The very mention of “Transformational Church Planting Movements” in the question indicates that such a movement exists, otherwise how can one even begin to talk about it.  Now the task is to establish the veracity of reports that quantify the extent or the spread of Church planting movements. 

Thinking from the prevalent paradigm, such movements – as a result of age-old strategies – are quite surprising, if not impossible, because how can something which had been repeatedly tried without results suddenly start giving results of an unprecedented magnitude in a “sterile atmosphere”?  This being the case, especially when the recorded history of missions among unreached people groups, does not present an encouraging story of success.  Another reason for suspicion is the disappointment from reports published by different groups in the past, which, when truly verified, turned out to be cases of misrepresentation of facts and manipulation.

In the book of Acts, the church was earnestly praying for the release of Peter, but when Peter, released from prison, stood knocking at the door, they just could not believe that Peter was released.  In the same way, for long we have been asking God for church planting movement without really expecting it because of the bias from past experience of seeing no commendable results.  However, with the shift in paradigm in terms of changing our strategies from linear church planting to more biblical – church planting multiplication, and with the focus shifting from individual transformation to that of the community (with emphasis on holistic transformation from kingdom perspective), today, church is beginning to have greater movement and participation in the community instead of being an isolated religious entity.   As a result, the speed of church planting movement, i.e., the rapid expansion due to simultaneous church planting multiplication, is unprecedented in the historical understanding of most believers, as well as historians of missions.

The majority of mission works in the 10/40 window were initiated, influenced or sponsored by leaders from a western mindset.  The Church has typically been the source of most missionary movements, using methodologies that have inherently slowed down the movements through its intricate and time consuming training systems, high missionary cost and time loss in terms of skipping several generations in the process of preparation to take up mission challenges.  A pertinent example, to substantiate this is the case of William Carey in the year 1780.  He had to wait for eleven long years to be accepted as a missionary and to be sent out by the Baptist order.

Biblical Perspective on Church Planting Movement

Now, looking at church planting from a biblical perspective, it begins to make sense when we look at it in the light of the Great Commission – to make disciples (Matt 28:18-20).  Here the focus is on transformation of people.  The emphasis is not on how the church should look, rather, it is on how transformed people should look.  Then, it is the transformed people who create a new community and live by the Commands of the Master and Lord Jesus.

When we browse through Acts 13 to 21, we see that the activities of Paul and his fellow workers established the first ever church planting movement, demonstrably with a flexible, reproducible and economical church planting strategy that operated under a surprisingly brief timeline.  We can, to a large extent, identify ourselves with the culture and community lifestyle of Paul’s time.  By re-examining their methods and strategies, we can revise the church planting models that we use today, and thereby enhance our expectations of what God can accomplish through His people as He builds His Church.  Listed below are seven key observations, which probably, Church Planters in many places would consider as ridiculous strategies.

1. On an average, churches that were planted became self-sufficient in about 12 months.
2. The work was unfunded, accomplished by bi-vocational servants.
3. Paul planted multiple churches regionally, often from a base camp church in a major city (churches that planted churches).
4. There was follow-up by Paul and/or itinerant missionaries; also there were letters sent from time to time to continue support and encouragement, especially through times of troubles.
5. Whole households were being discipled (or targeted) not just individuals.
6. After an initial time in weeks or months of reaching new disciples, they were left on their own as a church without formal leadership, for months, as in the case of Thessalonians church (Acts 17).
7. Paul enlists additional workers from among the new churches as local elders (on an average with 6 to 12 months’ experience as believers) and as itinerants (with about 2 years’ experience as believers). They all share the same focus (see Eph 4:11-16).

For Paul, the focus was to involve everyone in the purpose of bringing “one-another” into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.  In Ephesians, Paul is explicit that the apostolic giftings and NT elders are given “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ…speaking the truth in love, we will in all things, grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (italics mine) Eph 4:12-13, 15-16.

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