Plant Like Jesus

And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Mark 1:17 ESV

• Transferable to any culture

• Timeless

• Can be done “from scratch”

• Economically sensible

Pragmatic Benefits Of Planting Like Jesus

Ten Timeless Church Planting Practices of

Jesus for Today

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Heb. 13:8 ESV

1. Jesus Took Up His Cross

The cross symbolizes the sacrificial love of God. This love is the power that drove him to pour out his life to plant the church.

“It was love, not nails, that kept Jesus on the cross.” Rick Warren

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me;”

John 12:24-26b EVS

“Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matt. 20:28 ESV

Jesus intentionally, urgently, and sacrificially focused on reaching the unsaved.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 ESV

But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” Acts 9:15-16 ESV

...for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do.

II Tim. 1:11-12 ESV

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” II Tim. 2:3-4 ESV

[First followers video]

2. Jesus Typeset The Example

And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Matt. 4:19

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth….No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. John 1:14,18 ESV

“For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

John 13:15-17 ESV

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. Gen. 2:7

The God-breathed gospels spell out how to follow Jesus’s missionary example.

Thirty-nine times in John’s gospel alone, Jesus was was referred to as a missionary sent from heaven. God incarnated Himself in Jesus to show us the way.

Caution: Watch The Pronouns When Your Study The Bible

• Who is the “we” in Paul’s letters?

• Who is the “you”?

Let The Trump All Your Bright Ideas

3. Jesus Tethered To The Father

Like a tether ball, the more you are hit, the closer you get to the Father.

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Mark 1:35 ESV

Tether For Wisdom

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Matt. 7:24 ESV

According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation,

I Cor. 3:10 NASB

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father[ does, that the Son does likewise.”

John 5:19 ESV

7 Pillars of Wise House BuildingProverbs 9:1-9

1.Prepare in advance, 22.Invite many publically, 3-43.Invite many personally, 4, 54.Preach repentance, 6,75.Reprove the wise, 86.Give instruction to the wise, 97.Teach the righteous, 9

Tether for PowerAnd Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee… Luke 4:14 ESV

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” 1 Cor. 15:10 ESV

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

James 4:7-8a ESV

Tethering is also key for spiritual warfare

1. You have authority

2. That the harvest fields are ripe

3. The gospel has power

Believe

4. Jesus Trekked To The Lost

He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matt 15:24 ESV

Geographically“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 ESV

CulturallyAnd he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. Luke 4:16 ESV

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’”

“Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

Luke 15:4-7 ESV

Jesus sees things we do not see

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matt. 9:36 ESV

The compelling questionthat drives us:

What is the very best way to win a lost person to Jesus Christ?

1. Send a shepherd to proclaim the gospel to them

2. Let them experience an imperfect local body of Christ that sacrifices for them

Our mission is to make a healthy, culturally relevant church available to every

person on the planet

We are His body now!

Jesus is constantly going out to rescue lost sheep through local bodies of Christ.

Adult Baptisms Per Church  

  

Church Baptisms Per Year

Baptism Ratio

Cost Per Baptism

Large network of churches

3.6 1 to 61 $50,000

SVCC 61 1 to 2.7 $2,700

HealthyPlant

15 1 to 5 $7,000

Beginners stick better to groups with lots of beginners

Typical New Evangelistic Church

When a group stops growing larger and and the core matures, it becomes harder and harder for a new person to penetrate.

Typical Plateaued Church

The longer it goes the

slower it grows

This is one reason why 80% of churches are plateaued or declining

Send a small team out to start a new church in a new area and

create a fresh new crowd

Solution For a Plateaued Church

The typical new church growsat a much faster rate than thefastest growing mega church.

If this is true, why not start lots of new churches?

“I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews.”

1Cor. 9:19-20a ESV

1. Pray for wisdom, courage, and open doors

2. Go in search of persons of peace3. Create bridge events4. Organize service projects5. Make gospel appointments6. Offer Discovery Parties and

Seminars, Luke 5:27f7. Use plug and play DVD groups8. Evangelistic Bible Studies

Ways to start winning people

Adjust To Eliminate Barriers

5. Jesus Tore Down Strongholds

Jesus was a heretic in the eyes of the established religion he grew up in.

Jesus constantly challenged the status quo of the day, and it got him crucified.

Jesus The Revolutionary

And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.

John 2:15 ESV

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matt. 16:18 ESV

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

2 Cor. 10:4-5 ESV

6. Jesus Touched Individual Lives

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean.” Mark 1:41 ESV

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night.

