The Critical Elements

In this article I want to begin to explain some key concepts about "Church Planting Movements." I hope to both give key information and to help you understand my passion for CPM.
There are two ways of looking at the "mission" of Christ. One is to see it as a general goal (the Great Commission) with a number of related, but separate, tasks that different people engage in and that somehow contribute to fulfilling the task. Some examples might be:
  • Preaching
  • Training leaders
  • Building church buildings
  • Christian schools
  • Medical missions
  • Food distribution
  • Church planting
  • Crusades
  • Bible colleges

In this view, the list of activities are all separate and equal activities which people would engage in based on gifts, interest or need.

The other way would be to see a more specific goal, such as church planting or the development of church planting movements as the target and to see the other types of ministries as elements of that goal. This example would look more like a circle called CPM, surrounded by spokes labled preaching, training leaders, education, medical missions, etc.

This second viewpoint is the one I hold. I believe that CPM (a goal of seeing a self-replicating church planting movement in every region and among every people group) is a target to shoot for. All other legitimate mission activity can work toward this goal. But CPM is the goal, not just another thing in the list!

Should CPM be the target goal of missions? I think so, as long as we really understand what it is. Here some definitions will be helpful, so let me end this article with a few.

CHURCH: A local group of baptized believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who gather regularly for worship, nurture and fellowship. A group that depart the gathering endeavoring to obey all the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ. A basic Christian community.

CHURCH PLANTING: The process of winning individuals and families to Christ through any and all means that effectively communicate to the culture, then gathering and baptizing them into the Body of Christ for the purpose of being and doing church.

CHURCH PLANTING MOVEMENT: Local churches within a people group rapidly and regularly planting multiple new churches within the same people group as a normal part of being and doing church.

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