Planting Churches that Reproduce: Starting a Network of Simple Churches
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Planting Churches that Reproduce: Starting a Network of Simple Churches
The goal of Planting Churches that Reproduce: Starting a Network of Simple Churches is to simplify the church planting process in order to start a network of simple, reproducing churches.
This book will give invaluable information to those contemplating church planting or in the process of planting a church. Comiskey has been gathering material for this book for the past ten years.
He has also planted three churches in a wide variety of settings. Planting Churches that Reproduce is the fruit of his research and personal experience.
Comiskey uses the latest North American church planting statistics but also extends the illustrations to include worldwide church planting.
In the first section, Comiskey lays out the Biblical basis for church planting, including the all important question: what is the church? In order to understand how to plant a network of reproducing churches, it's essential to know how the New Testament defines Christ's church (and the New Testament definition is a simple one). Paul the apostle was the model church planter for the first century and arguably the most effective church planter the world has ever known. The book goes into detail about how Paul planted churches and the important lessons that we can apply twenty centuries later.
The book then moves from the Biblical basis to the contemporary scene. Comiskey answers the question of how in today's complicated society we can plant churches that reproduce and even start a network of simple churches.
In the second section, Comiskey tackles the question of the modern day church planter. What makes a modern day church planter successful? What are the key characteristics that today's church planters need to successfully plant a church in the 21st century? Comiskey provides in-depth information from recent studies about the qualities necessary to plant a church.
The third section goes into detail about two key strategies for planting simple churches--the cell church strategy and house church planting. The cell church strategy plants the church when the first cell starts. The goal is to then multiply the cell and to eventually unite those cell groups in a worship service. House church planting, on the other hand, views the house church as a fully planted church.
The reader is not just given information about these three principal church planting approaches but is also shown how to practically plant churches using these three strategies.
The book's over-arching goal is to show how reproduction is the key to church planting. If reproduction/church multiplication is critical to all effective church planting, then the approach must be simple enough to keep the process going.
The church planting movements that are exploding today realize that simple, reproducible structures are key. If only a chosen few are smart enough to plant churches, Christ's vision to make disciples of all nations will not be accomplished.
Comiskey's book is a must-read book for all those interested in establishing Christ-honoring, multiplying churches.
There is an old saying, `Better late than never, but best never late.' Where has this book been? How different might the church be today if Comiskey's invaluable resource had been available even ten years ago? Don't discover Comiskey ten years from now and exclaim, `Where have I been!' The book we've needed and been waiting for is here now. Tag, you're it." ---- LEONARD SWEET Drew University, George Fox Evangelical Seminary, sermons.com