Introduction
The following paper provides a clear plan for starting a new church that would operate on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to serve its people. The paper begins with a study of the Greek New Testament work ekklesia and continues with a self assessment of the God given talents of this author in order that an appropriate model for a church and a plan for developing a church would be realized by this author. The basic thesis that underlies the contents of research is that churches should begin in people’s homes on Friday nights as people draw together those who are similar to themselves, and church should also utilize Saturdays for community study and fellowship but that Sunday should be reserved for the Lord’s special means of grace and for organized worship.
Defining Church
In Acts 20:28 the term ekklesia, often translated as, “church” is used to denote an institution that God bought with his very own blood. One could thus argue the case that the ekklesia comprises those who have been called out of the world by Christ’s blood such that they could be understood to be the, “called out” ones of 1 Peter 2:9. From 1 Peter 2:9 one can see that the Christians are described as a chosen people, holy nation, royal priesthood, special possession of God, and the emphases in the verse is that all the titles are possible because God called the believes out of darkness and into light.
On the other hand the term ekklesia is not only used in the scripture to denote a Christian church but also to denote a municipal assembly as the scripture records a crowd that was gathered to protest the works of Paul in Acts 19:40. The huge distinction between the city crowds of Acts 19:40 and the Christian church is that according to Matthew 16:18 Christ himself will build his ekklesia (church). One can thus see that what distinguishes Christ’s ekklesia from that of the assemblies offered by the world is the sharp contrast of Christ’s work promised to his ekklesia.
In the Septuagint version of Psalm 26:5 (Psalm 25:5 in the Septuagint) the term ekklesia is used to denote an assembly of evildoers. Even more to the point is that the Septuagint version of Nehemiah 5:7 uses the term ekklesia to describe a large business meeting called together to handle a topic at hand. Regardless however of the secular usages of the term ekklesia in the Septuagint, verses like Deuteronomy 23:2 use the term ekklesia to specifically describe the Lord’s assembly. Overall, one could thus reason that the Lord’s assembly is an assembly of people like any other assembly, but that the difference is that the Lord himself has called the people together to be at the assembly.
A Christian church is thus any assembly of believers that God has called together and that Christ is working in. Such am assembly of believes will have been chosen by God and they will be governed according by God himself. Overall, the institution of the Christian church is thus very dependent upon God working in it for it to function and be in existence.
Self Assessment
God has equipped me to best serve him through teaching, leading, and discipleship. Such abilities are especially valuable in starting a new church, and onetime I fasted for a long period of time such that at the end my friend announced without my provocation that he would help me start a church. The fact is that the pastor at my church had also had the same vision for my life as what my friend had, and so both confirmed that I should start a church. Overall, I have found that all three of my naturally endowed abilities (teaching, discipleship, and leadership) have prepared me for church planting.
My Discovery Tools evaluation rated my teaching gift with the score of thirty-one out of thirty-five,[1] and whenever I am put into a group with other people I find that I will often explain things to others. The fact that people will often desire to understand things that my studies have given me the ability to explain further demonstrates that I should serve others through teaching. In the past I have used my teaching ministry to explain the scripture to college students, and I have gone as far as having web publications, videos, a theological new group, face to face group study, and individual discussion. Overall, the way that my teaching ministry benefits the body of Christ is by causing Christians to be stronger and more unified.
My Discovery Tools assessment has rated my leadership gift at a thirty-three out of thirty five points.[2] In the past I have used my leadership abilities to get many different people to work together for a common good. I have even held management and management related secular positions such that I have been somewhat successful in managing workers. What I could offer a new church is my ability to pool people’s talents and bring the strongest talents together to serve a common purpose of advancing the gospel. The way that a church plant would benefit from my service is by me identifying the strongest talent in each individual and by rewarding, encouraging, and promoting the use of people’s strongest talents.
Many have identified my discipleship ability to be stronger than my other abilities. I have even gained a thirty-four out of thirty-five for apostleship, a perfect thirty-five for administration, a thirty-four out of thirty-five for shepherding, and a perfect thirty-five for discernment on my Discovery Tools evaluation.[3] In practice I have personally mentored many people in the faith on one-on-one bases and sometimes in very small groups as well. Future leaders that are developed through my discipleship of them can even branch out into other churches. The way that a new church plant would benefit by my discipleship ministry is through promoting strength in the faith. Overall, my discipleship abilities can play a pivotal role in the development of a new church plant.
