Church Planting
In terms of the Great Commission we have a Christian duty to share Christ with the world. That duty involves the sacrament of baptism and the Christian process of discipleship within worshipping and gathered Christian communities. It is in this sense that we stand within a historical Church that has found its expression in locally gathered communities of faith who find their local vocation in mission and ministry.
Within the context of the Diocese of Toronto that Commission is presently expressed in a number of key ways that are directly related to the changing demographics of our Diocesan context.
- Firstly we find ourselves with mushrooming suburbs that have an increasing need for new worshipping communities and appropriate facilities to meet that need.
- Secondly we are experiencing urban regeneration in a post-Christian context where there are a large numbers of un-churched people who are seeking a connection with dynamic and welcoming faith communities that provide them with the space to explore their own spirituality in a contemporary form that is historically rooted.
- Thirdly, the shifting demographic of both our urban and rural contexts requires a re-envision of our existing worshipping communities in a way that builds new and sustainable churches that better suit the changing mission and ministry required in these contexts.
Models of Church Planting
Apostolic Model
A "cold start" with limited local preparation where a church planter is placed into a context to start a new church with few resources.
Mother/Daughter Model
A "mother church" fulfilling its own sense of mission to plant a new church by sending out a minister with existing leadership to plant a new church.
Diocesan Model
A Diocese (or deanery) supplies a church planting team and the resources to fulfill and existing vision and strategy.
Cross-Cultural "Hosting" Model
An existing parish starts an ethnically distinct congregation using existing resources. This might develop into distinct church plant or an internal plant that brings renewal to an existing church within a changing demographic context.
A Self-Start
A small group of existing Christians meet in a home or building for worship and grow a plant.
A Satellite Launch
An existing church starts a series of satellite congregations which are defined as being very similar in character to the original congregation and relate directly to it. This existing church could serve as a destination or regional church with a number of related smaller worshipping communities.
Ecumenical Model
Two or more congregations enter a partnership to start a new church that they will share. ECUSA http://www.episcopalchurch.org/newchurch_4327_ENG_HTM.htm
Internal Church Plant
Church planting can be expressed in horticultural terms as runners, grafters, transplants and seeds. An Internal Church Plant is an expression of a transplant where an internal church plant is used primarily to re-vitalize the mission and ministry of an existing congregation. Here a sustainable and growing church plants a mission-orientated congregation into an existing building by supplying ministry staff, leadership and a seeding congregation for renewed growth. The key to a healthy church plant is that a new congregation move as rapidly as possible to equal partnership with its sponsoring church. Diocese of London http://www.london.anglican.org/Regulations/church-planting
Church Planting Process or the Life-Cycle of a Church Plant
The church planting process into 7 guidelines:
- Recognition of the Episcopal oversight of ministry and mission
- Relating the Plant to a Strategy for Mission
- Initiating the Church Plant
- Consultation with Key Stakeholders
- Program for the Establishment of a Plant
- Establishing the Responsibility and Accountability for the Plant
- A Process of Review Diocese of London http://www.london.anglican.org/Regulations/church-planting
The Church Planting process into Five Stages:
- Stage One – Planning and Sending a Missioner
- Stage Two – Gathering and Reaching a People for Christ
- Stage Three – Forming a Faith Community to Reach People for Christ
- Stage Four – The Church Plant is Given Canonical Status
- Stage Five – The Construction of a Permanent Building (if appropriate) ECUSA http://www.episcopalchurch.org/newchurch_4327_ENG_HTM.htm
Programs and Resources
Church Plant Start-up Kit , by the Diocese of Toronto 's Bishop's Church Plant Working Group.
The Dynamic Daughter Church Planting Handbook , by Paul Becker and Mark Williams. Oceanside : Dynamic Church Planting International, 1999. http://www.dcpi.org/Resources/Dynamic+Daughter/default.aspx
A book for potential mother-church pastors and leaders interested in starting churches, and those looking to sharpen their skills. It gives a biblical basis for planting a daughter church with answers to common questions, a six-step process for planting a daughter congregation with timeline for the new church, strategies for recruit a church planter, and strategies to avoiding the common problems and barriers. It has an extensive appendix of checklists and forms.
Planting Churches Cross-Culturally: North America and Beyond, by David Hesselgrave ( Grand Rapids : Baker Books; 2000, 2nd ed. ISBN 0801022223). http://bookcomplex.net/0801022223.html
A standard textbook on planting churches cross-culturally that is critical of great evangelism campaigns of the nineteenth century that resulted in "decisions" without discipleship. The book covers the theology of how Paul did missions and evangelism that consists of a cycle of 10 movements that Paul went through to proclaim the gospel and to establish churches in all the areas he preached in.
Transforming Our Nation: Empowering the Canadian Church for a Greater Harvest , by Murray Moerman (ed). ( Richmond , BC : Church Leadership Library, 1998. ISBN 0-9694564-2-5) http://www.outreach.ca/OC6-Resources/download/TON/TON.htm
http://www.outreach.ca/
A non-Anglican evangelical perspective.
Mission-Shaped Church ( London : Church House Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0715140132)
A vision for the UK with a foreword by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, "a crucial tool for all who care about God's mission today." http://www.chpublishing.co.uk/product.asp?id=68225
This detailed, practical and well-researched book gives an overview of recent developments in church planting, describes varied and exciting 'fresh expressions' of church, offers practical help and advice, looks candidly at where lessons can be learned, proposes a framework and methodology for good, effective church planting, includes recommendations to make possible the visions of a vibrant future Church. Each chapter has a set of questions and challenges to help local parish churches engage with the issues. With a foreword by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, Mission-Shaped Church is a crucial tool for all who care about God's mission today.
Multicultural Sunday
Designating and celebrating the Feast of Pentecost as a Multicultural Sunday allows the Anglican Diocese of Toronto to embody a vision to recognize the value of diversity in building communities of hope and compassion as expressed in Ephesians 2:19: So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
It is our hope that these parish resources will help reflect and act on what it means to be a multicultural church:
Embracing Diversity Bible Study Whenever you interact at deeper levels with people from other racial and cultural backgrounds, we must be willing to change. Embracing Diversity bible study challenges you to go through transformation, a renewal of the heart.
Pentecost multicultural music sampler is a collection of music from different cultures.
Worship and Liturgical resources containing bulletin insert, bulletin announcements, parish, youth and children's activities, hymns, dramatic reading, bible study and many other ideas and resources.
