EMQ » April–June 2021 » Volume 57 Issue 2
Edited by Dave Coles and Stan Parks
24:14 Publishers, 2019
345 pages
US$8.52
Reviewed by Gene Wilson, former church planter, now global catalyst with ReachGlobal and co-author with Craig Ott of Global Church Planting: Biblical Principles and Best Practices for Multiplication, Baker Academic (2011).
Coles and Parks have made an important contribution to our growing understanding of Church Planting Movements (CPMs) through this compendium of articles and case studies by thirty-seven authors from ten different countries. Many of the authors are non-Western leaders of CPMs. This anthology is a gold mine of narratives and analysis, interspersed with research and appeals. The articles, most originally published in Mission Frontiers, are grouped in two parts: The first centers on Jesus’ promise in Matthew 24:14 concerning the preaching of the gospel in the whole world and describes how CPMs are accelerating the day of Christ’s return. The second reports how churches, agencies, and individuals are responding and what else is needed.
I recommend this treasure trove of articles to CPM students and practitioners for the realism of its movement narratives, the diversity of its voices, and the internal coherence that emerges. The appendices contain helpful definitions and clarifications. Case studies are drawn from a broad array of contexts, including a few Western ones. I resonated with C. D. Davis’ five lessons the American Church is learning from CPMs, a must-read for anyone who has a CPM vision in a post-Christian context. I expect that skeptics who read it will have some of their questions answered but will still have some lingering doubts.
For example: Is the definition of a church adequate? We are told (Chapter 10) that it must be biblical and reproducible and follow the pattern of Acts 2:42–47. However, a definition with baseline essentials would have been helpful. And can a church be considered planted without a group of spiritual leaders who meet the New Testament qualifications (Acts 6, Titus 1 and 2 Timothy 3)? The Scriptures are presented as a sufficient guard against heresy while the Epistles indicate that elders apt to teach and correct are needed. I recognize that the authors do not present this as an apologetic treatise and have addressed some of these issues elsewhere.
Reading candid testimonials from all over the world gave me great joy. The FAQ section in the appendix was helpful in dispelling some myths and presenting a broader tent than I expected. I appreciated the recognition that many specialized ministries can contribute to movements and that not all are called to catalyze CPMs. But I was left feeling uncomfortable with the emphasis on rapid, explosive multiplication in multiple streams. While those are desirable, they are not biblical mandates or part of Jesus’ promise. On the other hand, many in the early stages will resonate with Lee Wood’s appeal (137) to take care of the depth of their ministry so that God will take care of its breadth. In a nutshell, the book was informative, enjoyable, and challenging.
