Getting to Your First Churches Seeking biblically simple, culturally relevant, reproducible churches

Baseline for CPM churches  Is this model and/or each aspect of church consistent with the Scripture?  Is this model of church something an average new believer can facilitate and organize?

Getting to a Biblical church  Deconstruct your cultural understanding of church  Define the bare minimum from Scripture of what church should be  Construct a church culturally appropriate from that (best done in context!)  BODY Take off the culturally foreign flesh Get the essential skeleton Put the culturally appropriate flesh back on

What is a church?  How is a church defined in the culture you come from?  Which of these qualities are required from Scripture?

What does the Word say?  Prescriptions (Examples) Matt 28:18-20 Matt 28: Cor 11: Cor 11: Cor 12 1 Cor 12 1 Cor 13 1 Cor 13 1 Cor 14 1 Cor 14 Ephesians Ephesians  Descriptions 1)Acts 2: )Acts 4: )Acts 4: )Acts 5:1-16 5)Acts 6:1-7 6)Acts 13:1-3, Acts 14:23

Create a simple, Biblical definition  As a group Start in small groups Start in small groups One difficulty: One difficulty: What is the minimum to make a group of people a church?What is the minimum to make a group of people a church?VERSUS What is the ideal for what a church should look like?What is the ideal for what a church should look like?  Personally for your ministry

Put cultural clothes on it  You will need to help apply this definition in a culturally appropriate manner E.g. Churches must teach and obey the authority of Scripture E.g. Churches must teach and obey the authority of Scripture Through prepared sermons?Through prepared sermons? Through inductive Bible study?Through inductive Bible study? Through listening to and applying Bible stories on CD?Through listening to and applying Bible stories on CD?

Simple to Start!  With this simple definition of church, how hard is it to start such a church? For you? For you? For your new target group believers? For your new target group believers?  Small groups of believers meeting in places already present in society (e.g. homes) have unlimited potential for multiplication!

Example from H People CPM  At least 2-3 immediately baptized believers meet at least once a week in a home or somewhere suitable using this pattern: Worship: sing a few songs Worship: sing a few songs Fellowship: ask about each person’s welfare and needs Fellowship: ask about each person’s welfare and needs Pray: take a few minutes to pray for needs and thank God Pray: take a few minutes to pray for needs and thank God Word: 1) read/listen to passage, 2) ask 6 questions, 3) Obey Word: 1) read/listen to passage, 2) ask 6 questions, 3) Obey Hardest part!!!Hardest part!!! Lord’s Supper: 1) confess sin to God & others, 2) remember Jesus’ sacrifice, 3) recommit to follow Him Lord’s Supper: 1) confess sin to God & others, 2) remember Jesus’ sacrifice, 3) recommit to follow Him Discuss plans to serve and witness this week Discuss plans to serve and witness this week

Church Planting Movement  A CPM is simply when local believers are excited about the Great Commission and by the power of the Holy Spirit plant simple churches that result in more multiplying churches.  “A rapid multiplication of indigenous churches planting churches that sweeps through a people group or population segment.” Garrison  OR, a Spirit-empowered movement of churches multiplying rapidly.