The challenge and opportunity of microchurch planting 

A small-but-dedicated group of leaders from a range of streams and denominations gathered at the CCX offices in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral, London earlier this autumn

Convened by the National Church Planting Network and chaired by Alex Harris, this was one of several strategic conversations, gathering leaders to share stories, lessons, questions, struggles and prayers, all while listening to what the Spirit is saying and learning all we can from one another. By Dave Criddle

The day’s topic of focus was microchurch planting. Present were pioneers, network leaders, trainers and denominational leaders, all with a heart to see less traditional models of church and disciple-making flourish so Jesus might be glorified and made known.

Though you could count on two hands those in the room, the day was marked by an awareness of how huge both the potential and the challenge are in this form of church planting.

That challenge was expressed by someone in the room who home-educates their kids. They noted that most home-educating parents feel they’re not equipped for the task, at least at first. They’ve been through education themselves, but that hasn’t equipped them to teach others. 

They likened that to the position most Christians find themselves in: they’ve been in church for years, but the idea of leading others, starting something, making disciples and planting simple churches feels way outside their grasp. Since this model of church will never have the impact it needs to if left to the paid professional, that is a huge problem. The room nodded silently and seriously. 

But the potential was palpable too. These words from Gerard Kelly were shared during the discussion (the room nodded again, still silent but this time smiling too):
 

‘Experimental groups seeking to engage the Christian faith in a post-modern context will often lack the resources, profile or success record of the boomer congregation. By definition, they are new, untried, and relatively disorganised and fearful of self-promotion.

'They reject the corporate model of their boomer forebears, and thus do not appear, according to existing paradigms, to be significant.

'But don’t be fooled. Somewhere in the genesis and the genius of these diverse groups is hidden the future of Western Christianity. To dismiss them is to throw away the seeds of our survival.’ (Gerard Kelly)

It was Christie Lothamer of the Microchurch Network who shared Kelly’s words. Lothamer was one of two (along with Myriad’s John McGinley) who had been asked to present to the group about their work, what they had learned, what was working and what challenges they faced. Both shared with grace, vulnerability, passion and a determination that the best was yet to come. Neither was satisfied with the status quo, and both provoked a dialogue of wondering and curiosity as the gathering looked to explore both the challenge and potential at hand.


The challenge: hardships and difficulty

One of the most striking aspects of the day was how honest everyone was! There wasn’t even a sniff of trying to outdo one another with success stories. Far more attention was given to the very real difficulties in the microchurch world, both personal and strategic.

The personal hardship was shared, heard, echoed, met with love, and prayed into. People shared that pioneer leaders in these settings often feel insecure, wounded and scarred, with negative impacts on mental health and families. They can feel looked on as lesser because their ‘thing’ isn’t as big, as established. They are expected to dare greatly, but often feel hesitant because of the fear of judgement if it all goes wrong.

No-one was seeking pity. This was a room to be real, and this is part of the reality.

But the strategic difficulties were also in the room. Metrics designed to count things that measure the success of institutions are not kind in assessing microchurch networks and movements of disciples. Resources (of people, finance and goodwill) are often hard to come by when seeking to forge a new path instead of travelling established ones. Denominational hierarchies and politics can be a blockage to the new things God wants to do.

And even when things are resourced, enabled, and happening, they aren’t always multiplying in the ways hoped for. There are success stories and glorious failures alongside one another.


The potential: hope and determination

The overall tone of the room was one of optimism, a determined sense that this matters! At one point, the work of microchurch leaders, innovators and trainers was described as ‘the R&D Department of the Church’. If a company stops developing, it dies. Maybe not straight away, but in time. We know Jesus will continue to build his church because he told us he will, and there was a conviction that these kinds of holy experiments and new ventures for Christ are part of how he will do that.

Stories were shared of groups that had multiplied, not just once but down to a third and fourth generation. Of many lay leaders trained in planting simple, reproducible churches and seeing the harvest begin. Of thousands of young people committing to make Jesus known and ‘spot fires’ shooting up through the work of The Send. Of larger established churches recognising that they cannot continue as they are into the future and looking to make decisive shifts. Of movement within some of the ‘powers that be’ which show promise and possibility.

These stories of hope were met not just with gladness but with commitment.

As the day closed, time was given to capturing next steps. Some of these were corporate (‘What do we need to do together to take all we’ve discussed forward?’), and a whiteboard full of actions quickly emerged.

Some were individual (‘What will I do in the sphere I occupy?’). The result will be research undertaken, partnerships forged, training delivered, denominations united, learning distributed and much more. If God were to bless just a handful of those commitments and fan them into flame, it would be a huge stride forward for the Kingdom of God in the UK.


‘The seeds of our survival’

Gerard Kelly described the pioneering, experimental church as the ‘seeds of our survival’. In our part of the world, the church is not growing, but God is not finished with our part of the world! And the conviction of that room on that day with those words was that this movement of microchurch is a vital part of those plans he still has.

In the Parable of the Sower, the pattern is not one of endless success. The pattern is fail, fail, fail, fruit. The Sower’s response is not to give up because seed is being wasted, but to keep on scattering. We must continue to scatter the gospel, disciples, and churches – including microchurches – and keep on praying to the Lord of the Harvest as we do. 


Image | Terren Hurst | Unsplash
 

Dave Criddle leads Pathway Church in Sheffield, which seeks to do discipleship and mission in creative ways, and he is learning lots through the process. 

This article originally appeared on the CCX website (The Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication, a centre for church multiplication), and is republished with permission

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