GUEST POST by Dr. Bekele Shanko, Vice President – Global Church Movements
Original Post at Global Church Movements; Used by Permission
God knew the power of multiplication. His very first command to mankind is to, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28). God knew that it would be possible to fill the earth if there was multiplication. As we work together with many like-minded churches and mission agencies to be a catalyst for planting five million additional healthy churches and missional communities, it is very important for us to understand and apply factors that are critical for multiplication. But what are these factors?
1. Focus on new believers
New believers have many friends who do not yet know Christ. They have just tasted the grace and love of God. They have passion to share the love of God with their friends. Therefore, let us focus on training new believers to be effective witnesses for Christ.
2. Select church planters carefully
Not every believer is a church planter. God distributes gifts according to His plan. Let’s find ways to identify those who are called as church planters. Some organizations use assessment tools. The quality and speed of multiplication depends on the quality of people that are being trained as church planters. Therefore, let’s invest in the right people.
3. Discover and multiply what is working
God is already at work in so many places. Find out where and how God is at work regarding multiplication. Go, visit and learn from those situations. If God is working in your area, invite others to come and learn from you. Good leaders are good learners. So, let’s be open to learn from others.
4. Keep everything simple
Remember, it is difficult to transfer complex content and process. Multiplication depends on the transferability of the tools, strategies, content and process you have. So let’s keep our strategies very simple so that they are easily transferred from person to person.
5. Be a good mentor
Quality church multiplication requires quality coaching. Training without effective on-the-job coaching does very little to ensure practice and fruitfulness. That’s the reason we strongly recommend an experienced coach for every five church planters. Such coaches come alongside church planters, praying together, encouraging, and giving additional input into their life, family and ministry. Let’s be a good coach and assign good coaches.
6. Be fast
Multiplication takes intention and speed. One of the characteristics of powerful movements is that they move fast. A church planting movement that is slow is not a movement. However, we must not compromise quality for the sake of speed. We must maintain a delicate balance between the two. Speed must be based on making disciples who make disciples who make disciples, passion for evangelism, and the ability to identify, train and coach potential church planters from newly established churches and missional communities. So, let’s add speed to your church planting processes.
7. Pray
Jesus told us that we can do nothing without Him (John 15:6). We must abide in Christ and partner with Him as He builds His victorious Church. We must mobilize prayers, walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, and believe in God for greater things.
Jesus said, “You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit-fruit that will last-and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you” (John 15:16).
Let’s ask the Father for an additional five million healthy churches and missional communities in the name of Jesus through rapid multiplication.