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August 2010 Volume 33, Number 8 Some thoughts on Church Planting from the Vestry Retreat There are several ways that a church can be planted in a particular area. The first concept we might consider is how Saint Dunstan’s was formed. A group of people gather with a common identity and with a particular purpose and begin to worship together. In this first model the group is united with a common purpose and the group usually very much alike in their experiences and thoughts. A church can be planted by a missionary priest as a territory of area is assigned to the priest by a Bishop and the priest travels in the area to determine the best place or places to begin mission work. The diocese of Eau Claire was started in this way and when you examine the church of the diocese they are all located where the Rail Road that ran in Northwestern Wisconsin. The missionary priests rode the trains on a regular circuit to care for the people of the mission area. A church can be planted organically, that is to say with some spontaneity when people are gathered in a particular area and isolated from others. The church in the villages of Europe might be an example of this type of church planting. As the village grew or the area around a monastery the people wanted to have their own place of worship and so they gathered as a village or town and began a church. Today, there are three types of church planting techniques which are highly effective. The first is the method used by the Mega-Churches. A team is sent into an area and they begin by talking with people about church and what they do or do not like about the existing churches. Much like the consumer research done by corporations, information is gathered concerning attitudes and number of people available in an area who might attend a church if one is planted. If the area is revealed to be fertile ground for a church plant, within a few months the missionary team moves into the area and the national organization funds the planting of a church. We have all seen in our mail boxes the catchy ads about the new church that will be formed in our area at this place and time. A lot of money is spent on advertising the new church using the data that the survey group assembled. What the Mega-Church does with their ads is to tell the people what the people told them. In other words if the data shows that people want: contemporary music, family programs, a good youth group and preaching that is topical and current. The ads tell the people that Church X will have all these things and so a group of people are gathered. The difficulty with this method is that some might question if the Gospel is being preached or if the church is being marketed like a new snack food. If the Gospel is to be proclaimed in truth and love then it is not always entertaining, does not always make us feel good about ourselves and leads us to question who we are and how we are living. The heart of the Gospel Message can be lost and although people can be entertained they may or may not be able to find the road to conversion and redemption. The second method is an old and well proven method. The diocese evaluates the need for a church in a particular area. There are people who wish to have a church and are willing to support the efforts, but cannot form a church without assistance from the larger church. A Diocesan Mission can be established and some support can be offered by the diocese for this work. There is usually a time limit to the assistance and the amount of assistance varies as to the size and wealth of the diocesan organization. There is difficulty with either of the first two methods. Our own diocese or national church is not able to support any mission work at this time, so it will be up to the individual churches to daughter congregations, if the church is to grow. Depending upon the national or diocesan organization to hire a planter priest is not an option. We currently have individuals who would be interested in having an Anglican Church in their local area. However, the number of people in any one area is small. The great movements of religious fervor of the last century which grew the church after the Second Would War have long past and those who would leave current mainline churches over theological or moral issues grows smaller day by day. Religious thought is more and more being formed not by Biblical Reflection, but by the political and social issues of the day. Apathy is the enemy for this method of church growth. So what is the answer? A new model- the next biggest and brightest? No, the old model and oldest method is what needs to be employed and that is what the Vestry has committed to begin. The method is St. Paul’s Method. Go into the homes and gather people who want to hear the message of the Gospel, the basic message of Christianity. We will use the Alpha Program to introduce the Christian Truth. The Alpha Program incorporates, Bible Study, Worship and Christian Education in one package. After the people have attended the Alpha Group Sessions they will be asked if they want to continue to meet as a group, whether they would host an Alpha Group or work with others who will be focused on sharing what they have learned with other in their communities. With the Grace and guidance of the Holy Ghost in a fairly short period of time there can be a fairly large number of people in a particular area who have had the shared experience of Alpha and would have been prepared either for Baptism, or Confirmation. They would have been worshipping together in small groups and perhaps in a larger group by that time. A Mission Church will have been formed and the Twin Cities area we might have two, three or four Anglican Church. My prayer is that we can begin this work this year. You will be hearing more about the how and why this needs to be done in the weeks ahead. The first two sites where we wish to offer Alpha Programs are St. Paul or East towards Wisconsin and South of the River. When you examine the map in the undercroft you will see the distribution of members at St, Dunstan’s. Although some members come from these areas the majority of our parishioners live in the north and western parts of the area. This work will allow us to invite those not currently served by an Anglican Church to share with us the joy of knowing and loving the Lord. Bart + |
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