Abilene Christian University

Graduate School of Theology

Church Planting and Development

Sept. 9-11, Oct. 7-9

BMIS 648                                   North Davis Church of Christ

3 credit hours                              Arlington, Texas

Class Times:  1:00-5:00 and 6:00-10:00 p.m. on Thursdays

                        8:00-12:00 a.m.; 1:00-5:00 p.m.

                        8:00-12:00 a.m. on Saturdays

Place:  North Davis Church of Christ, Arlington, Texas

Professor:

Dr. Gailyn Van Rheenen

Home Address:                                            Web Sites:

4207 Meadow Ridge Drive:                www.missionalive.org

Carrolton, TX  75010                          www.missiology.org

Email:  gailyn@missionalive.org

Meeting with Teacher:

By appointment

Mission

The mission of ACU is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.  Located within the College of Biblical Studies at Abilene Christian University, the Graduate School of Theology (GST) seeks to equip men and women for effective missional leadership for ministry in all its forms, and to provide strong academic foundations for theological inquiry.  By equipping students with the requisite skills, knowledge, and experience, the GST aspires to produce graduates with trained minds and transformed hearts.

Purpose

Church Planting and Development is designed to equip passionate leaders to become evangelists and church planters among post-modern peoples through an interrelated process of theological reflection upon the nature of mission and the church, cultural analysis of urban church planting contexts, historical understanding of the narratives that form perspectives of church planting, and strategy formation outlining practices reflecting the will of God in specific cultural contexts.  The course focuses on practically equipping missional leaders to develop church-planting movements.

Audience

Church Planting and Development is especially important for those with passion for evangelism and church planting.  While students pursuing the M.A. in Missions or the MDiv Missions Track may have special interest in this course, Church Planting and Development will enhance the ministry of all who are called to help existing churches plant other churches or to become church planters themselves.    

Course Description

Church Planting and Development provides the theological, cultural, and practical preparation for planting new churches and developing church planting movements. 

Course Goals

Church Planting and Development enables learners to . . .

• evaluate their call and abilities as evangelists and church planters.
• explain theological paradigms formative to incarnational, missional ministry.
• develop a biblical picture of church through theological reflection on specific biblical texts for the purpose of planting such churches.
• analyze contexts of church planting.
• perceive the historical narratives that form both the evangelists and the cultural contexts of their church planting ministry.
• implement theologically-focused, culturally-relevant strategies to plant and mature new churches. 

Required Textbooks and Readings

• Garrison, David.  Church Planting Movements.  Richmond, VA:  International Missions Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1999.  (Supplied by the teacher).
• Jones, Tom (ed).  Church Planting from the Ground Up.  Joplin, MO:  College Press, 2004.
• Murray, Stuart.  Church Planting:  Laying Foundations.  Scottdale, PE:  Herald Press, 2001.
• Webber, Robert E.  The Younger Evangelicals:  Facing the Challenges of the New World. Baker Books, 2002.
• Van Rheenen.  Gailyn.   Learning . . . .  growing . . .  collaborating . . . .   phasing out.  Evangelical Missions Quarterly.  36 (Jan. 2000):36-47.  (Can be accessed at www.jkevinparker.com/vanrheenen1)

Competencies and Measurements

Preliminary Course Outline

I.                 Introduction:  Qualities of a Church Planter

II.               Missional Leadership

III.             The Missional Helix:  From Theology to Practice

IV.            Thinking Theologically (about Church Planting)

A.              Theology of Mission

1.               Missio Dei

2.               The Kingdom of God

3.               Incarnation

4.               Crucifixion

B.              Theology of the Church (Ecclesiology) 

V.              Navigating the Culture (Developing a Cultural Profile)

A.              Participant-Observation

B.              The Ethnographic Interview

C.              Demographics

D.              Comparing Life Histories

VI.            Perceiving Historical Flows  

A.              Personal Histories

B.              Restoration Histories

C.              Cultural Histories

VII.          Developing Contextual Strategies

A.              Starting with the End in Mind

B.              Types of Church Planters:  Catalytic or Apostolic?

C.              Types of Church Planting

D.              Strategy Formation for Church Planting (The Model of Mission Alive)

E.               Process of Church Planting (Process in Mission Alive)

F.               Developing A Philosophy of Ministry

G.              Vision Casting

H.              Team Building

I.                 Evangelism and Follow Up

J.                Launching with Momentum

K.              Children’s Ministry

L.               Building Small Groups

M.             Stages of Mission Movement Development

Class Attendance

Regular attendance is expected of all students.  If learners are absent for any reason during this short course, they must talk with the professor.  