John 3:1-2a ESV

7. Jesus Taught The Many

“Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.”

Mark 4:1 ESV

Myth:

Some people teach that we should replace preaching with participatory Bible discussions.

Myth Buster:

“And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”

Acts 5:42 ESV

Why Prioritize Preaching?

1. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation, Rom. 1:16

2. It actually creates faith, Rom. 10:17

3. Life and death are in the power of the tongue, Pro. 18:21

4. God’s authority backs it up

Venues For Preaching1. Matthew’s Parties

2. Seminars, crusades, concerts

3. Peaching points, groups, courses, classes

4.Open air preaching

Venues For Preaching5. Previews, Grand Openings,

Greenhouse services

6. Video venues, multi-site

7. Plug and Play small groups

New churches that use crowd gathering services where the gospel is preached reach the unreached better than other

methods of evangelism.

8. Jesus Trained A Few Apostles

“And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles:” Luke 6:13 ESV

Jesus Focused On The Top An Bottom Of The Funnel

Apprenticeship: The Master’s Method Of Training

“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40 ESV

“And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.”

Mark 3:14, 15 ESV

How to Discover Apostles?1. Look among those committed to

learning and following, John 12. Assess them at work, Luke 53. Look among those who want to

fish for men, Matt. 4:194. Pray for wisdom- most important

decision, Luke 6:12,13 How to Develop Apostles?Give them a new name and visionLet them be “with” you as you plant, they like to be trained on the goTeach, rebuke, correct and training in real life situations  How to Deploy Apostles?Give them an impossible missionAssure them that they have the authority neededAssure them that God will be with themWarn them of the risks involvedGive them specific but limited instructionsAppropriately honor them

 How to Develop Apostles?1. Give them a new name and vision2. Let them be “with” you as you

plant, they like to be trained on the go

3. Teach, rebuke, correct and training in real life situations

  How to Deploy Apostles?Give them an impossible missionAssure them that they have the authority neededAssure them that God will be with themWarn them of the risks involvedGive them specific but limited instructionsAppropriately honor them

How to Deploy Apostles?1. Give them an impossible mission2. Assure them that they have the

authority needed3. Assure them that God will be with

them4. Warn them of the risks involved5. Give them specific but limited

instructions6. Appropriately honor them

The 12 Progressed Through At Least Three Levels Apprenticeship

1. General following, John 1:43

2. Full-time apprenticeship Luke 5:11

3. Apostolic apprenticeship, Luke 6:12,13

1. He was an apostle, Heb. 3:1

2. He was modeling something important

3. Apostles were the point men for His plan for world evangelization

Why Did Jesus Focus On Apprenticing Apostles?

“Leadership discovery and development is at the heart of everything we do in church….Our mini-church discipleship chain produces nearly all our staff members. Each year it also produces one or two pastors capable of planting a church.”

Ralph Moore, How to Multiply Your Church

“Make room in your system for church planters who have been trained on the job in a local church… Not all our pastors go to seminary. However, all do learn the ministry on the job, through disciplemaking in relationship with someone more mature and experienced.”

Ralph Moore, How to Multiply Your Church

Principles for Training1. Primarily church-based

2. Very relational

3. “On the Job”

4. While on Mission

5. Learning under authority

Principles for Training

6. Imitation precedes innovation

7. Prayerfully selective training

8. Principles plus practices

9. Corrective coaching

10. From commitment

“One secret of New Testament church growth was that leaders were trained in and by the church in action. It trained as it went forward. This remains the secret of church growth today. Trainees who come out of victorious churches, and who have been trained by men who are themselves multipliers of churches, are generally effective.”

Donald McGavran

9. Jesus Tied Systems Together

For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”...Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. Luke 9:14-17 ESV

Set Up Systems According To Eph. 4

...that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Eph. 4:9c-12 ESV

Everything rises and falls on leadership, especially new

churches

Leaders for Systems1. Apostles- possess land & lay

foundations for future systems

2. Prophets- bring King’s messages

3. Evangelists- build bridges to outsiders

4. Pastors/teachers- raise up & apprentice citizens and soldiers

Jesus The Apostolic Builder

“Consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.... For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.”

