Drift Toward Theological Bankruptcy

John Piper & CJ Mahaney pray for Matt Chandler

“Church planting movements are usually found among people with robust beliefs, not generic belief systems.” -p. 180

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“The way to create a church multiplication movement on this continent is not by deemphasizing belief systems. Rather, it is by enhancing the view that proper doctrine is the work of all the saints, not just a special clergy classification.” -p. 180

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“In robust growing movements around the world, people respect and honor Scriptures as God’s Word in conjunction with a spiritual robustness of knowing God. And this knowledge of God, especially the soul-stirring and foot-moving immediacy of it, is something that has incredible effects when it is connected to the empowerment of God’s people to minister and witness.” -p. 180

(Another insight, again, from the book “Viral Churches” by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird)

Click here to see all obstacles to N. American Church Multiplication from the book

A Methodist circuit riding preacher from the early 1800's

Lack of Intentional Reproduction:

“Movements occur through small units that are readily reproducible. Those who want to see movements happen need to create simply structures that welcome reproducibility at every level.” -p. 178

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“Structures must accommodate movements, not vice versa. Intentionality surveying, testing, and adjusting our structures for reporduction helps to avoid the crushing weight of an organization.”-p. 179

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“What we celebrate, we duplicate and replicate. Celebrating multiplication guards us from allowing our existing strucures to become bottlenecks rather than catalysts.” -p. 179

(Another insight, again, from the book “Viral Churches” by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird)

Click here to see all obstacles to N. American Church Multiplication from the book.

Lack of Intentional Evangelism Combined with Social Good:

“Intentionality is focused on training people to share their faith and holding them accountable to follow through on their training. This doesn’t seem to be happening in America. If it is happening, it occurs most often in outmoded, nonindigenous ways or as a sales pitch for a particular gathering. No current western phenomenon of aggressive person-to-person relational evangelism is apparent.

Instead, many churches are so focused on the biblical mandates to cultivate purity in the church that they have lost their outward focus on redeeming the lost. That is like divorcing Jesus’ words about “repent and believe” from the “do good to others” teaching on the Sermon ont he Mount.” -p. 176

“A multiplying movement will result, with individual lives redeemed by the Gospel combined with the culture being impacted by God’s kingdom.” -p. 177

“Historical spiritual awakenings have always been accompanied by societal transformation.” -p. 176

(Another insight, again, from the book “Viral Churches” by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird)

Click here to see all obstacles to N. American Church Multiplication from the book.

Indigenous Believers Not Functioning as Priests:

Downtown Montréal

“The disempowerement of the laity simultaneously satisfies and disturbs many pastors. They suffer frustration from not being able to get others to do the work of the ministry and enjoy the sense of satisfaction that comes from ruling the roost. Such codependency is the death knell of movement Christianity.” -p. 174

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“When we minimize the priesthood of believers, we lose massive impact for the Gospel.” -p.175

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“True reproduction occurs when people are given permission to function as God has gifted and directed” -. 176

(Another insight, again, from the book “Viral Churches” by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird)

Click here to see all obstacles to N. American Church Multiplication from the book.

I've got nothing against Al, of course. But a life corresponding to 1 Timothy 3 qualifies for eldership, not a degree.

Labor-Segmented Clergification:

“The underlying value: If you are not professional clergy, then you probably can’t help. Unfortunately, this labor segmentation disempowers ordinary people from being involved in church multiplication.” -. 173

(Another insight, again, from the book “Viral Churches” by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird)

Click here to see all obstacles to N. American Church Multiplication from the book.

Ecclesionomics:

“…the normal pathway of a church, as it becomes established, is to hire a pastor and fund a facility. These economic realities often create invisible economic incentives and disincentives to spiritual growth within those churches. Unchecked, the normal response by a church working hard to fund a pastor, facility, and other ministry costs is to see new churches as competition.” -p. 172

(Another insight, again, from the book “Viral Churches” by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird)

Click here to see all obstacles to N. American Church Multiplication from the book.

Cultural Christianity:

“Western Christians have yet to find a biblically faithful way to be a good sort of “in the world” without being “of the world.” -p. 172

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“We’re like the colonial British living in India, inviting people to change and be imitators of our culture, rather than a group on mission to engage the outside world with the gospel.” -p. 172

(Another insight, again, from the book “Viral Churches” by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird)

Click here to see all obstacles to N. American Church Multiplication from the book “Viral Churches

Institutionalization:

“…as the institution grows, a church accumulates staff to meet the growing array of congregational needs, thereby making the congregation more and more internally self-sufficient and less cognizant of non-Christians with whom they might otherwise have redemptive contact and relationships.” -p. 171

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“The institutionalization of the church is essentially its immunization to an evangelistic impulse” -p.171

(Another insight, again, from the book “Viral Churches” by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird)

Click here to see all obstacles to N. American Church Multiplication from the book “Viral Churches.