Ed Stetzer, author, executive director of LifeWay Research, and pastor of a new church, knows the numbers, the analysis and the boots-on-ground reality of planting a church.
Through all of the data collection, review and real-world experience, Stetzer found some movements stalled in church planting, others excelling, and a lot in between. The Foursquare Church, by the research conducted, fell in the middle. We have some work to do (but then we knew that already).
Stetzer has gone beyond merely grading the performance of movements—he has recommendations for how movements that are struggling to plant churches can turn this around and counter the reality that there is “no church planting movement, the way standardly defined in missiological literature, in any of the 34 Western industrialized democracies among majority peoples.”
As he outlines seven practical steps, Stetzer references things from Bill Hybels to Star Trek episodes in this live audio recording from his Multiply Track at Foursquare Connection 2014 in Dallas. Between his insightful commentary on the state of church planting in the Western church and his biting wit, Stetzer has simple, practical advice that can be implemented by local church pastors right now.
Stetzer has simple, practical advice that can be implemented by local church pastors right now.
Many of the things necessary for church multiplication as a movement should be happening at the micro level of disciple multiplication, and the biggest challenge for leaders is to live what we lead, he asserts.
Take an hour to listen to this helpful audio session from Connection 2014, and study the steps with your team. If we will live it at the micro level, we can lead it at the macro level, and we can then see our movement fully embody the church planting goals we are set on.
This “Multiply: Churches” session is available as a free download.
To see more from Connection 2014, click here.