Course Assignments

1. Pre-Course Readings:  Before the commencement of the course, learners will write a three-page, single-spaced reflection on each of the following texts.  These reflections should (1) give the major thrusts of the readings and (2) critically engage its content by raising implications, questions, and objections and by applying the material to church-planting ministry.   Please read and reflect on the books in the following sequence.  The second and third reflections should reflect enhanced understandings from the previously reviewed book(s).

·       Webber, Robert E.  The Younger Evangelicals:  Facing the Challenges of the New World. Baker Books, 2002.

·       Jones, Tom (ed).  Church Planting from the Ground Up.  Joplin, MO:  College Press, 2004.

·       Murray, Stuart.  Church Planting:  Laying Foundations.  Scottsdale, PE:  Herald Press, 2001.

If you sign up late for the class, please call me to revise this reading schedule.

2. A Theology of the Church.  Based on the readings, research into significant texts about the church, and class lectures and discussions, learners will write a six-page ecclesiology in preparation for church planting ministry.  This ecclesiology should reflect (1) effective exegesis of two significant passages from 1 Peter, Ephesians, and/or other books of the New Testament and (2) application of the meanings of these texts to church planting in a specific cultural context.  In regard to the second aspect, the learner will answer the question, “What will a missional church look like in this specific cultural context?”

3. A Historical and Cultural Analysis for Church Planting.  Based upon class lectures and discussions, learners will write a six-page historical and cultural analysis of some specific prospective church-planting context of personal interest.  This analysis will present the results of effective participant-observation, ethnographic interviewing, and demographic analysis.

4. Mid-Course Readings. Learners will write a two-page, single-spaced reflection on the following small book and journal article before the second weekend of the class.  These reflections should (1) give the major thrust of the readings and (2) critically engage its content by raising implications, questions, and objections and by applying the materials to church-planting ministry.   

• Garrison, David.  Church Planting Movements.  Richmond, VA:  International Missions Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1999. 
• Van Rheenen.  Gailyn.   Learning . . . .  growing . . .  collaborating . . . .   phasing out.  Evangelical Missions Quarterly.  36 (Jan. 2000):36-47.  (Can be accessed at www.jkevinparker.com/vanrheenen1)

5. A Contextual Strategy Model.  Learners will develop a contextual model of strategy for a specific church planting reflecting theological perspectives and historio-cultural understandings.  This strategy model is a focused plan for church planting outlining (1) core shaping beliefs, (2) practical beliefs shaping ministry, (3) mission statement, (4) core values, (5) vision, (6) practices, (7) programs, and (8) personnel

6. Personal Gifting for Church Planting.  Based upon the church-planters gift inventory, discussions with spouse (if married) and friends, and interview with mentors, learners will write a 4-5 page description of their gifts for church planting and how these gifts fit into church planting ministry. 

Course Grading

Assignment                            Percentage of Final Grade      

Reflections on Readings               20%

Theology of the Church                 20%  

Historical and Cultural Analysis   20%  

Contexual Strategy Model             30% 

Gifting for Church Planting           10%     

Academic Integrity

Violations of academic integrity and other forms of cheating, as defined in ACU’s Academic Integrity Policy, involve the intention to deceive or mislead or misrepresent, and therefore are a form of lying and represent actions contrary to the behavioral norms that flow from the nature of God. Violations will be addressed as described in the Policy. While the university enforces the Policy, the most powerful motive for integrity and truthfulness comes from one’s desire to imitate God’s nature in his/her life. Every member of the faculty, staff and student body is responsible for protecting the integrity of learning, scholarship and research. The full Policy is available for review at the Provost’s office web site (http://www.acu.edu/campusoffices/provost) and the following offices: provost, college deans, dean of campus life, director of student judicial affairs, director of residential life education and academic departments.
 

Professor Role and Availability

The role of the teacher during this course is that of mentor in equipping class participants to think through the nature of missional ministry and the process of developing contextual strategies for church planting based upon theological reflection.  He is available for personal advising on each project of this course by telephone or email. 

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