Church Planting Questions

What is your opinion with regards to these important aspects of starting a new church? Is a full-time pastor necessary, or should a bi-vocation model be pursued? Although a salary is preferable, is it always possible? What about theological education? Can one be sufficiently prepared in a non-formal or semi-formal atmosphere, or is formal education a must? How about administrative structure?

Should a missionary invest more than 10 years in a given church plant, or is the ideal less than 10 years? How should buildings and church properties be addressed? Is it better for a church to own a building, or to rent, or meet in homes?

There are just a few of the questions that one has to wrestle with when planting a church in a new area, where few or no churches exist, or where the gospel is relatively new.

Church Planting Models

1                                  2                                    3                                    4                                               5

 

Full-time leadership……...............................……………………X…………Bi-vocational leadership

Parsonage and  salary…………………….................……………X………….Modest salary, offerings

Formal theological education…………………….......X.......Non-or semi-formal theological education

High priority on administrative structure…………………X...Low priority on administrative structure

Long-term missionary presence  (10+ years)……X...Short-term missionary presence (under 10 years)

High use of foreign funds for building...X..............….Low/moderate use of foreign funds for building

I've marked above with an X where I come down on these various questions.

Models I like: Organic Church (Neil Cole), David Garrison (although I would differ with regards to a permanent property and cell group functionality), a missional model of outreach (various)
Models that I do not see as being very reproducible: IX Marks, Willow Creek, Harvest Bible...
Models that I do not see as being functional in Mexico: Cell group model, Satellite model