What if entrepreneurial small group leaders were asked to equip others to invite people to Christ and multiply small groups?
What if these groups participated in worship and discipleship together?
What if these leaders were asked to oversee the networks of small groups which they helped to initiate?
What if faithful and effective leaders were encouraged to organize a group of groups as a local church?
What if these new churches sought to be recognized by the United Methodist Church, instead of the denomination starting new churches?
What if it was facilitated by a live internet stream of worship from leading churches?
In this way, an internet live stream of worship could be used to raise up leaders and plant churches. This would serve to create new places for new people and develop principled Christian leaders for the church and the world.
Rev. Andrew Conard 
5 replies on “Church Planting – What if…”
That sounds good. Let’s do it!
“What if these new churches sought to be recognized by the United Methodist Church, instead of the denomination starting new churches?”
Without being mean about this my question is “Why would they want to?”
If they already exist as a Church and are already functioning as “The Body Of Christ” what would they really gain from “recognition” by the UMC?
I don’t think any possible gain would make up for the loss of integrity to DNA caused by going from a loosly structured group of house churches to a formally recognized UMC CONGREGATION.
Other than this I love your idea.
Keith – I disagree. I do not think that there would be a loss of integrity to DNA by becoming a congregation of the UMC. I believe that becoming a part of the denomination would strengthen the house churches by allowing the community to connect with a global missions network, accountability structures and the opportunity to share in a common heritage.
Yes, Those are the things on the plus side.
On the minus side it would almost always require your pre-existing church to take on an “ordained pastor” who was not part of the creation of this network and does not share the network’s DNA and doing so would also deny that the leaders of the different house churches and the current leader of the network really are pastors.
In action if not theory the UMC deny’s the priesthood of all believers and the house church movement is based on the priesthood of all believers.
I also embrace these facets of the UMC “allowing the community to connect with a global missions network, accountability structures and the opportunity to share in a common heritage.” Unfortunately my experience working for a UMC church has been that many of these great possibilities often fall prey to inter-church politics and are not realized.
[…] outlined the idea which I submitted at Church Planting – What if… and included the following biography (in 200 words or less) for my […]