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Community Survey Prayer Spring Branch Church Plant PNC Information
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What has worked in other church plants? This question can only be answered in view of the church culture. The church plant may be targeting a traditional or modern church culture with a primary community of previously churched individuals. Such a community has a very high interest in events and programs that will further define how Christianity can transform them. On the other hand, the church plant may be targeting a postmodern culture where the community members have not had a Judeo-Christian background. The emergent church is not incorporating programs as much as they are incorporating relational experiences. As most church plants tend to fall towards an emergent culture great caution needs to be expressed about using church events for the purpose of "providing a service" and more attention needs to be given on relational and missional community. Following is some feedback from several relational church developments. My prompt question was: Other than small group ministries, and Men studies and Women studies, do you have any church event that you have considered essential in your church development? I am particularly interested in events that preceded the establishment of the church worship and the 1st 2 years of the church. These events can be fellowship, leisure and/or discipleship.
Our events are: 1. Worship Gathering 2. Community gatherings (small groups, that gather in homes, multi-generational, etc) 3. Service events when we gather to serve the community (Food Pantry, After School Tutoring, Political Campaigns, Habitat for Humanity, etc.) 4. Leadership Community 5. We also do some special events: Art Night, Labyrinth, Prayer Journeys, etc The events that preceded our worship were 1. Leadership Community - essential to developing a healthy community is the establishment of the way the community would facilitate leadership. 2. Community Gatherings - we call these communities because we desire long term relationships, multi generational, etc so they are not geographic, or life stage based - they are very organic and grow through relationships. i.e. any community member can invite someone to join the community they are not "placed" in community based on life stage or geography rather invited in based on relationship. I do see a benefit to prepackaged programs as it gives reason for people to "share life". The one difficulty we have experienced is that people don't understand "why" they should share life. A prepackaged approach would give you a jump start and answer the "why?" Pastor of a church plant that began in a community center before moving to an unused church building: We provide lots of relational connection points. In two weeks there are a bunch of women planning a bunko party after our Sunday Service. We have some standing "skeptics" groups where people can come and ask questions. Our nature is to be "chaordic". There is not much that looks like a system but a lot of activity developed around an understanding that people really don't need an apologetic defense of the gospel. What they need is to see real christianity up close and personal. Relational connection is the only way to do that. Pastor of a modern church with a relational focus: A couple of thoughts come to mind; one is that we don't advocate alot of programs; we feel our job is to support the family and think that having lots of things that take families apart from each other is not always profitable. We actually schedule an outing a month and include the whole family usually (ie fall festival, trip to a farm, going to a retreat center together). Sometimes a very active youth group can take kids away from the family and somewhat displace mom and dad and church can become a very busy place and pull families apart. Pastor planting a church that presently meets in a school but is planning their own church building: Over the past 5-1/2 years there have been lots of events in several different ministry areas, leadership groups, church-wide, and even multi-church events (i.e., Community Nights of Worship, Prayer Conferences). However, we don't usually plan the events just to attract numbers, but to develop the people that they do attract. Pastor response that began house church plants : One thought that came to mind right away is the importance of "play." We work hard at things that seem essential to church, such as worship, small groups, etc. but we have found the importance of playing together in various ways. Laughter is so important and enjoying each other at a different level that opens our hearts " We need to shift the focus of our evangelistic efforts away from events and onto community....We can bring people into our community in so many ways. We can host social events for Christians to invite their non-Christian friends to simply for fun. We can start Bible studies in which people can be part of "talking about Jesus". These gatherings can take place naturally in homes and coffeehouses, rather than in the church building." Back to: Church Life Forward to: Church Life Environmental Factors Last Modified 11/9/04 10:43 AM | Hide Tools |