by Robert E. Logan and Neil Cole
This is by far Logan’s best resource to date. He and Cole have teamed up to produce a high quality, principle-based church planting resource, rather than a model specific tool.
Church Smart Resources, 3830 Ohio Ave., St. Charles, IL 60174, 2005, 184 pages, $95.00.
—Reviewed by J. D. Payne, director, Nehemiah Project and assistant professor of church planting and evangelism, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky.
This is by far Logan’s best resource to date. He and Cole have teamed up to produce a high quality, principle-based church planting resource, rather than a model specific tool. Their approach to this resource makes it valuable for both Western and non-Western mission fields. Readers familiar with Logan’s works will quickly notice that Beyond Church Planting follows the traditional Logan-esque format—a three-ring binder with seven audio CDs, plus a CD containing corresponding Powerpoint material and pdf files. Aside from being principle-based, this work also differs from other church planting resources in that it maintains a focus on facilitating grassroots church multiplication movements and contains numerous worksheets to assist in applying the principles.
Divided into seven chapters, plus a Frequently Asked Question and Resources section, this work seeks to instill within church planters the need for a healthy biblical ecclesiology and the importance of methodologies and strategies that are highly translatable from context to context.
Chapter one casts the vision for church multiplication and notes challenges facing church planters. The second chapter discusses the need to see the church in more organic/relational terms and less in an institutional/programmatic manner. Here the reader is exposed to the DNA of the local church—Divine Truth, Nurturing Relationships and Apostolic Mission. Chapter three addresses the concept of effective evangelism. The authors write from the perspective that churches should be birthed from the harvest, rather than simply a transfer of believers from an established church to the new church. Also, they strongly advocate that leadership should emerge from the harvest as well. Evangelizing through oikos units is discussed in this chapter. Several principles are shared related to locating persons of peace. In chapter four, the authors discuss practical ways to reproduce disciples through a simple grassroots system. Chapter five addresses the multiplication of leaders by learning principles from Jesus’ approach and the value of coaching and mentoring. Chapter six is entitled “Organic Development” and discusses the necessary components for sustained organic growth, leadership multiplication and decentralized and centralized church networks. The final chapter assists the reader in implementing the principles/concepts covered in the previous chapters.
The seven audio CDs complement and correspond to each chapter. The authors’ recordings were made during a conference with assistance from two other church planters, Mike Perkinson and Tom Johnston. These recordings are an excellent addition to the resource. Here the presenters share the resource’s principles and illustrate with stories of their application.
Check these titles:
Cole, Neil. 2005. Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass.
Logan, Bob and Jeannette Buller. 2001. Cell Church Planter’s Guide. St. Charles, Ill.: ChurchSmart Resources.
Logan, Robert E. and Neil Cole. 1995. Raising Leaders for the Harvest. St. Charles, Ill.: ChurchSmart Resources.
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