Report 41

Church Multiplication

Dan Kopp
Chair, Church Multiplication Leadership Team

We celebrate the good things happening in church multiplication and the positive platform that the proposed new National Conference might be for creating the leadership, healthy systems, and a climate for continued change within our denomination for church multiplication. This report will include a summary of the activity of the CMMT during the past four years, as well as some observations by the chair.

We are exceedingly grateful for all positive energies put forth into helping fulfill the Great Commission through church planting. Especially exciting during this quadrennium are works produced through the efforts of our part-time director of church planting in Michigan Conference, like the Homefront UB church (a restart) and the daughtering efforts of the Fowlerville church (Heritage United Brethren). We rejoice at the good work of Mid-Atlantic Conference in ministries like the Winchester plant and in their focus on adopting a number of minority congregations; and in the good work of Central Conference through the Center for Church Planting, Central Ohio.

The CCPCO, in fact, may be a model for church planting that will need to be further explored should we continue in the direction of the proposed National Conference structure and use of clusters, and the coinciding disbanding of our conferences. CCPCO has a goal of planting one new church every two years. NorthPointe launched in January 2000, the conference's first Hispanic work launched in 2002, and a planter was hired in 2004 for the northern Cincinnati area (though due to personal circumstances he cannot be on site until this summer). If we continue in the direction that is being proposed, it is very likely that there will need to be increased strategic training and coordination at the National Conference level. The National Conference ministry will then need to help guide and equip regional planting efforts and parenting churches for success in church planting in our future.

During this quadrennium we would draw particular attention to a newer resource available to the Body of Christ called "Church Planter's Paradise." This web-based ministry attracts 25-100 church planter candidates per month. The church planter is of course the most critical component of a healthy church plant and one of the most difficult assets to obtain. Through consistent and strategic effort, quality planters can be found by using this tool. The new Cincinnati planter, Bryan Converse, is one example.

We further celebrate continued advances in other key components for church multiplication. This includes refinement of both the pre-assessment and assessment processes and Boot Camp training, and a growing pool of competent church plant coaches available to the Body of Christ. Particularly intriguing of late is a multi-denominational clustering concept of church multiplication efforts like that in which Tom Blaylock and some of our UB ministers in Fort Wayne are participating under the leadership of author and church planter Dwight Smith.

One official CMMT recommendation is directed to the newly-elected bishop. The minutes of the March 21, 2005, CMMT meeting recommend: "That the Bishop make staff assignment to the position of leading and working in partnership with church multiplication in the UBIC and alongside the newly proposed Church Multiplication Leadership Team."

A Summary of Activity

2001 Meeting

December 4 meeting. Began by attempting to assess where we were. We then attempted to educate and extend the learning curve of the team members regarding church multiplication strategies and resources. We determined to add a consulting partner as a member of our team who would bring proven expertise from outside our denomination, and the groundwork was laid for our work throughout the quadrennium.

2002 Meetings

May 6. We invited Bob Ransom to join our team and share the experiences of the Missionary Church (who grew from 32,000 to 50,000 in 10 years, primarily by developing a healthy church culture and planting 240 churches--and this change occurred following "colossal failures in church planting during the 80's"). There appear to be three key components to generating a healthy church multiplication movement: Leadership, Systems, and a Climate for Change. Our discussion and goals focused on these three entities and a refined look at our unique role and purpose as the CMMT.

September 9. In the second half of 2002, we wrote a purpose statement for the CMMT and clarified our core values (see page 1). While highly coveting the parenting church as the best model for planting, it was noted that the Missionary Church (who were committed to high standards for selecting planters in their earliest efforts) nonetheless commissioned about 90% pioneer planters to get their movement off the ground. Even today, only one out of three are daughter or clustered plants, with a goal of becoming one out of two. More and more churches are "clustering" to daughter church plants (rather than just one mother church).

We spent serious time discussing whether the UBIC would consider hiring an outside consultant to spend the concentrated time needed to aid in creating Leadership, Systems, and a Climate for Change. Over a three-year period, three goals might be targeted:

1. Clarifying values and vision.
2. Identifying leaders and starting cooperative efforts.
3. Getting successes and telling the story.

November 11. A third meeting was held in 2002 in conjunction with the fall Healthy Church Retreat at Camp Michindoh. Prior to the retreat, a formal meeting was held that determined not to hire an outside consultant at this point in time. We then invited into our meeting various conference leaders and spent the majority of our time in positive discussion and the sharing of resources, systems, and ideas.

During the Healthy Church Retreat itself, we interacted further with UB pastors in both an announced gathering and in informal table discussions. We were able to gather their input and feedback while helping to educate about the resources and dynamics of church planting.

2003 Meetings

March 17. Updates on planting projects were shared and we debriefed from our participation in the Healthy Church Retreat the previous fall. We discussed how various dynamics, such as our stance on alcohol, affect our plants. It was agreed that when we can, our team should be represented at the UB youth ministry gatherings, as youth ministers tend to be solid planters. We then investigated adding a strong "Parenting Churches" training component either in addition to, or as a part of, the Healthy Church Retreat. Specifically targeted individuals would be recruited and invited.

Further discussion about outside consultants determined that we might benefit in contracting with a consultant(s) on a short-term, per-task basis. We began an "in house" spreadsheet that listed target parent churches and also established some quiet realistic goals to which we could strive. This would parallel our denomination's target of an increased number of 100 healthy churches, as healthy churches of course birth new churches. It was agreed that we would prefer not to broadly announce goals with fanfare, but instead continue to steadily produce fruit and let the fruit speak for itself. Not unlike the bamboo shoot which lies in the ground quite some time before sprouting significant growth. Our prayer is that if we continue to feed the root in healthy ways, at a given point a healthy growth of church multiplication will result.

