An essential skill set for church planters is the ability to form, develop, and equip groups.  It is through groups that churches are established, maintained, and replicated.  Engaging, understanding, and obeying Scripture is best done through a group process.  Groups, when established properly, are self correcting, and minimize syncretism or heresy.

The purpose of the Sweden trip was to work with my Curriculum Development Team.  This team is made up of representatives from Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.  This team has been tasked to develop a series of Bible-only training materials for use in our church planting efforts. 

The first part of my trip was spent in Budapest (pronounced “Buda-pesht”).  The purpose of this part of the trip was to learn from experienced leaders in Eastern Europe about the state of church planting in the region, and to take a look at their training materials.  The group I met with was an experienced team that had a vision for Church Planting Movements and Saturation Church Planting.

From 6 December to 20 December 2007 I will be traveling in Hungary and Sweden.  Please join me in prayer for this trip.  Open this link to see the details.

Originally posted on www.cpmtr.org, January 2007.  Reposted here in response to comments posted to The Secret Ingredient for Church Planting.
 
Structure and Strategy are intimately related.  In fact, structure determines strategy.  

Has CPM become a fad? I was in the meeting where the term “Church Planting Movement” was coined.  It was an attempt by a group of mission practitioners and strategists to describe what we were observing in several countries as we took seriously our understanding of the Great Commission’s charge to go and make disciples of all peoples, baptize them into local churches, and teach them to obey all the commands of Christ.

There are times when we take a look at our lives we know that the circumstances in which we find ourselves are of our own making, and we really can’t complain too much about it.  There are other times when we take a close look at our lives and wonder what in the world is going on!  What did we do to deserve what is happening to us?  It is at these times that we may need to consider the realities of spiritual warfare, especially if you are involved in a ministry that is making a significant impact on lostness in the world, or the body life of a church.
 

It is difficult for many of us to wrap our minds around the Muslim concept that it is OK for someone to blow himself up, and in the process kill others who are innocent, in order to make a political/religious statement.  We think of people who would do such a thing as insane or brainwashed.  But the reality behind this terroristic event goes much deeper than insanity or brainwashing.

Bob Roberts wrote in his blog this week, “’Church’ should be the culmination of living incarnationally holistically touching the hurting people of society.” (here)  I think serving the community, first, is the key to effective evangelism and church planting.  Jesus instructed his disciples

It is extremely disturbing that the cultural demographics (behavior patterns) are basically the same for Christian families and individuals who go to church every week, and for families and individuals who rarely or never enter the door of a church. There are some reports that indicate evangelical Christians have some less desirable social traits than do non-Christians. (see endnotes)