My ability to disciple, lead, and teach are all valuable talents for developing a church plant. Such gifts do not designate me as a church planter, but they certainly do help to serve when doing church planting. I have worked with two different church plants, and although neither one lasted for more than a few years the results had been good such that most people greatly benefited from the process. Overall, I believe that God has developed me to serve him through developing new churches.
The Church Model
The church model that would perhaps best comprise the vision of a new church plant that this author would develop would comprise both a traditional program based citywide church and a collection of house churches. The program-Based congregation is understood as being a church that is highly organized with a sound organizational structure,[4] and it is commonly known as the classical model for a church structure. The house church model however is understood to be an attempt to go back to the way that Christianity was practiced during its first three centuries.[5] Overall, the approach to having church would involve members worshiping in their own homes on Friday night, and Bible study groups and fellowship would gather in the citywide church on Saturdays while Sundays would be reserved for special programs and the administration of the sacraments.
Making the citywide church a network of home churches that all gather together for a final worship on Sunday, would make for the best prospect of combining both freedom of expression and organized structure. The program based approach that would take hold on Sundays would organize people into differing types of church functions that would be determined by the church leadership. On the other hand the home churches that gather together on Fridays would be lead by the heads of the households, and thus the home churches would provide the freedom of allowing individuals the ability to express themselves with each other in a non formal and in a non structured way.
The gatherings on Saturdays at the church would provide the ability for the home churches to be able to bring new guests from the home churches into the citywide church, and such people would thus be able to interact with the entire citywide church in informal Bible study and fellowship. The purpose of the Saturday services would be to provide people with the ability to coordinate with one another, get to know or deepen one another’s fellowship, and to study the Bible in a large context as groups of individuals would be assembled based upon age and maturity. The Friday home churches would comprise friends and family of a home that would be all different ages and maturities, but the Saturday services would provide people the ability to organize themselves according to their mode of life and such.
The program based worship of Sundays would involve everyone in the church getting together for preaching and for special programs such as plays, solos, and special demonstrations. The idea behind having the program based Sunday worship is that everyone who is a dedicated member of the church will be united, “on the same page” with one another to worship God in the utmost organized methods. Overall, the Sunday worship will thus be the traditional style of worship that most churches practice such that individual participation is very structured.
Pertinent Methods
Edward Stetzer makes very clear that almost half of everyone that plants a new church has no leadership assistance in planting a church such as in the form of being mentored or supervised,[6] and such a fact suggests that house churches could easily develop without much help. Stetzer identifies the most critical element of success of a new church to be that of having adequate funds,[7] and house churches can greatly succeed in such a fashion by utilizing resources that the hosts will already have available. Overall, Stetzer’s church plant success factors are all measured in numbers of people in attendance, and although attendance to church is very vital, it does not take into account the spiritual health of the individuals in attendance.
Stetzer makes clear however that churches that focus upon preaching as the main attraction or a main element have significantly larger numbers and the same can be said of music and things that target a specific population.[8] With the new church plant, this author could train every leader of a house church to have one main focus in their lives that they bring out and use their homes for as a means of sharing that main focus with others. Overall, the new church will be most successful by making the pastor’s preaching on Sunday the main element of the worship service that the Friday and Saturday activities all lead up to.
Ideally the topics that stimulate attendance should be utilized in Sunday sermons to increase attendance and interest in the Sunday services. In such a way relevant topics that emerge from the home churches could be studied, explored, and scripture could be utilized to solve problems that the house churches face. The Saturday services could also be utilized by each group on Saturday as each would be given a relevant topic for discussion that is based upon the sermon that will be given the next day, and in such a way people’s attention will be directed toward the Sunday morning service as being the central point of their weekly lives.
Appropriate Methods
Edward Stetzer identifies that the church was formally the first choice of spiritually minded North Americans, but today the church is not even listen as a top ten option for spiritual consultation.[9] Stetzer explains that just as God is a missionary God, so too church should be a missionary organization.[10] Stetzer makes the stunning point that the growing cultural diversity of North America requires a church within the reach of every cultural environment, population segment, and people group.[11] What Stetzer thus advises is that a church should be established in each cultural environment, population segment, and people group, and so Stetzer suggests that missionaries see unchurched people through the three different lenses that include people groups, cultural environments, and population segments.[12]
The idea of having home churches that gather on Fridays will be of incredible value because each home church will be able to work within their cultural environment, population segment, or specific people group in order to reach the lost around them. Stetzer explains that some population segments cause a common experience to be significant enough as to impact values, belief, lifestyle, and to cause a tribal community, and thus Stetzer identifies collections of people that need their own church.[13] The idea is that a home church could be established around single mothers, another could be established around those who have children with learning disabilities, and another could be established around people who have lost a spouse.
