Church Planting in Europe

Connecting to Society, Learning from Experience

Van de Poll, Appleton

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781498202008
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Church leaders and those who endeavor to plant new churches in Europe today face tremendous challenges, not least because the church itself is considered by many to be outdated, irrelevant, or even an abusive sect. Drawing on a wealth of experience, Church Planting in Europe helps to answer the question of how churches can become more relevant to the societies in which they exist. From biblical and missiological reflections to case studies and practical examples, the book gives insights into many of the key issues that church planters and those concerned with "missionary" renewal of existing churches are grappling with. Special attention is paid to the sociocultural and religious characteristics of Europe, which is marked by secularization, new forms of spirituality, and a unique Christian heritage, asking, what are typical barriers and bridges for the communication of the gospel?The contributors represent a wide variety of backgrounds and contexts across Europe and this is reflected in the breadth of topics covered. The chapters were presented during the Mission in Europe Symposium in Belgium (July 2014), and the highlights of the discussions afterwards are also included. The result is a valuable resource for church leaders, mission practitioners, and theologians alike.

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INTRODUCTION

The Ongoing Challenge of Church Planting in Europe

Evert Van de Poll

From the 1980s onwards, the development of new churches has become a major objective of denominations and mission organizations in Europe—not only in Evangelical Free churches and independent charismatic circles that are always prone to start new local communities, but also in Anglican, Reformed, and Lutheran churches.

There are several church planting networks on a European scale, and countless seminars, as well as a growing amount of literature on church planting, mainly of a practical, theological nature. Church leaders are drawing up plans for pioneer projects, and are aiming to connect with a section of the population that is out of touch with existing churches. Teams are continually taking off to start new Christian groups and assemblies in virtually every European country. Theological institutions offer master’s diplomas in church planting, and dissertations are being published on the subject.

Sadly, quite a few initiatives in preceding decades have not born lasting fruit in the form of churches that survive and continue to develop. Some observers have perceived a weakening in the wave of church planting as a result of the lack of lasting fruit.1 While these efforts are still definitely taking place, there seems to be more caution than before. There are growing questions about which approaches are to be avoided and what kind of churches we need in Europe today. Organizations, churches, and groups of concerned Christians planning to start new churches are increasingly reflecting on preceding experiences on the field, on biblical foundations and ecclesiology, and on the possibilities to collaborate with others.

The authors of this book share these concerns. They consider church planting as an ongoing task, but they want to learn from recent developments and identify the challenges posed by the changing socio-cultural context. Coming from a variety of backgrounds and countries, they share their insights and experiences here. Moreover, as they come from and work in Europe, they write with a knowledgeable view on the European situation. Many publications on church planting, especially those with a practical approach, stem from other contexts—often North America. That does not disqualify them as such for European readers, but there is a cultural distance. When it comes to mission, evangelization, and church development, things do not work the same way here in Europe as they do elsewhere.

The purpose of this publication is twofold:

1. To equip readers for a ministry of church planting and, where needed, church restoration.

2. To relate this ministry to the spiritual needs and opportunities in multicultural and postmodern Europe.

Missionary church planting

The theological identity of the authors can be described as Evangelical Protestant, but that does not in itself imply a particular form of church planting. In order to be clear, Stuart Murray’s table of different types of church planting is often quoted. He distinguishes the following:

• Pioneer church planting in areas where there is not yet a church, or among “unreached” peoples and people groups.

• Replacement church planting in areas where there have been churches in the past that no longer exist.

• Contrast church planting refers to new churches created in contrast to existing ones. They differ from the latter in doctrine, form of worship, and/or lifestyle. (Murray calls it “sectarian,” in the sociological meaning of the term.)

• Saturation church planting is the creation of new churches in areas where churches already exist. This is not done in contrast to them, but in order to reach and attract more people.2

In the European situation, the first type of church planting, pioneer planting, is needed among sections of the population emerging from recent immigration flows. One thinks in particular of the various Muslim communities in Western Europe. Here is a major challenge for church planting!

