Overview
With nearly fifty years combined global church-planting experience, Craig Ott and Gene Wilson are well qualified to write a comprehensive, up-to-date guide for cross-cultural church planting. Combining substantive biblical principles and missiological understanding with practical insights, this book walks readers through the various models and development phases of church planting. Advocating methods that lead to church multiplication, the authors emphasize the role of the missionary church planter. They offer helpful reflection on current trends and provide best practices gathered from research and empirical findings around the globe. The book takes up a number of special issues not addressed in most church planting books, such as use of short-term teams, partnerships, and wise use of resources. Full of case studies and real examples from around the world, this practical text will benefit students, church planters, missionaries, and missional church readers.
Table of Contents
Contents
Prologue: The Parable of the Apple Trees
Part I: Biblical Foundations
1. The Task of Church Planting
2. The Reasons for Church Planting
3. New Testament Beginnings
Part II: Strategic Considerations
4. Church Multiplication and Indigenous Church-Planting Movements
5. Apostolic Church Planters
6. The Shape of the Church
7. Pioneer, Reproduction, and Regional Approaches to Church Planting
Part III: Development Phases
8. The Developmental Phases of a Church Plant: An Overview
9. Preparing, Part 1: Targeting and Commissioning
10. Preparing, Part 2: Understanding and Strategizing
11. Launching: Evangelism and Discipleship
12. Establishing: Congregating and Maturing
13. Structuring: Expanding and Empowering
14. Reproducing: Strengthening and Sending
Part IV: Critical Factors
15. The Personal Life of Church Planters
16. Church-Planting Teams
17. Developing Servants, Leaders, and Planters
18. Partnerships and Resources in Church Planting
19. Planting Churches with Kingdom Impact
Epilogue
Works Cited
Index
Prologue: The Parable of the Apple Trees
Part I: Biblical Foundations
1. The Task of Church Planting
2. The Reasons for Church Planting
3. New Testament Beginnings
Part II: Strategic Considerations
4. Church Multiplication and Indigenous Church-Planting Movements
5. Apostolic Church Planters
6. The Shape of the Church
7. Pioneer, Reproduction, and Regional Approaches to Church Planting
Part III: Development Phases
8. The Developmental Phases of a Church Plant: An Overview
9. Preparing, Part 1: Targeting and Commissioning
10. Preparing, Part 2: Understanding and Strategizing
11. Launching: Evangelism and Discipleship
12. Establishing: Congregating and Maturing
13. Structuring: Expanding and Empowering
14. Reproducing: Strengthening and Sending
Part IV: Critical Factors
15. The Personal Life of Church Planters
16. Church-Planting Teams
17. Developing Servants, Leaders, and Planters
18. Partnerships and Resources in Church Planting
19. Planting Churches with Kingdom Impact
Epilogue
Works Cited
Index
Authors
Craig Ott
Craig Ott (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of mission and intercultural studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, where he also directs the PhD program in intercultural studies. He has written or edited numerous books, including The Church on Mission.
Gene Wilson
Gene Wilson (DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) is church planting director for ReachGlobal, the international mission of the Evangelical Free Church of America, and director of their annual Cross-Cultural Church Planting School. He served as a church planter in Canada for eighteen years and a church planting trainer and coach in Latin America and the Caribbean for eight years.