Stetzer makes clear to describe how a cultural environment such as a college campus can in itself unite everyone as a result of the common experience of a geographical location as this can also be great for a base of starting a new church as well.[14] If for example many people existed that all attended a specific university, then a house church could be established around people that attended the university even if the school was some distance away. If the school was close, then house churches could be established around the specific majors that people specialized in when they attended school.
By using Stetzer’s formula of 1) identifying a calling from God, 2) exegeting the community, 3) examining how God works in similar communities, 4) finding God’s unique vision in the reader’s church, and 5) adjusting the vision in the context as learned,[15] house churches could be established and guided accordingly. Stetzer advises having a plan and strategy for reaching the community that involves the authority and integrity of scripture,[16] and thus for people who have been called to do house church ministry, time could be set aside every Sunday night such that leaders of house churches all come together with the pastor to discuss their efforts, to be developed in leadership, and to have their unique mission discussed. Through the process Stetzer’s point that people should be sent in the power of the Holy Ghost to transform the world with the gospel would be realized.[17]
The point that would hold all of the house churches in common is that they would all focus upon the message of forgiveness and repentance of sins. In such a way Stetzer’s point that the church is the only organization in the world that is in place not for the benefit of its members but instead for the benefit of those in the world that would obtain the manifold wisdom of God would be realized by house churches brining the wisdom of God into people’s lives.[18] Stetzer describes how many pastors will not give themselves away to others until there is enough to share, and there is never enough to share.[19] The house churches will however make the process of doing church much easier by making the job of the pastor more open for everyone to participate in as they govern their own houses, and in such a way the stress of the ministry will not rely strictly upon the pastor but instead upon the individual house churches.
Stetzer identifies six main components of leaders of missional churches, and these components are calling, courage, character, competency, comprehension, commitment, and discipleship.[20] At a special meeting every Sunday night leaders of house churches would be developed to have all of the six main components of leadership such that they would be able to competently lead others. Every house church would thus be able to function almost independently of the citywide church with the exception that the citywide church would provide the ability to have a much greater audience of people and the ability to do the sacraments.
For Stetzer contextualization is very important as it makes the eternal truths of God understood and appropriated by people through a cultural grid or framework.[21] The idea behind having the Saturday citywide church meetings is that citywide groups of people would be able to contextualize the eternal truths of God for working to reach other people. People would thus have a personal encounter with Christ, they would go back to their own communities of similar people to tell them, and the ones that hear the good news thus come and explore it for themselves.[22] In such a way the house churches would be linked directly to the citywide church because Christ would do more incredible things in the citywide church that would stimulate people to spread the message back to their own homes with their neighbors, friends, and family.
Target Demographic and Workable Plan
The specific generation of people that God appears to have called this author to reach is that of the millennial generation. Being born in 1980 has prepared this author to experience life through the culture when computing became the greatest and most important element of personal life that would dominate all future endeavors. As a result of having a computer from the age of two on and as a result of having had such an elaborate education, older people that are less familiar with technology and are not interested in learning often do not care to invest themselves into the ministry of this author. On the other hand the young people (the millennial generation) have been most interested in investing themselves into this author’s ministry.
Often people that are the same age as myself or older will want to compete for authority, and as a result such people will often try to devalue my education in the process in order to show themselves to not be inferior. Younger people on the other hand usually are in the position in their lives that they want to build themselves up such that they can eventually do the same kind of things that older people can do. As a result, my experience with the millennial generation is very positive, and often such people will seek to understand spiritual matters as well as skill related matters.
Ideally a church plant could be developed through getting some millennial generation people together for discussion of biblical topics, and from that point on those who are most devoted to discipleship could be developed the most. Such people could thus work to build their own centers of biblical teaching and such when they begin to have their own homes. Once a few of them are established, then the next stage is to have everyone gather on Saturdays to coordinate their efforts.
Once enough people are gathered together to have a full citywide church that would do weddings, funerals, the Lord’s Supper, and such, then Sundays would be set aside for performing the sacraments and for doing special programs that would require people to be lead in an organized way by another person. When enough people are gathered for Saturday worship, then a staff member would be designated to connect people to the small groups that they would fit into in the citywide church. The basic plan for starting the church is to get a small group of people to all in turn lead their own small group of people in order to have enough people to have a larger group on Saturdays.