Heb. 3:1, 3 ESV

Apostles Are Sent to Build

Apostles possess

territory, lay foundations for the basic

ministriessystems

Jesus

Apostles Build for Prophets

Build platforms for

preaching

Worshippers

Jesus

Apostles Build for Evangelists

Build Evangelism

& Assimilation

Systems

MembersJesus

Apostles Build for Shepherds

Build Small Group

SystemsMaturing Disciples

Jesus

Apostles Build for Trainers

Build Equipping Systems

Workers Jesus

Apostles connect

members with

Jesus and each other Worshippers

MaturingDisciples

Workers Members

Apostles Connect Together

Jesus

Apostles Leave or Change Roles

Planter is sent to next

field or changes his role in the

churchWorshippers

MaturingDisciples

WorkersMembers

Jesus

10. Jesus Transitioned To New Territory

And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”

Mark 1:38 ESV

And he went about among the villages teaching. And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two...

Mark 6:6-7 ESV

• Some stayed in the village or were sent home

• Some came to periodic meetings • Some followed regularly and

supported• A few were called into full-time

“fishers of men” training• Even fewer were named

apostles

Followers Funnel

Three Phases of a Church Plant’s Life

Sent Planitng

CrewTent

Church 3D Church

NEW GROWTH CHURCH

And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 14:23 ESV

Three Phases of a Church Plant’s Life

Sent Team(Migrant)

New Growth 3D Church

FIVE STAGES OF PLANTING A HEALTHY

REPRODUCING CHURCH

PREPARATION STAGE

Foolish Motivations to Plant

PERSONAL PREPARATION

MISSIONAL VIEW OF THE CHURCH

Motive Ministry Mission

FIND YOUR SWEET SPOT

Your SHAPE

Local Predicament Collective

Potential

 PRIORITIES FOR USE OF MONEY

1. Communicating your launch events

–Direct mail–Internet –Banners–Newspaper ads

2. Providing quality Sunday services

– Meeting space - rent– Children’s ministry equipment– Equipment, signs, chairs– Printed material– Refreshments– Music

 PRIORITIES FOR USE OF MONEY

3. Freeing up the time of the lead planter

–Office equipment –Office help–Planter’s salary– Interns, apprentices to help

4. Staff (part-time before full-time)

 PRIORITIES FOR USE OF MONEY

OTHER FINANCIAL TIPS

1. Make good use of free space

2. Cast vision for volunteer work

10 volunteers at 6 hours a week equals one full-time staff member!

5. Stay above reproach in the financial area

6. Be missionally generous

OTHER FINANCIAL TIPS

PRE-LAUNCH STAGE

PRE-LAUNCH GOALS1. Settle into the community2. Win early spiritual victories3. Break the missional code4. Win people to Christ5. Assemble and disciple

converts6. Recruit & equip your launch

team

We are to discover, develop, and

deploy a multiplying

number of troops, as rapidly

as possible, in order

to set the captives free.

Don’t serve boiled sheep ears

LAUNCH STAGE

Big Idea of Launch Stage

Build a greenhouse service and gather a crowd for gospel communication

How To Do Small Church Well

1. Exceptionally warm & hospitable2. Name tags3. Refreshments4. 5 Minute Rule5. Personal connection with planter

How To Do Small Church Well6. Room set up wisely

7. Tailor messages to the group

8. Easy to get involved

9. Family celebrations

10. Minimize singing

CROWD TO COMMISSIONED STAGE

Big IdeaCrowd-to-Commissioned Stage

Build a disciple-making system that turns consumers into commissioned co-workers

Jesus apprenticed His followers to be like Him by creating mini-steps of

commitment.

“Come and see” to “go and die”

Disciple-making Flow Chart1. The almost ripe come to the service

2. They ripen in the service by• Experiencing grace

• Hearing truth• Making friends

3. Start helping out

Disciple-making Flow Chart• Attend a Discovery Party

• Go To A Pastors Open House & 101

• Come to Christ

• Join a 3D Group

• Fulfill your mission in the world

Discover, develop, and deploy workers and leaders to do all the purposes of the church

REPRODUCTIVE STAGE

The typical new church growsat a much faster rate than thefastest growing mega church.

If this is true, why not start lots of new churches?

Leader Readiness“Reproducing is not about size; it’s about leader readiness... If you can find the right leader, then the right people and the right number of people will follow.”

Dave Ferguson

SUCCESS RATE OR SUCCESSES

We want high success rates of plants, but the bottom line issue is the number of successes, not the success rate.

Of course we want both!God created both mammals and

reptiles, and all kinds of plants to illustrate reproductive strategies.

Phil Herrington, Pathways, Santee, CA

Mission Trails Church

7 San Diego (Stonelake)

Mission Trails Church East

Three New University Ministries

Pathways Church: 800 to 1200

Pathways Plants: 0 to 700+

Pathways Orchard: 800 to 1900

Net Kingdom Gain=1100

Growth In 3 Years

Church Planter Apprentices