Since our beginning in 1985, the Fellowship of Church Planters   have developed some definite values or convictions which serve as a guide for our efforts. For this to happen we believe that:

1. Our main focus needs to be in the vertical realm towards our God and Savior in Bible study, prayer and fellowship with the saints.
   
   
2. God’s plan is for His church.  The apostolic band (church planting team) is the handmaiden of the church to start her and help where needed. Church planters are sent from a church to a team.  The team moves on after planting the network of house churches.   Teams, although they move on, and churches are to remain interdependent.
   
   
3. The overarching concern is reproducibility. All healthy churches and teams need to reproduce. We are committed to see reproduction of: disciples, leaders, churches, church planters and church planting teams. The team should use patterns of church planting which are most suitable for reproduction. Presently we are using a model of house church planting in networks (or Fellowships).  We believe that humility and grace should govern our relationships to churches which differ in model from those we are currently in.
   
   
4. Church planting teams need to plant reproducing, linked networks of interdependent house fellowships (churches). They should realize that they each have strengths and weaknesses. Their strengths they should offer to other churches/teams, and their weaknesses should keep them humble and actively seeking help from other churches/teams.
   
   
5. The practice of church planting should exemplify a plural leadership model. Church planting is thus not an individual activity, but a group effort, hence the need for a team.  Leaders need to be developed from within the congregation for effective shepherding to occur. A plural number of leaders are necessary for effective shepherding to occur.
   
   
6. Leaders are servants whose primary task is shepherding the sheep. Leaders (elders, deacons and other gifted people) need to be thoroughly trained in the necessary skills of shepherding  (discipleship, counseling, teaching, training, etc).We believe that men should shepherd men and women should shepherd women. Realizing that both men and women have ministries which are restricted by the sovereign will of God.
   
   
7. Church leaders and teams need to be trained using a relational, mentoring approach.
   
   
8. Healthy churches are ones in which each member is ministering in the body according to the call, gifts, talents and abilities that God has granted them. We do not believe that any of these gifts have been removed from the body but are divinely given for the upbuilding of the body. Each gift may not be present in every house church and each church may see the gifts exercised in substantially different ways.
   
   
9. A major task is to train believers into living victoriously in a world of sin.  We use one on one discipleship to accomplish this.  Small groups aid both in the exposing interpersonal brokenness as well as nurturing back to wholeness.
   
   
10. Teams and churches are to be networked to share resources and training.
    
    
11. In the exercise of loving, firm correction in the event of ongoing persistence in sin.  In cases of ongoing sin in which scripture calls into question a persons being in the kingdom of God, church/team discipline needs to be exercised for the recovery of the individual and the protection of the body.
    
    
12. In using covenants to outline relational expectations.  For instance we  use covenants to outline the relationship of: church members to each other, churches to other churches, teams to churches, team members to each other, team leaders  to other team leaders and to mentors.  These covenants are often reviewed and updated where needed.
    
    
13. Teams and churches are inculcated within a great commission vision. This will be seen by teams and churches training and sending interns and teams to the unreached world.
    
    
14. The church planting team should set a good example for the eldership. Thus it should include bi-vocational men who derive their primary support from a secular job. There may be some men who derive their support from the free-will offerings of churches and individuals, but this will not be the norm.
    

Previous   Next   Main