EMQ » July–September 2020 » Volume 56 Issue 3
By Neil Powell and John James
Intervarsity Press, 2019
240 pages
USD $18.00
Reviewed by Benjamin D. Espinoza, associate vice president for online education and assistant professor of practical theology, Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester, New York.
Reaching the world for Christ is a momentous task, and church planting is often propped up as the best vehicle for evangelism and discipleship. However, while being a “church-planting church” is a step in the right direction, becoming a church that multiplies churches with other churches is even better. That is the central thesis of Powell and James’ Together for the City. They “aim to convince [readers] that collaborative church-planting movements are a Christ-honoring implication of the gospel and a strategic way to reach our communities for Jesus” (7).
Organized around the “Why and What” (part 1), the “How” (part 2), and the “Who” (part 3), the authors carefully lay out a vision for collaborative church planting. In part 1, they provide a sketch of their context (Birmingham, England), and how their vision for multiplying churches was born out of spiritual necessity for their location. They describe how they found their collaborators and the healthy dynamics that facilitated the development of their church planting network. In part 2, the authors posit a framework for developing healthy church-planting collaborations. They suggest that when ecclesial networks share “Core” (theological convictions), “Cause” (theological vision), and “Code” (theological principles), collaborative church-planting is the result. They are attentive to the fact that collaborative church-planting will look different from context to context. Part 3 explores the fruit of the movement and provides numerous sketches of churches that have originated out of such networks.
The authors write well and persuasively. They are quick to highlight their mistakes and the limitations of their model. They are honest about the challenges that come with such an endeavor, but remain committed to the belief that when done well, collaborative church planting can accomplish much for the sake of the gospel. The book is chock-full of anecdotes, rich biblical and theological reflection, and guiding principles and practices for collaborative church-planting. One concern might be that the authors remain skeptical of the effectiveness of denominations for multiplying churches, a skepticism which may resonate with nondenominational church planters, but not with those who have benefitted from the resources and local networks a denomination can provide.
Those with a heart to reach a particular context will find great encouragement and wise strategy from Together for the City. Pastors and ministry leaders who work in church-rich contexts that need the gospel will find this vision compelling and hopefully spur gospel-centered churches to find each other and collaborate for the sake of bringing others to Jesus.
For Further Reading
James, Christopher. Church Planting in Post-Christian Soil: Theology and Practice. Oxford University Press, 2017.
Paas, Stefan. Church Planting in the Secular West: Learning from the European Experience. Eerdmans, 2016.
