message: \u2018We invite all church plants to each bring a new team of at least four people in 2010, to equip them to plant \u2013 to multiple your present plant with another missional group or plant!\u2019<\/p>\n
Garage Church Plant \u2013 \u2018found\u2019 in Perth: Church pastor and planter, Steve Goods, visited a Sudanese family whose children attend the school where the LINC plant meets for fellowship. \u2018Roger and his family became Adventist Christians back in Sudan \u2013 and came to Australian as refugees,\u2019 says Steve. \u2018Roger showed me his shed \u2013 set up with about 20 chairs. He and a friend run a worship service each Friday and Saturday night. He has about 20 adults, plus children, turn up. They worship, sing and pray; Roger preaches and then the friend teaches some English \u2013 followed by more preaching, for about an hour and half.\u2019 (It is great for a planter to just find a new church plant! Keeps your eyes open for the activity of the Holy Spirit!)<\/p>\n
New Group Planted in the \u2018Goldfields\u2019: A new missional group is growing in Boulder \u2013 the sister city of Kalgoolie, in the goldfields of Western Australia. \u2018Albert and Gena prayed about where they should start a new small group,\u2019 says Stevce McGuire. \u2018They talked with Emily, an indigenous Christian about the idea of a group in Boulder. Emily was excited and offered to open her home. Nine people accepted the invitation to come for Bible reading \u2013 and others are showing a keen interest.\u2019<\/p>\n
STEP goes camping! STEP is a Canberra (Australian) based group \u2013 families who invite community families to join them on regular camping trips, usually 1-2 hours from the city. \u2018On the camps we function as a community,\u2019 says facilitator John McLean. \u2018We share meals, engage in deep prayer, share bible activities with the children \u2013 as well the physical things, hill and rock-climbing, etc.\u2019 Those non-church families that have been on a camp are all eager to come again. \u2018Camping gets people into a really positive environment and gives excellent opportunities to share the gospel in a personal way,\u2019 John says.<\/p>\n
Mini-Planting Movement in Perth! John Horvath is passionate about sharing the gospel and gathering people into fellowships. His State leader, Glenn Townend, describes John as one who \u2018blazes the trail through the forest \u2013 leaving others to form the roads.\u2019 In 2006 I was in Western Australia to help equip new planting teams \u2013 and John brought a team from Kondoolah, a culturally diverse suburb. Out of this grew All Nations \u2013 a church plant composed of Africans, Karen, indigenous Australians and others. This quickly grew to 80-90 people attending. By 2008 John had another team with him, and they have now planted a church group in Queens Park \u2013 with 35-50, mostly Africans, worshipping and sharing faith. This year, another team (Karen people) reported that they were multiplying out of All Nations to plant a new church in Maddington. John reports that they expect to plant an \u2018indigenous church\u2019 in Belmont this year. If each plant brings another team for training next year, John will have at least 8-9 teams at the Church Planting Summit in 2010! (Note: Glenn & Phil, when we floated this idea of \u2018each team to bring another team\u2019 \u2013 we said you may need a bigger venue!!!)<\/p>\n
Resources, websites & equipping<\/p>\n
Planting Churches that Multiply! is an equipping opportunity that Revive plant and I will facilitate over the weekend of August 7-9. All who register will receive a guide to facilitate preparation for this training. We encourage all to attend in teams \u2013 and, this is an ideal opportunity for pastors to encourage members to expand the witness of their churches. The teaching and dialogue will facilitate a range of models \u2013 simple church, caf\u00e9 church, structured church, etc. For more details of costs, \u2018conversation guide\u2019 (to be studied before), and schedule write to me at peter@newchurchlife.com.<\/p>\n
HOUSE CHURCH training will be offered at the LIFE Renewal Weekend – July 3-5 @ Carmel College (in Western Australia): This is the premier ministry skill based training weekend \u2013 covering a range of areas (spirituality and leadership, faith sharing and mentoring). Contact Phil Brown philbrown@adventist.org.au.<\/p>\n
FORGE Reshaping your Spirit for Mission – July 10 & 11 @ Northern Community, Preston (Melbourne, Australia): Take this opportunity to engage with Alan & Deb Hirsch (exploring missional discipleship) \u2013 and Michael & Ruby Duncan (of \u2018Alongsiders\u2019). Download a registration form: Event Registration (These 2 days are part of an even larger training weekend. Click here for info on the full 4 Day Intensive.)<\/p>\n
Worth watching: Check out http:\/\/www.cultureunplugged.com\/play\/1081\/Chicken-a-la-Carte#videoDetail \u2013 a sober reminder of reality!<\/p>\n
Correction! Call to Intentional Mission in Melbourne on U-Tube! This item should have reported that only about 300,000 out of a population that will pass 4 (not 2) million this year attend church weekly \u2013 with more than 2.9 million people in Melbourne having little or no contact with a church!<\/p>\n
Find the \u2018person of peace\u2019 \u2026 for a planting movement \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2018Why church planting movements don’t happen in Christianized lands – so far! In a recent newsletter Floyd McClung draws attention to the massive movements of planting taking place in many countries, with millions coming to Jesus \u2013 and asks, why not in the West? Floyd offers three reasons \u2013<\/p>\n
1. LACK OF OBEDIENCE \u2013 followers of Jesus are not searching for the \u2018person of peace\u2019 or making disciples among them as Jesus said in Luke 10.
