MCC Church Planting Initiative
Module I
MCC’s Denominational Church Planting Strategy

Rev. Elder Arlene Ackerman

Lyle Schaller writes:
	
“If you are interested in reaching new people, by far the most effective way to do this is through church planting.”


MCC’s Denominational Church Planting Strategy
In this module you find an overview of MCC’s Church Planting Initiative. This is the first of three modules. 

This module looks at why we need to plant churches and common objections to church
planting.


Church Planting for a Greater Harvest by C. Peter Wagner

“Without exception, the growing denominations have been those that stress church planting.”

“The single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven is church planting.”

“In any geographic area, the Christian community will grow or decline according to the degree of effort given to planting new churches.”


Lyle Schaller writes:

“Church Planting continues to be the most useful and productive component of any denominational church growth strategy.”


Why Plant Churches?
* Biblical Mandate:  Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…”

* Are there currently enough MCCs to service the GLBT and supportive community (our nation) in every major city/country worldwide?
– For example there are currently no MCCs in:
– Berlin		Brooklyn	Paris		Perth
– Montreal	China		India		?





Why Plant Churches?
* How many flavors of MCC are needed to reach our “nation”?
– Different Faith Expressions - progressive, charismatic, evangelical, …….
– Different Worship Styles – traditional, blended, contemporary
– Different Focuses – social justice, youth & families, retired people and much, much   
   more!


Common Objections to Planting Churches

* Territorialism – fear that the new church will “steal” sheep and weaken the existing church.

      “Well fed sheep cannot be stolen”  ~ Donald McGavran

* Focus on building up existing churches
– The hardest church to grow is the long established church, according to Lyle Schaller

* Start-Up costs are too high, we can’t afford it
– Depends on our philosophy of planting churches


What About Strengthening Our Existing Churches?
* It is not about choosing one over the other.  We must dedicate ourselves to both.
– Some existing churches need resourcing to become more effective in reaching their target.
– Some talk about reaching out but are really happy at the size they are.

--Churches have a life cycle – existing churches will grow and decline and some will die.     
      Some will discover new birth. 


The Need for a Denominational Strategy

If UFMCC wants to reach beyond our current number of churches, it will be because we create an effective plan that:


Church Planting Essential Reading 

Wagner, C. Peter.  Church Planting For A Greater Harvest – A Comprehensive Guide.  Regal Books, Ventura, CA.  1990.	This book is highly recommended for every church planter

Moore, Ralph.  Starting A New Church – The Church Planters Guide to Success.  Regal Books, Ventura CA. 2002.

Special thanks to Rev. Stephanie Burns and Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggelston and the Church Planting Education Team for the development of this series of training modules.




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