November 10. In our second meeting in 2003, we examined the ten most common mistakes of church planters, and reported on updates in planting situations within the denomination, including updates on contacts with pastors of churches who may consider daughtering. We also examined a working model (of classes) toward UB church membership that would be particularly effective in a church planting environment.

Discussion also centered upon what we are doing to continue toward an atmosphere of change, and upon fundraising models used by planters to help start their new plants. The concept of using promos in existing denominational and/or conference newsletters was discussed with the intention of using them.

The majority of our meeting was spent discussing the potential of joining the Missionary Church. In effect, this topic, along with proposed changes in our structure, dominated the remainder of our term as a board, as it of course occupied much of the thought and energy of the entire UB church. We decided to send our chairman to an annual National Church Plant Summit. We further consented to help in a small way the work of Denis Casco among Hispanic church planting ministries.

2004 Meetings

April 5. We continued to update on existing church plants, and to strategize how Bob Logan's presence at the fall Healthy Church Retreat could be used toward church multiplication potential. We refined our expectations of Denis Casco in our working relationship with him, as we cover some of his expenses in supervising new church plants. We spent much time discussing the potential membering with the Missionary Church.

We also discussed returning to the former model of having each conference Director of Church Multiplication on the CMMT. It was agreed to try to increase the representation of the conferences. It was the hope that these leaders would meet with us prior to the fall retreat with Bob Logan. Significant time was spent discussing a pastor who desired to plant in an area that had no active planting entity to oversee and equip. We agreed to offer help if the planter conceded to the standards established by our team.

November 15. Our fall meeting was alongside the Healthy Church Retreat with Bob Logan. We met with some conference leaders and had positive discussions about vision and resources. Conference directors were able to ask each other about systems and resources in their conferences. It was concluded that while some things were being accomplished, much had been on hold in our denomination until the Missionary Church issue was resolved. Components of strategic thinking and available resources were presented to conference leaders, with a special focus toward leadership development and finding the receptive hearts/ministries for church multiplication and putting our focus there.

Discussion also centered upon how the CMMT could better assist church multiplication once we move to an every other year National Conference format, using the large gathering as a central platform. During the actual Healthy Church Retreat, Bob Logan (author of the "Church Planter's Tool Kit") included a strong challenge for church planting.

2005 Meeting

Extensive discussion centered upon church multiplication in the context of the proposed changes in UB structure (no conferences, one national conference, property referendum, clusters, the likely need for Church Planting Centers and/or "associations," etc.). We wrote a recommendation for the newly-elected bishop and national conference: that the bishop make staff assignment to the position of leading and working in partnership with church multiplication in the UBIC and alongside the newly proposed Church Multiplication Leadership Team. Funds may exist that are set aside for church plants when conferences disband. Perhaps these funds could help underwrite the position.

We debriefed regarding the fall 2004 CMMT meeting with conference leaders at the Healthy Church Retreat and Bob Logan's presentation. We discussed the need for better record keeping and reports from Denis Casco. Tom Blalock and Dan Kopp shared summary reports and evaluation of a recent CMTC Boot Camp they attended as observers/coaches.

The CMMT also entered into partnership with the new coaching center in Fort Wayne (led by Dwight Smith) by contributing $2500 and offering scholarship money to assist any interested UB partners. We further cemented our ongoing relationship with the sponsoring entity of the Church Plant Boot Camps that the UB church uses (Church Multiplication Training Center) by refreshing our annual commitment of $2000.

Some Conclusions and Observations

1. With an exceedingly grateful heart, the author expresses gratitude to the UBIC and particularly to his partners on the CMMT for the journey enabled in this past quadrennium. It has been an honor and joy to serve, and to admire the passion and giftedness of others who share a vision for church multiplication.

2. The need for a "two railed track" of healthy churches alongside church multiplication continues. Church multiplication remains the most effective means of evangelism in the world! It is noted that if a church is two years old in America, it takes two attendees for every one convert. If it is five years old, it takes 73:1. If it is ten years old, it on average takes 200 attendees per new convert! (Resource: Jim Griffith of Griffith Consulting, quoting Bob Logan)

3. As a denomination, a majority of our constituents have made it clear that we desire to maintain an institution, the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. It is up to us now to determine how fully we desire to fulfill the Great Commission. In no wise can this be accomplished without generating both healthy churches and new church plants. Core values and priorities are not demonstrated on paper--they are demonstrated by the energy and focus of leadership and by actual budgeting and followed through plans.

4. It in many ways is a very promising time for church multiplication. The platform potentially offered to us in the new national conference format is unprecedented. This very time may provide for us the components long needed to unite us around the proven guidelines and parameters that most or even all in our denomination will embrace for the producing of healthy new church plants.

5. There is a great tension between what a ministry team, led only by persons serving fulltime in other highly demanding ministries and jobs, can effectively do and what needs to be done. It appears that we are entering a time where a high level of energy will be needed at the national conference level to unite and equip church planting efforts and assure quality control. Thus, one highly endorses the recommendation of the leadership teams and/or the CMMT that church multiplication receive staff assignment at Headquarters. This could be either fulltime or as part of a Healthy Church staff position.

6. One further emphasizes the high necessity to use proven resources and models for effective church multiplication. We have done what we can to discourage haphazard church planting. It is our prayer that more and more regional leaders and key senior pastors will realize that healthy church multiplication is a very viable possibility, particularly using resources like The Church Planter's Paradise for recruiting planter candidates.

Respectfully Submitted,

Dan Kopp
CMMT Chair