#Exponential 2011 Notes: Had the privilege of sitting in on a Church Planting Movements Panel led by Ed Stetzer with some of the best thinkers in the world on the topic:

• Steve Addison, author of Movements that Change the World.
• David Watson
• George Patterson, author of Church Multiplication Guide
• Felicity Dale, author of An Army of Ordinary People and The Rabbit and the Elephant: Why Small is the New Big
• David Garrison, author of Church Planting Movements

A few notes:

Felicity Dale

• The states may be the hardest place to be a Christian because there is no cost.
• Ordinary people are the key to a church planting movement.
• What would it look like if nobody cared who gets the credit?
• In the reformation God put the Bible into the hands of ordinary people. Today, God is putting the church in the hands of ordinary people.
• We need parallels to today’s “LEGACY Model” of church.
• Aren’t house churches angry children of mega church parents? God will not multiply angry disgruntled groups.

Steve Addison

• Why do movements talk resonate with people? The fact that Jesus can change peoples lives resonates with people. As he does, movements happen.
• The mega church is a monster. You wake up and it wants you.
• Faces and names change you.

George Patterson

• You’ll never get a movement while pushing camels through the eye of a needle.
• To start a movement in the states you must start a second track among the poor and marginalized people.
• An obstacle is our emphasis on personal faith. The word personal is not in the Bible. Private, individualistic faith is death to a movement.
• God does not see people as isolated individuals but as part of a larger social network.
• Do what Jesus commanded and the apostles did. Use the Bible as a filter.
• Love Jesus enough to obey his commands.
• Build it around unbelievers.
• Model evangelism in a way that everyone can do it.
• Keep the deep Bible teachers out of the way.

David Garrison

• Difficult paradigm in the U.S. because of our emphasis on planting “A” church instead of wanting to transform a region, then doing what it will take to do that.
• Different mindset needed. We must think about our entire region or city instead of me and my church. And know that our role will be a small part if lasting change will happen.
• Kaleidoscopic approach needed. Multiple weapons.
• How do you eradicate cancer? Diet, surgery, treatment, etc.
• A healthy Christian in the US is one that is busy with other Christians.

David Watson

• Challenge in the US: We’re a one weapon army. Can’t win a war with a single weapon. What are the variety of weapons needed to reach this people.
• Shift in thinking: To be a disciple you have to make disciples.
• Christianity in the US is about management instead of leadership. Churches are management systems.
• We need pastors to become leaders in their communities.