Purpose Driven Planting

MACON, Ga. (PD) — It's no secret that most of the major mainline Protestant denominations have been steadily losing ground for the last 20 years – both in membership and churches.

Mainline denominations like the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), for example, have seen their membership rolls and the number of churches dwindle by an average of 34,550 members and 35 churches a year from 1994-2004 alone.

Meanwhile, these denominations have watched as the work of others outside their own denominations have flourished, according to Dr. Stanley Wood, the Ford Chair Associate Professor of Congregational Leadership and Evangelism at San Francisco Theological Seminary.

"For decades, as those inside the mainline denominations have watched the explosive growth of non-denominational church movements and the rise of mega-churches and para-churches across the United States, questions have emerged concerning how the denominational church might be revitalized," wrote Wood in the introduction of Extraordinary Leaders in Extraordinary Times.

The book, which Wood edited, is based on a comprehensive research study of more than 700 founding pastors of new church developments to determine the key character traits shared by the most effective – or "successful" – new church developers within seven mainline denominations.

According to Purpose Driven church planting coach Ron Sylvia, who has assisted numerous mainline new church developers or church planters, the way to revitalization and growth in those mainline denominations is through church planting.

"We need a new church in every denomination," said Sylvia, who recently released Starting Churches on Purpose, which details the Purpose Driven paradigm for church planting. "The real key is denominations are seeing it's a new day. This is a new generation. We need a new Church – not a new denomination but a new Church."

Dr. Tim Bagwell, executive director of New and Revitalized Congregational Development for the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, said for his denomination that simply means a return to their roots.

"We've got to rediscover our roots and that starting new churches is not a turning one's back on denominational history in the Methodist church, it is a reclaiming of the essence of our history," he said of the more than 14,000 new churches started within the denomination between 1880 and 1910.

"Somewhere along the way, the Methodist church lost our passion for starting new churches," he said.

But Bagwell also said he is seeing many within the denomination starting to rediscover that heritage.

"For us in mainline denominations where we are functioning within the context of a denominational framework, we have to intentionally think about this," said Bagwell, whose goal is to start or revitalize 50 new congregations by 2010.

One of the barriers, he said, in starting new mainline churches is the perceived threat existing churches feel with new works.

"Many times other churches are deeply threatened when we start new churches. That comes out of their own dysfunctionality and a very limited understanding of what the Gospel is about," he said. "They feel like a new church is a threat to their own internal church health."

But according to Bagwell, he's seen the opposite effect happen in churches located around new Methodist church developments within his conference in Georgia.

"I cannot think of a single situation where the planting of a new church is harmful in any way to the churches that surround that new church in the same denomination," he said.

One of those church plants, Harvest Church, a purpose driven church, planted in 2001 by Pastor Jim Cowart and now with more than 800 in attendance, has helped strengthen the churches in its area, he said.

"They [neighboring churches] are stronger numerically. Conversations in the churches have become far healthier because as the new church is asking a new set of questions, all of the sudden conversations in other Methodist churches begin to turn around," he said. "They realize perhaps some of the issues they've been dealing with are not really keeping the main thing the main thing."

Another church plant under Bagwell's guidance is The Pointe, located in Albany, Ga., and pastored by Bryan Gerstel.

Through involvement in a Purpose Driven Coaching Network, and other Purpose Driven church planting training, Gerstel led The Point to launch its first preview service in November 2005, with official weekly services starting March 5, 2006.

Already the church is averaging more than 310 in worship and has seen 68 people make first-time commitments to Christ and another 282 make recommitments.

"Every Sunday we have met, including our preview services, we've had at least one first-time commitment to Christ," he said.

Although Gerstel said the church is focusing on reaching "unchurched and dechurched" in their area, they have also been able to help revitalize existing neighboring Methodist churches.

"I think if anything our church has opened the eyes of these churches to pay attention to new ways to reach people in the community," he said. "It's also opened the door for us to be able to connect with smaller Methodist churches. In fact, I actually coach a small Methodist church just south of Albany that's running less than 40 people and is beginning the assimilation process."

"They're bringing teams of people to visit [The Pointe] and taking it back and tweaking it."

Sylvia said stories like Gerstel's and others like him give inspiration and motivation for other mainline denominations to begin new works as well.

"It breathes this new excitement, this new air of life into a denomination using new churches like the ones Jim Cowart [at Harvest Church] and Bryan Gerstel [at The Pointe] have started," he said. "We're watching a whole lot of the denominations say, ‘It's a new day and we need a new model to reach a new generation.'"