The second category, replacement planting, has unfortunately become a necessity in Europe, and increasingly so. As a result of secularization, there are now “spiritual deserts” all over the continent, where church buildings have been demolished or turned into shops or apartments, and where there is no longer a clear witness to the Gospel. Clearly, there is a need to start new and viable church communities in such areas. Many church planting teams are needed, as their ministry will not come by way of existing churches.

What about areas where churches already exist? That is invariably the case in Europe, which brings us to the third and fourth types of church planting mentioned by Murray. In fact, there are several means of starting new churches that are deliberately different from existing churches in the same area, or among the same population. Let us refine Murray’s table and make a distinction between several options.

• Culturally sensitive church planting is a response to the particular situation in which migrants find themselves. New fellowships are created in which the cultural background of the original country is perpetuated to a certain extent.

• Denominational church planting results as members of a particular denomination settle in new towns and new suburbs, or it is due to a policy to implant the denomination in areas where it is not yet represented—considering that its particular doctrine or church style is a complement to other existing churches.

• Split-off church planting is the consequence of conflict and disagreement, not only about doctrine or ethical matters, but also about worship style, leadership, or finances. The points of conflict then become the distinguishing mark of the split-off.

We are not taking sides in the discussion as to whether these forms of church planting are needed, but we do want to point out another form that is of the utmost importance in Europe today:

• Missionary (or missional) church planting. In the extensive study and analysis of recent new church initiatives in the Netherlands, Gert Noort and others make the important remark that not all church planting is driven by missionary motives. Sometimes the motive is to create a new pastoral post for the denomination; at other times it is to spread a certain model of church life that attracts believers who are dissatisfied with their actual church experience.3

We already noted a few of the various motives involved in a split-off. All these motivations can be discussed, but they should be distinguished from the purpose behind a “missionary initiative,” which can be defined as follows:

A missionary initiative is primarily outward looking. In this context, it is not suspect to “win people.” Here we see the old missiological relation between “conversion” and “church planting.” There is also the notion of “being sent.” The church planters are related to and supported by an organization, a network, a church denomination or a local church. Even though we do not disqualify all sorts of work done from personal initiative, without being commissioned by someone else, we believe that “missionary” implies “being sent.” Those who are sent should be prepared to share their experiences with a mother church or a sending agency, and be accountable to them.4

We find this description most helpful, because it is exactly what we are dealing with in our book: missionary church planting.

Biblical Reflections

The following chapters are arranged in four sections. In the first section, we will look at some biblical foundations for the work of church planting.

Chapter 2: Chris Wigram will be taking us to the Bible, the essential foundation of any church planting ministry. On the basis of a well-known passage, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Part One: Biblical Reflections
• Chapter 2: The Essential Foundation
• Chapter 3: Prayer in the Ministry And Life of a Church Planter
• Chapter 4: How to Create a Jesus Movement of Multiplying Churches
• Part Two: Church in Europe
• Chapter 5: Cultural Relevance
• Chapter 6: Church Planting Connected to Society
• Chapter 7: Understanding Europe Today, and Signs of Hope
• Chapter 8: Cross over Europe
• Chapter 9: Typical Barriers and Bridges for the Gospel in Europe
• Chapter 10: What Kind of Church for Postmodern Europeans?
• Chapter 11: The Church in a Multicultural Society
• Chapter 12: Muslims in Europe and the Need for Church Planting
• Part Three: Church Planters
• Chapter 13: Missional Spirituality and Taking New Initiatives in Church Development
• Chapter 14: How Can We Measure the Effectiveness of Church Planting?
• Chapter 15: Creative Church Planting Involving Lay People
• Chapter 16: Workable Ways to Start Healthy, Reproducing Churches
• Part Four: Case Studies
• Chapter 17: Experimental Church Planting in Belgium
• Chapter 18: Collaborative Church Planting in Cordoba, Spain
• Chapter 19: The Balkan Project
• List of Contributors
• Bibliography