Short-Cycle Church Planting
The world has changed. Missions has not...
Back before the turn of the twentieth century, when many mission agencies were birthed by the Student Volunteer Movement of the 1880s, travel was by steamship, communication was difficult, and terms were long. Even fifty years ago, when the conclusion of World War II brought a tidal wave of new missionaries, little had changed.
But now warp-speed change has gripped this world fueled by globalization and terrorism. The static has been replaced by the fluid. Old paradigms based upon assumptions and not realities prove to be increasingly ineffective.
Today communication is instantaneous and global. Today travel is fast and relatively cheap. Today the doors to countries open and close quickly as governments form, fall and re-form again. Today the most unreached nations are also the most unstable. Today there are more unbelievers alive than at any other time in history. Tomorrow there will be even more.
What does this mean for the evangelical missionary enterprise? It means that present and future effectiveness requires a willingness to look at new models, new structures and new paradigms. One such paradigm is Short-Cycle Church Planting®.
What is Short-Cycle Church Planting?
Short-Cycle Church Planting is a team-based approach to church planting. We aim to develop mature, reproducing churches led by nationals within five years of arrival in the field. Ultimately, it is about God's power flowing through teams.
With this approach, every element of the church-planting process, from language learning to evangelism to leadership development, is undertaken simultaneously and accomplished as efficiently as possible within our faith context.
Short-Cycle Church Planting doesn’t look the same in every field. Flexibility is built into this strategy so that teams can adjust to the cultural and political environments of a particular country. Whatever the specific means, the goal is to establish and develop a church as quickly as possible so that, with whatever time God gives us in a field, lives are transformed by the power of Jesus Christ.
Theological Basis for Short-Cycle Church Planting
The power of the gospel.
Some of the nicest people in the world lack courage. That is, when we begin to be concerned about what people think of us, boldness disappears. Our fear of being rejected causes us to zip our lips, even though we interact with needy people all around us. Why are we embarrassed to share our faith? We have forgotten there is power in the gospel. Romans 1:16 says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God, for the salvation of everyone who believes.” A powerful gospel eliminates our embarrassment, gives us confidence to share it with others, and gives us the ability to pursue short-cycle church planting on the mission field. We are sending out missionaries equipped with spiritual dynamite!
The purposes of God.
In Romans 3 we read “no one is righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.” Man, in his natural state, has no interest in spiritual things. But Ephesians 1 tells us God seeks after man. He has chosen us before the foundation of the world to be conformed to the image of Christ. God calls us to Himself, and because He is sovereign, His call cannot be refused. Yet, God’s purposes for this age are not complete. He has chosen and predestined people from every tribe and tongue to be His worshipers. Therefore, as missionaries, we can go forth with hope and confidence, knowing our efforts are consistent with God's sovereign purposes (Romans 8:28–30).
The primacy of prayer.
Ephesians 6 says, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Such spiritual warfare is especially evident on the mission field. Knowing Satan is aggressively and relentlessly resisting us, how can we successfully plant churches in a relatively brief amount of time? Paul realized the only way he would see the gospel move forward was when fellow believers were diligently interceding for him (Colossians 4:2–4). We cannot pry open doors for the gospel. We can only pray open doors for the gospel. Only God can defeat the forces of Satan and provide avenues for His truth and He does in response to the prayers of His people.
Innovative practices.
Short-cycle church planting is based on a belief in innovative practices. With the world changing as rapidly and profoundly as it is today, the only way to have high-quality contacts with people is to think with innovation at all times. As we do, God will provide opportunities to connect with people in powerful ways, just like He did with Paul in Athens (Acts 17:16–34). Innovative methods do not guarantee evangelistic success. That’s in God’s hands. But by creating an environment of innovation on a missionary team where experimentation, creativity and risk-taking is valued and applauded, we enhance our ability to make a connection with people and gain a hearing.
Short Cycle Church Planting Operations
Short-cycle church planting utilizes and values the creative synergy of a team of individuals. It takes the “lean thinking” of the manufacturing world and imports it to the church-planting process so every element of the process, from language learning to evangelism to leadership development, is done as efficiently as possible.
Team
A highly trained, carefully selected team of people.
Simultaneous Activity
Instead of thinking sequentially, the team will focus on all phases of church planting concurrently.
High Trust
The team will display high trust in God, His Spirit, His Word and the nationals to lead the Church effectively.
Overt Witness
The team will sow the seed of the gospel early, often and directly with a view to finding key people who will fully evangelize their community.
Restricted Scope
We strive to eliminate dependency by involving nationals at all levels of ministry.
Tactical Advantage
The team will continuously look for leverage that will acceleratetheir efforts.
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