Church Planting Movements--America Left Behind

CHURCH PLANTING MOVEMENTS-- a book review
Author David Garrison
There are some necessary components that must be present for the occurrence of a church planting movement. The Holy Spirit is the intangible. In order for North America to experience a church planting movement, North America will have to experience a fear in the face of its own stability.
First, the Holy Spirit is the one Who grows churches. He began the church as is seen in Acts 2. He also grew the church as is seen throughout Acts and in all of Paul’s epistles. The lack of the Holy Spirit’s presence is not always the deciding factor in whether or not a church planting movement is to be. "Sometimes we find that God is all too willing but that the uncooperative partner is us . . . at the end of the day, Church Planting Movements require the cooperation of three partners: God, ourselves and our community (Garrison, 272)." In North America today, I believe that the Holy Spirit is willing but the church and the community are shutting the door. The road to heaven is markedly narrower then we have been taught in the Southern Baptist Convention. The lackadaisical church member who is hoping to sneak into heaven on his own interpretation of John 3:16 probably is not going to make it. Americans have not had to deal with adversity on our own soil or even a threat of it since the 1940’s. September 11, 2001 proved that a hint of need drives us to fear and fear is the beginning of wisdom and Wisdom is Jesus Christ. We have been wandering in the desert for nearly seventy years just like the children of Israel. There is so little difference between a Christian and 70% of America that calls themselves Christian that there is no room for the Holy Spirit to work. There is no pocket in any corner for the Holy Spirit to begin a movement.
The United States does not see the need for prayer. We have every worldly need. America has gone the way of a kind of Mormonism. We think that we are good enough to not need Jesus Christ. We are self sufficient and all-knowing so why would we need Him?
We need persecution. We need suffering. We need fear. I am not just talking about persecution amongst Christians for being Christian. I mean the United States of America needs to have foreign enemies on our soil. We need a Great Depression. We need a seven-year drought. We need famine and disease. Should we pray to that end? My parents prayed "whatever it takes for Birch to come to You, O Lord. Take his job, take his home, take his family, take his limbs. . . anything but his life before he knows You." I am at this point. I am at the pinnacle of loving me friends and neighbors so much that I pray catastrophe upon us so we can see our need for a Saviour.
The World Church Planting Movements have experienced several common elements. These elements include, but are not limited to, this climate of uncertainty or societal unrest, persecution, which produces an uncanny boldness in those who commit to Christ. The world has experienced complete families coming to Christ as well as divine signs and wonders similar to the New Testament days.
These movements around the world do not produce large, Americanized, traditional buildings. These churches made up of twenty to thirty people are a self-sufficient church family that is self-teaching and self-theologizing. They cling to God’s Word. They evangelize at the point of re-birth because they cannot help it. They join God in what He is doing. They are lizard churches who are intentional about hunting the hell bound. There are members in every church that are a direct product of the Church Planting Movement who appreciates the way God has chosen to expand the gospel. These people are the ones who continue planting . These are the dominoes.
The American church does not realize that the average adult who comes to Christ in America today knows far more about apologetics and theology then they do. The typical longtime church member that has grown up in the church has never had to think out their theology or defend it. Let me give an example of what I am writing about. A young couple gets saved and is wholly committed to walking for and with Jesus for the rest of their days because of the price that He has paid for them. They are ready to pay a price and live an adventuresome life with Christ at the helm, leading them down the perfect path. They are ready to win the world to Christ. They are ready to tell the world who Jesus is and what He has done for them. Then they go to church and find that they are all alone.
The Western Church tames the new zealous Christian with one verse. "These men must be first tested (1 Timothy 4:1)." We also say leaders must not be new to the faith. Where is our faith. Who is our faith in? Is our faith in the person or in the Holy Spirit? What are we teaching? That maturity is shutting your mouth and sitting on your hands? Let the new believer tell God’s story through him. The best way for an immature Christian to become mature is to walk on his own depending on the Holy Spirit. We must walk through fire before we are tested and we must be tested before we know whether or not we will trust Him! Go back and read 1 Timothy 4:1 again. The Scripture is exactly right, they must be tested. Test by letting them do not be just by letting them hear!
America the beautiful, the home of the brave . . . We are not brave. We are not bold. We have not been tested. The church has not prayed for boldness. We just assume that boldness is a gift. We have put extra-biblical requirements on what a church is just like the Jewish temple leaders of the New Testament. We have not learned anything form the story of Cornelius and the food requirements. We have not learned anything form Stephen’s speech before he was stoned to death. Stephen was trying to tell the Jewish Leaders that God does not live in the temple. Why do we continue to drown in American tradition like it has been lifted off the pages of the New Testament?
Garrison is right when he says that we need to let new believers evangelize and we need to assume that every one who evangelizes is a church planter. We do need to manifest a missionary faith in new believers because it is biblical. We do need to release them from under our thumb and unto the Bridegroom. We do need to model, assist and leave. But first we need to pray. We need to pray that all North American Christians will pray. We need to pray that God will implant a vision of strategy within our churches to realize that we have not arrived. We are no where close. Holy Spirit come. God help us!