Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century – Book Review

Dr. Malphurs believes that the most successful and proficient way to reach non-believers is to plant new churches. In his book, he used the analogy of child-bearing to illustrate the process including, conception, birth, growth, maturation, and reproduction.

He divides his book in three essential parts. The first part concerns the preparation for church planting and everything that encompasses. In the first chapter, the author defined the definition of church planting “as an exhausting but exiting venture of faith that involves the planned process of beginning and growing new local churches, based on Jesus’ promise and in obedience to his Great Commission” (p. 19). Dr. Malphurs believes church planters are makers not maintainers of the common status quo. He believes the day of maintenance ministry has already passed. The job of the church planter is not an easy work; it demands more mental, emotional, and physical effort than maintaining a church ministry. The process of church planting requires a lot of faith in God. It involves a process like that of giving birth to a new child. It requires a careful plan. It involves both beginning and growing churches. It is a call in a response to the Great Commission.

There is need for church planting, for studies show that many of the churches in North American are either plateau or declining. There are a number of increased cults and non-Christian faiths all across North America. The church cannot keep up with the increase of these cults and the great decline and plateau churches unless it gets involves in church planting.

The author also provides financial information on how to raise funds to plant a church. He divides them in four facts; it begins with trust in God as provider. He also identified three ways on which a local congregation can grow. The first one, he identified as biological growth, which is the kind that take places when couples in the church have children, who then becomes members of the parents’ church. The second kind of growth is transfer growth, which is the result of church members moving from one church to another. The third kind of growth is numerically which is through conversion of lost people. It is estimated that a conversion rate of twenty 25% is necessary in order to make in impact in the world.

The second part concerns the personnel involve in church planting. It helps make a wise assessment to determine who can be a church planter and how effective those in the core group need to be for the work. He introduces the values of assessment, which involves knowing, liking, and being the person God designed to be. Everyone has a divine given design which was given to him/her at their birth and which characteristics have been modified in positive and negative way throughout the span of a lifetime. These assessments help in discovering the weakness, strengths, and limitations of the person being appraise. He also helps determines if the person involved in church planting is the kind of leader required to be a leading church planting. Church planters are to be strong leaders, as well as strong servant-leaders.

The third part examines the actual process involved in church plant. It contains essential chapters that are designed to help church planters understand the six stages that a new church go through and what essentially takes place in each of them. The stages are the conception, development (prenatal stage), birth, growth, maturity, and reproduction stage. The conception stage starts with the nucleus of the ideal of birthing a church. The way a baby is conceived in its mother’s womb, so the idea of starting a new church is conceived in the person’s mind. “Every church has its own DNA (its values, mission, vision, strategy, and so on) that guides its life and growth” (p. 118). The first step to consider is prayer, before any attempt is given to planting a church; it is recommended to put together an intercessory team throughout the process.

The author believes it is important to put together a core-group during the conception stage to discover the church’s core organizational values, which are to be the church’s planter’s core values. Dr. Malphurs describe the core values as “its constant, passionate, biblical core beliefs that drive it ministry (p. 119).” After that a mission statement most be develop to dictate the direction the ministry is to take. The mission most includes all the church is attempting to accomplish for God. The next point is to communicate the mission statement to the people been minister.

A strategy also needs to be conceived. The strategies will determine the process of accomplishing the vision and mission of the new church. The developmental stage begins by gathering an initial core group of people who are interested in forming part of the new church. Dr. Malphurs also explains the primary purpose of the birth stage, is to provide an opportunity to reach out the geographical community for Christ.

The book also includes a Church Planter’s Word-book, which is found in the last part of the book before the appendix. It has a lot of surveys to help in the process of church planting.

The author’s intended purpose is to encourage and equip individuals and churches to take a risk at becoming a vital part of this vision-to start church-planting churches. Malphurs is clear in his thesis as well as in the development of his book. He addressed every issue that tackle the church today and gives direction that if follow can greatly benefits those who search for his wisdom and experience in church planting. The author addressed the issues of planting churches in a modern and postmodern manner.

The author believes that the most effective and efficient way to reach out to lost people is through planting new churches. He examines the case from pediatrician point of view leading the reader through the basics steps of conception, birth, growth, maturation, and reproduction stage. Malphurs believes that hardly any churches have visualization for reproducing themselves through starting others churches. He believes that there is more emphasis in maintenance than in planting new churches. He based his assumption on survey and studies conducted throughout the North American churches. He gives three reasons for reproduction to start taking place through the states; there are very few churches that are reaching the cities, but if the vision is embrace there will be hope for Christianity in America. These three arguments that the author gives are well research and confirmed to be the way American Christianity is going. It is imperative and important to change the tides by embracing church planting method given by Malphurs.

Malphurs book is very detailed oriented for those who want to follow a step by step guide to planting churches. It has given me a clearer vision to implement in the process of church planting, his book is not just a theory is based upon practicality and easy to follow guide. Malphurs explained that the success of the church was based upon the vision they embrace of creating church planting churches. He believes that should be the way to go for the American Division also, it if wants to change the way things are going.

The book should be read by all church planter, seminary student and pastor who want to embrace a better vision for the future of their churches. Implementing the concepts in this book is not difficult, because Malphurs is clear in the concepts that he wants to get across. He also included in his book a church planter’s work-book to help in the most difficult task in church planting, and a very complete index. Malphurs has given me a clearer vision of the ministry of church planting along with useful tools to implement his most practical theory.