| The
guiding principles that focus the efforts of The Christian
and Missionary Alliance (USA) to remissionize America by
participating in God’s church multiplication movement. We
are persuaded that . . . |
| 1. |
Jesus
Christ is Lord of the harvest. He invites us to join Him in
gathering His lost sheep from all people groups across
America. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what
was lost (Luke 19:10). |
| 2. |
Effective
evangelism through church planting among under-evangelized
people groups has been the historical focus of the C&MA. |
| 3. |
Church
Planting is an obedient response to follow Jesus’ ministry
priorities as described in Luke 4:43: He said, ‘I must
preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other
towns also, because that is why I was sent.’ |
| 4. |
The
befriending and winning of lost people, not the attracting
of sheep from other folds must be the focus of every church
plant. When the Pharisees saw Him eating with the
‘sinners’ and tax collectors, they asked His disciples:
‘Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus
said to them, ‘it is not the healthy who need a doctor,
but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but
sinners.’ (Mark 2:16–17). |
| 5. |
Effective
evangelism in a post-Christian country requires the
innovation of new paradigms for churches. The Gospel must be
incarnated in communities through relational ministry.
Simple discipling structures designed to raise up leaders
from the harvest for the harvest must be developed. ‘No
one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine
will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins
will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.’
(Mark 2:21). |
| 6. |
Mission logical
principles of barrier crossing must be employed. Host
cultures must be understood and respected as the Gospel is
presented simply, clearly and relevantly. The Apostle Paul
captured this insight when he stated, ‘I make myself a
slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. I have become
all things to all men so that by all possible means I might
save some.’ (I Cor. 9:19,22). |
| 7. |
We
are committed to investing in the church planter and spouse
to equip them for the task of church planting. This
investment includes providing a dedicated assessment for
church planter and spouse; complete process training through
a church planter’s Boot Camp and the assignment of a
trained coach to walk with him through the first two years
of the project. |
| 8. |
We
are committed to a multiplication mentality that sees the
multiplying of disciples, small groups, leaders and
congregations as the objective, not the mere survival of a
single plant. |
| 9. |
We
believe that the planting of healthy reproducing churches is
an urgent matter that requires a sodalic* approach to
mission, including a radical and sacrificial commitment by
districts, local churches and workers. ‘Do you not know
that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the
prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who
competes in the games goes into strict training. . .
Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly, I do
not fight like a man beating the air.’ (I Cor.
9:24–26).
*“Sodalic” is a term that emphasizes single-minded
focus, leads by vision, expects major commitment, is
decisive and is willing to take risk to reap a reward. |
| 10. |
We
are committed to developing a planting team for each
planting project. An integral component of this team is a
group of prayer partners who will support the launch team
with intercessory and strategic prayer. ‘Apart from me,
you can do nothing . . . Except the Lord builds the house,
the laborers labor in vain.’ (John 15:5; Psalm 127:1). |
| 11. |
We
believe in a systems approach to church planting that seeks
to plant healthy churches that have fully functioning
internal systems at birth. The casualty rate of premature
births is high. We aim for sufficient birth weight and
bodily development prior to going public. We employ a period
of intentional incubation of the core group for a season of
time before the new church is officially, publicly launched. |
| 12. |
We
are committed to the development of structures within our
districts that will result in the indigenization of our
church planting movement. This includes the development of
the following structures within each district:
- Prayer Mobilization
- Planter Recruitment &
Mobilization
- Planter Assessment
- Vision Clarification &
Communication
- Planter Training
- Planter Coaching
- Parent Church Recruitment &
Mobilization
- Funding Recruitment
|
| |
| 13. |
The
role of the National Church Planting Ministries Office is to
cast vision for an aggressive church multiplication movement
and to assist the districts and their local congregations in
the fulfillment of this vision. It will resource and
coordinate efficient equipping and coaching networks at
three levels: Key District Church Planting Leadership; Key
Parent Churches; Church Planters. |
| 14. |
In
recognition that previous generations of the church
sacrificed to give birth and extend Christ's Kingdom, we are
persuaded that every established church in the C&MA, is
responsible for reproducing itself in obedience to Acts 1:8;
locally in Jerusalem, regionally in Judea, among the
overlooked Samaritans, and among earth's unreached peoples. |
| 15. |
We
believe the fulfillment of the global vision of the C&MA
in the 21st century depends upon this generation's
sacrificial commitment to planting healthy reproducing
missionary churches. |
| 16. |
We
are thankful for everyone who shares our commitment to
joining God's church planting movement. We will seek to
assist and cooperate with other denominations and agencies
wherever and however we can to extend Christ's Kingdom. |
| Adopted
by the delegates to the 1999 Church Planting Advance, March
27-30, Chicago, Illinois |