\n2. TRADITIONAL WAYS OF CHURCH ENCOURAGE A \u2018WATCH THE MAN UP THE FRONT\u2019 MENTALITY \u2013 instead of every believer getting out and making disciples through a lifestyle of obedience.
\n3. A LACK OF WILLINGNESS TO SUFFER AND SACRIFICE \u2013 Floyd says bluntly: \u2018It takes sacrifice to plant churches and Western believers don’t believe in sacrifice!\u2019<\/p>\n
Floyd says, search your neighborhood until you find a \u2018person of peace\u2019 \u2013 and, if their family or network is open, start a Jesus Bible study with them. There are two qualifications: the person of peace has to be open and their network (oikos) has to be open to doing regular Bible reading. \u2018Get them to the Word, teach them simple Bible study, and watch God speak to them!\u2019 Floyd says. \u2018It is based on the belief that God is drawing people to Jesus by the Spirit, that he will teach people through the Word if they study it together, and group discovery is much more powerful than individual study because you are imparting the DNA of a future simple church while it is still a home Bible group. It is simple – everyone participates; the Bible is the focus; there is accountability for each other to obey what they are reading; and, it is focused on non-believers studying the word together!\u2019<\/p>\n
There are three steps to doing the \u2018discovery Bible study method\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n
Choose a passage that is short, that is about obedience \u2013 about hearing the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Ask people to write it down from their own translation.
\nAsk them to write it down in their own words.
\nAsk them to read it and write down things they hear God saying to them that apply to their lives \u2013 things that they should do in the next week!<\/p>\n
Now the revolutionary part \u2013 M.A.W.L! Lead the Bible study\/reading only two times yourself \u2013 then turn it over to someone else in the group to lead. \u2018You model it only the first two times,\u2019 Floyd says, \u2018Then in the following Bibles studies you sit on the outside of the circle and watch as the new leader leads the same process of discovery! This new leader doesn’t have to be a Christian \u2013 in fact it is preferable if the person is not!\u2019 This is the MAWL method of coaching: Model, Assist, Watch & Leave.<\/p>\n
Practice Luke 10. Go to the poor and overlooked \u2013 those who need \u2018healing\u2019 and you will find \u2018persons of peace\u2019. The \u2018person of peace\u2019 is the person who is open and has a network of friends he or she can gather! This takes leg work, tears, loneliness \u2013 and lots and lots of prayer.<\/p>\n
Your teams for \u2018multiplying plants\u2019 are amongst the unsaved \u2013 those untainted by religious people. Floyd says, \u201cGo door to door and say you want to start a Bible study for people who are not church attendees \u2013 but, who want to look at Jesus again. Do Bible study and reading in their homes, with non-believers. It must be open seekers, not cynical, highly Christianized or \u2018churchy\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gather a group in your home, workplace or a nearby caf\u00e9 (around a meal); read the Word and become a multiplying group that Jesus would call \u2018my church\u2019 \u2013 with \u2018the keys of the kingdom\u2019!<\/p>\n
CHURCH PLANTING NEWS
\nPeter Roennfeldt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hello planters, Jesus said he would give to those he called \u2018my church\u2019, \u2018the keys of the kingdom.\u2019 (Matt 16:18-19) Today those keys are in the hands of multiplying missional groups \u2013 simple churches, house churches, established churches, caf\u00e9 churches, workplace churches, etc \u2013 gatherings of people whose lives are defined by Jesus Christ, sharing… Continue reading