Randy Brown’s thoughts on Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer
Chapter 1
The basis of this chapter was getting back to the basics of what it means to be a church and what type of approach we need to have in planting new churches. At our cores, we must be missional. Being a missional church is more than attaching missional buzzwords to a church that operates with a business-as-usual mindset. Missional thought should be used to recalibrate the purpose and identity of the church. Missional churches thinking is not another strategy, model or program. A missional church will grow in the community where it is planted, thus giving it a unique role within that community. Mission is the organizing principle of the church. Mission means to be sent or a movement outward. The Bible explains the mission of a sending God. God is a missionary God. Even in creation, God was sending His Spirit out. The Father sent the Son who then sent the Spirit. We must not reproduce religion, but reproduce the mission of the sending God.
Chapter 4
This chapter highlighted several different models of church planting. I thought it clearly illustrated there is not one cut-and-dried method to planting churches. It varies greatly based on the community and the personality, gifting and calling of the planter. Stetzer does a good job of pointing out the diversity of style and approach, which is very refreshing.
Chapter 11
This chapter illustrates the importance of having a target group that your church plant is attempting to reach. Without this focus, the church planter can become overworked and discouraged in the fact that he or she might not be seeing the anticipated progress. In picking a target group, Stetzer points out the importance of knowing the community in which the church will be planted. In order to reach the target group effectively, the target group must see the church plant as a value to their lives because it is meeting the needs of the group as a whole.
Chapter 12
Stetzer uses the analogy of a fault line to illustrate the need for church planting to be relational. We must be willing to live out our faith in the community at the point of impact in relation to others with whom we come in contact. I thought it was interesting that the model he uses in this chapter mirrors the diagram of our seminary program. All the areas encompass a part of each other. When churches are planted, we need to realize the way we view the mission of the church is the organizing force that the other disciplines such as theology, view of Christ (Christology) and our view of missions (missiology) revolve around.
Chapter 13
Youth ministry is the perfect arena in which to practice incarnational ministry. Jesus’ ministry gave us insight into how we should approach our culture with the message of renewal and restoration. All youth ministry is local. We need to ask ourselves, “How can I be an expert on the local youth culture?” As a student minister, I must bridge the gap between biblical culture and local youth culture. Jesus was great at this. He used common everyday language and situations to communicate God’s love to the people with whom He came into contact. His message was presented differently depending on the audience to whom He was speaking. We must learn how to construct local theologies. We need to figure out how to best communicate the love of Christ to our culture.
The history of the incarnation plays a vital role in helping us understand who Jesus is. It helps us see Jesus is more than just a Person to call on in times of trouble. He is God in the flesh. He is a Person who understands us. We can truly say Jesus “gets me.” He knows my thoughts, my needs and my dreams. He is not just a problem solver. When we understand the incarnation, then we can see the power of the cross revealed. We see a God who came in the flesh to show us how to live, how to die to our sins and how to be raised to walk in His righteousness. The incarnation transcends cultural boundaries. Students want to be understood. They are looking for a place to belong. They want someone to understand them and identify with their struggles. We can help them see the incarnate Christ is that Person. If we become an extension of Christ’s life, we can impact this generation in a mighty way. By investing our lives in people, just a Christ invested in the disciples, we will see much change.
In
We need to be real and authentic with the people to whom we minister. Jesus was able to do this very well. His disciples saw Him in His full glory on the Mount of Transfiguration and in His brokenness in the Garden of Gethsemane. Authenticity is really at the heart of the incarnation. When Jesus was baptized and the Father spoke His affirmation over His Son by saying, “in whom I am well pleased,” we see who Jesus really was. His divine nature and human nature were transparent for all to see. All we have to do is look. His miracles testified to His deity while His sorrow and brokenness in the garden displayed His humanity.
Incarnational ministry is what every believer is called to do. We are the body of Christ. We are an extension of His saving grace. We must be willing to step outside of our comfort zones, and dwell with those who need to experience the incarnate.
Chapter 14
This chapter helped me understand the importance of koinos and face-to-face relationships. Many churches today have forgotten this very basic and foundation practice of the early church.
The first, second and third century Christians were about this kind of transformational mission. They preached and practiced a Christlike life in the communities where they lived. Being a follower of Jesus wasn’t a separate church function of their lives in which they participated once a week; it was life in community with one another. This is what defined them. When new believers were added to the church, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (
Chapter 15
The postmodern view of salvation tends to shift from the traditional view of God’s redemptive power of the cross and believers’ response to that sacrifice. Postmoderns view salvation as universal. As a result, postmodern evangelicals have adopted new approaches to evangelism such as discipling a person before he or she comes to Christ. They learn what it means to follow Christ by being immersed within a community of believers to aid in this process. I like how Stetzer used the “Gray Matrix” and “Evangelism Journey Charts.” They help illustrate that evangelism is a process and we need to approach each individual where he or seh is. As a church, we need to create environments for people to move forward in their journeys as the encounter Christ.
Chapter 16
The chapter helped me realize that having the right people make all the difference. We need to have people in our churches and launch teams that can articulate the mission and vision of our ministry. They need to assured of the calling of Christ to plant this church and commit to that mission until its completion.
Chapter 17
Stetzer points out the fact that small groups allow people to become connected in an environment that is not normal compared to most established churches. Church plants are fluid environments, and people tend to fall through the cracks if we do not create small groups to help people get connected. Small groups can be vital parts of any ministry. They can be places where people can get connected to the body of Christ. When it comes to small groups, smaller is better. It provides intimacy and the ability to build safe environments for people to be vulnerable and authentic. Also, we need to empower small group leaders to be shepherds rather than chaperones. Those leaders need to shepherd the flock they have been given. They need to invest in the lives of the people in their group.
Chapter 18
I found this chapter helpful. I never realized the importance of planning it took to finance a church plant. It gave some very practical ways to approach financing a new work. Very helpful.
Chapter 19
Logo and branding are important. We have been intentional with that in our student ministry. Everything points back to a central theme. We have adopted a theme around power. Everything we do points to the passage of
Chapter 20
This chapter helped me understand the importance of finding the right place to meet. A location should not be chosen lightly or in haste.
