Church Planting Teams

Church Planting Teams

Asia CPI 2012

Training for Church Multiplication

Teamwork in Scripture

p  Samuel 10:26, "And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched."

p  Leviticus 26:8 "And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight …"

p  Acts 16:9-10 "And a vision appeared to Paul. . . and when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the Gospel to them."

p  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Pauline C.P. Teams

Team 1 Barnabas, Saul & Mark Cyprus, S. Galatia

Team 2 Paul & Silas S. Galatia, Macedonia

Team 3 Barnabas & Mark Cyprus and ?

Team 4 Paul, Silas, Luke & Timothy, Pricilla, Aquilla, Apollos

S. Galatia, Macedonia, Greece, Asia Minor

Team 5 Paul, Silas, Timothy, Erastus, Gaius, Aristarchus

Extension from Ephesus in Asia Minor

Personal advantages to team members

p  Prayer and protection p  What else?

Ministry Related Advantages

•  Greater boldness in team evangelism

•  What else?

Dangers that come with C.P. Teams

•  The danger of exclusive and absorbing relationships

•  The danger of team self-sufficiency, independence and elitism

•  The danger of turning inward (losing missional focus)

• The danger of stifling individuality

•  The danger of unresolved conflict

•  The absence or loss of trust

Paul’s team members served as: p Apprentices – (Timothy -Acts 14,

16:1-3, 17:17, 19:22) p Personal assistants – (Acts 18:1-3

Aquila and Pricilla) p Ministry associates - Some traveled

with Paul (Acts 16:6); others stayed behind (17:15); some went ahead (20:5).

p Representatives – (The seven delegates from regions Acts 21:19)

NT Church Planting Teams p Most were small and highly committed p  They had clear and unquestioned spiritual

authority p  Team members were trained in them p  They were fluid and flexible based on

needs. Members were sent out. p  They lasted for a while and reconfigured p  They included planters (foundation

layers), waterers (builders) and asssistants

Styles of Leadership

The Organizational Leadership Pattern p  Positional p  Power-based p  Personal authority p  Insists on allegiance p  Assigned by directors p  Makes decisions

The Organic Leadership Pattern p  Functional p  Gift-based p  Delegated authority p  Establishes trust p  Accepted by team

members p  Builds consensus

Church Planting Teams and Spiritual Gifts

Functions and Spiritual Gifts on a Church Planting Team

Church Planter Function Biblical Examples Spiritual Gifts Church Foundation-Layer

Paul, Peter, Barnabas and Epaphras

Apostolic (cross-cultural gift), Evangelism, Preaching, Leadership, Faith, Encouragement

Church Waterer/Developer

Apollos, Timothy and Titus

Teaching, Administration, Encouragement, Counseling

Church Planting Assistant

Priscilla and Aquila Evangelism, Helps, Hospitality, Mentoring Encouragement

Paul’s Teams from the Harvest

p  “The majority of Paul’s co-workers came from the new churches he had established… The ‘home churches’ of these workers acknowledge that they share in the responsibility for the expansion of the kingdom of God by providing missionary workers who help Paul.”

Schnabel The Early Christian Mission 2008: 255

Regional Support Systems p ACTS system

1.  Assessing 2.  Coaching 3.  Training 4.  Supporting Church

Plan+ng Support Systems

Church Planter Assessment

Coaching

Training

Prayer & Financial Support

Multiplication Training Cycle

Model A

ssist

Watch Leave

What is Coaching?

p Not supervising or telling others what to do.

p Coaching is coming alongside someone to help them discover God’s plan for some aspect of their life or ministry and take steps toward accomplishing it. Bob Logan

Coaching and Training

p Coaching helps us pass the baton to others

p A tool to develop, empower and release (send out) leaders

p  Training is for formation. Coaching is for implementation of training and growth.

p  Together they Develop, Empower and Release new workers for the harvest

Regional Support Systems

Workshop (monthly)

New Church Incubator

Church Plant

Church Plant

Church Plant

Church Plant

Church Planter - CP CP Spouse – CPS Lay leader - LL

CP CPS LL

CP CPS LL

CP CPS LL

Team Dysfunctions Patrick Lencioni p  “And so, like a chain with just one link

broken, teamwork deteriorates if even a single dysfunction is allowed to flourish.” Patrick Lencioni

Four Stages of Team Development

Tuckman (1965) and Love (1996)

Four Stages of Team Development p  forming (honeymoon stage) p  storming (working through differences) p  norming (agreeing on processes and

goals) p  Performing (accomplishing mission)

What are the implications for church planting teams?

Ten Signs of a Healthy Team

How do you recognize a healthy team?

Ten Signs of a Healthy CP Team

1.  The leadership issue is settled. 2.  Members share a clear and compelling

purpose. 3.  They have complementary roles and found a “ministry fit.”

4.  They have simple, functional patterns of decision-making, communication & cooperation.

5.  They recognize the inevitability of conflict and know how to resolve it.

Ten Signs of a Healthy CP Team (cont’d)

6.  They have built trust and loyalty and guard them carefully.

7.  They have a healthy balance between task orientation and people orientation.

8.  They invest time in team building. They remain fluid and flexible to serve the higher purpose.

9.  They value results and use evaluation for accountability.

Discussion p Does you agree with this acrostic?

n  T-ogether n  E-ach n  A-ccomplishes n  M-ore

p What might be the advantages and disadvantages of forming church planting teams in your context?

Church Planting Teams

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