Church Planting Movements: Global Strategy and the Multiplication of the Church

Summary of the Argument

Church planting movements (CPMs)—rapid multiplication of indigenous churches within a people group or population segment—have emerged as one of the most significant missiological developments of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. David Garrison's research, published in Church Planting Movements (2004), documented dozens of CPMs occurring simultaneously around the world, particularly in the Global South, and identified common characteristics that contribute to their rapid growth. These movements, which often occur in contexts of persecution and limited resources, challenge Western assumptions about church planting and raise important questions about the nature of the church and the dynamics of church growth.

CPMs are characterized by several common features: a focus on making disciples who make disciples, the rapid multiplication of small house churches, the development of indigenous leadership, the use of simple reproducible methods, and a dependence on prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit. Their rapid growth in contexts where Western-style institutional churches have struggled to take root suggests that the church's mission may be more effective when it is less dependent on Western cultural forms and institutional structures.

Critical Evaluation

The Theology of Church Planting Movements

The theology underlying CPMs draws on several sources: the New Testament's model of rapid church multiplication in Acts, the church growth movement's emphasis on people movements, and the Pentecostal tradition's emphasis on the power of the Holy Spirit. CPM practitioners argue that the New Testament model of church planting—characterized by rapid multiplication, indigenous leadership, and simple reproducible methods—is more effective than the Western model of institutional church planting that requires significant resources and professional leadership.

Critics of CPMs have raised concerns about theological depth, doctrinal integrity, and the quality of discipleship in rapidly multiplying movements. The emphasis on speed and multiplication can sometimes come at the expense of theological formation and the development of mature Christian character. The challenge for CPM practitioners is to maintain the momentum of rapid multiplication while ensuring that new believers are adequately discipled and that new churches are theologically grounded.

CPMs and the Global Church

The emergence of CPMs in the Global South has profound implications for the global church. These movements demonstrate that the church can grow rapidly in contexts of poverty, persecution, and limited resources, challenging the assumption that effective church planting requires significant financial investment and professional leadership. They also demonstrate the importance of indigenous leadership and culturally appropriate forms of church, challenging the Western church's tendency to export its own cultural forms along with the gospel.

Relevance to Modern Church

Contemporary Significance

The church planting movement's emphasis on rapid multiplication, indigenous leadership, and simple reproducible methods has influenced church planting strategies worldwide. Its challenge to Western assumptions about church planting has enriched the church's understanding of the diversity of forms that the church can take in different cultural contexts. And its demonstration that the church can grow rapidly in contexts of persecution and limited resources has encouraged Christians facing similar challenges in their own contexts.

For ministry professionals, engagement with church planting movements provides resources for understanding the dynamics of church multiplication and for developing strategies for church planting that are both theologically faithful and culturally appropriate. For credentialing in church history and missiology, Abide University offers programs that engage this important tradition.

Implications for Ministry and Credentialing

Engagement with church planting movements provides resources for understanding the dynamics of church multiplication and for developing strategies for church planting that are both theologically faithful and culturally appropriate. For credentialing in church history and missiology, Abide University offers programs that engage this important tradition.

For ministry professionals seeking to formalize their expertise, the Abide University Retroactive Assessment Program offers a pathway to academic credentialing that recognizes prior learning and pastoral experience.