Multiplication Effect for Church Planting

I have been involved in equipping and training church planters (CP) for the last 17 years. This ministry while under my watch have trained close to 10,000 CPs and evangelists. Every week there is a training going on somewhere in Asia, year in year out.

The graduates are planting churches and some have even planted a few. From our observation most of them practised these ‘universal’ principles for successful church planting: 1) Much Prayer and Fasting, 2) Much Sowing of the Gospel, 3) Having a Ministry Plan, 4) Bible Teaching, 5) Having a Local Leadership Structure and Mentoring, 6) Planting of Cell or House Churches, 7) Regular Training for the Church Planters and 8) Having Most of the Functions of a Biblical Church 9) Believing for the Miraculous

However, we feel that the CP has the potential to do much more than adding churches one by one. It will be realized if we launch them to plant churches that will plant churches that will plant churches. If churches planted by them reproduce and multiply down the line then we have a scenario of a multiplication effect. In order to create this multiplication effect church planting needs to consider the following factors.

1. Empowerment of the new believers (Eph 4:11-16; 1 John 2:27)

Most evangelistic and church planting efforts will taper off in relation to the time the CP spent on the field. The CP will eventually be bogged down with issues like counseling, teaching, preaching etc. Sadly, the CP did not have confidence in the new believers’ abilities and take sole responsibility. Dependency happened and took root. To avoid this, believers must be mobilized immediately by modeling to them, assisting them to do the ministry, coaching and finally leaving them to do the job. This creates ownership and responsibility. This template together with the impartation of vision for multiplication and missions at its very inception will cause the church to reproduce.

2. Healthy respect for local/homegrown wisdom and resources

The release of the laity at the onset of church planting avoids the need of a paid worker. The unpaid leader commands more respect when it comes to sharing the workload when the CP is gone. To increase their capacity there is a need to extract them regularly for a systematic training. Another local resource that is neglected is the use of homes for meetings. It requires no rental. If the work gets too big it gets to reproduce!

3. Leadership by example (2 Cor 11:23-28)

Leadership is not by seniority (how long one is in the church) or by the amount of training one receives. Workers earned their credentials by proving themselves faithful to their people and work even despite very difficult working conditions. In certain countries one’s credentials is earned through how one face persecution and not through an ordination exercise. Usually the church flowers when persecution dies down.

4. Innovativeness in breaking barriers (Matt 19:26)

It is the people who say, “Why not?” against “I have never done it before.” One leader learned from the FEBC radio broadcast and used the lessons learned in the church. This broke the barrier of isolation and the lack of training. Another brought the church to meet in the open e.g. garden, coffee shop etc. It broke the barrier of the need for a meeting place. In some areas of intense persecution getting a host is difficult. The key is to gather the church/people first.

5. Aggressive and bold leadership (Matt 11:12; Acts 4:29-31).

Pioneering new fields, facing off demons and human persecutors requires aggressive actions. A church can lose as much as 90% of its membership during persecution. A long term approach is to go low profile and train shepherds. A rather short term strategy that has proven to work in certain situations was practicing one’s faith openly unafraid of persecution. This requires aggressive leaders. Christmas and even funeral services are used to showcase the Christian faith. I knew of two places where strong persecution was broken due to the above aggressive actions. Thereafter church growth will be guaranteed.

6. Working speedily (2 Thes 3:1).

When the Lord moved quickly the people has to follow and act speedily. A recent student revival in one country was started during the Christmas season and is still continuing months later. In less than a month about 400 students were saved. Due to the rapid move of God there were not enough workers to serve. New believers were quickly organized and given responsibilities. New leaders were taught two Bible lessons and they in turn used it to teach their groups. Then they came back for more. The ability to cope with this kind of speed is important to reap and contain the harvest.

The Book of Acts chapter 11 in verses 21 and 24 describes the multiplication effect succinctly, “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord….For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.” The mathematical difference between the addition effect compares to the multiplication effect is immense. Let us go for the higher calling.