The primary reason for also including the day of Sunday into the structure of the church is because without it people would not have the sacraments in their lives. Emphasizing that fellowship and Bible study does not equivocate to the value of the sacraments and leading people to have those sacraments on yet a third day will thus establish Sunday as a day set apart for doing the sacraments. Currently this author has a great many friends from a great many different churches that all like to gather together on occasion to discuss the Bible and to fellowship, and many of the people want to have their own church. By implementing the process described, a transition could be implemented to move people from starting with home fellowship on Fridays to eventually having community fellowship on Saturdays and eventually full worship on Sundays.
The best part about the plan is that finances for the church do not have to come all at once, but instead they could emerge as the congregation itself gets larger. Each house church would be responsible for contributing to the operation of the citywide church, and the citywide church would thus be accountable to the house churches. Overall, the plan is best summarized as a church model that develops in stages.
Concluding Summery
The institution of the Christian church is the ekklesia that Christ himself builds and that is put into full implementation and sustained by the power of God such that calling and development all belong to him, but the problem that the paper has been designed to face is how to best plan a church that would go along with what God is already doing or what he already plants to do. Given the success that this author has with the millennial generation, the best course of action would be to encourage a house church structure among the millennial generation that grows into a church that has three formal days set aside for fellowship, worship, and scripture. In such a way both the house church structure and the traditional program based structure would endure side by side as Fridays would be the climax of the house church structure and Sundays would be the climax of the traditional program based structure.
Ideally every house church would have one main focus that brings everyone together, but the main focus of the citywide church would be the preaching and administration of the sacraments. The big advantage of having the Friday night churches is that as people are going home from work they can quickly connect themselves with their spiritual community and can begin their holy days with family and friends. This makes the mission of the church very easy to serve because the great commission would simply involve inviting people over to the house or to the neighbor’s house. Overall, the strong desire that the millennial generation has for staying connected and in groups makes the process of starting and running a church very easy.
In conclusion the plan purposed is very promising in that it eliminates many of the problems that house churches would otherwise face with lacking qualified people to do the sacraments and the problems of needing a larger community to do certain activities. Another great advantage of the system is that younger people with plenty of free time could benefit from the system by having an alternative to drug and liquor parities, and thus youthful people could have more church in their lives besides simply having an hour or two on Sunday. Overall, the only down side of the plan is that it would not work well for families that already have a great many godly things to do in their lives that take most of their free time already.
Bibliography:
Discovery Tools, North American Mission Board, SBC Alpharetta, Georgia www.namb.net
Malphurs, Aubrey. A New Kind of Church: Understanding Models of Ministry for the 21st Century. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2007.
Rainey , Joel Owens. A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Selected Church Planting Models Measured by Conversion Growth and New Church Starts. Lynchburg, Virginia: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2005.
Stetzer, Ed, and David Putman. Breaking the Missional Code: Your Church Can Become a Missionary in Your Community. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2006.
Stetzer, Edward. An Analysis of the Church Planting Process and Other Selected Factors on the Attendance of SBC Church Plants. NAMB, May 2003.
Towns, Elmer, Ed Stetzer, and Warren Bird. 11 Innovations in the Local Church: How Today’s Leaders Can Learn, Discern and Move into the Future. Ventura, California: Regal, 1995.
[1] Discovery Tools, North American Mission Board, SBC (Alpharetta, Georgia), 12 www.namb.net
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] Joel Owens Rainey, A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Selected Church Planting Models Measured by Conversion Growth and New Church Starts (Lynchburg, Virginia: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2005), 36
[5] Ibid, 61
[6] Edward Stetzer, An Analysis of the Church Planting Process and Other Selected Factors on the Attendance of SBC Church Plants (NAMB, May 2003), 4
[7] Ibid, 22
[8] Ibid, 14
[9] Ed Stetzer and David Putman, Breaking the Missional Code: Your Church can become a Missionary in Your Community (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2006), 5
[10] Ibid, 7
[11] Ibid, 10
[12] Ibid, 11
[13] Ibid, 12-13
[14] Ibid, 13
[15] Ibid, 21
[16] Ibid, 28
[17] Note Ibid, 40
[18] Note Ibid, 44
[19] Ibid, 70
[20] Ibid, 74-75
[21] Ibid, 93
[22] Ibid, 121
