Articles for tag: Reproducing Churches

September 18, 2019

Exponential, Outreach Team for ‘Church Multiplication Challenge’

Exponential and Outreach magazine are partnering for “The Church Multiplication Challenge,” and an initial goal of identifying 100 reproducing churches has expanded to 1,000. “We want to see reproduction and multiplication become normative,” Exponential CEO Todd Wilson says in an article at ReproducingChurches.org. “We want to see leaders changing their scorecards as they think differently about what it means to lead successful churches and to build legacies that last.” The response thus far has been encouraging, Wilson says, especially since an attempt several years ago to identify 10 rapidly multiplying churches fell far short. (The research team couldn’t find even

August 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Planting

Urban Church Planting: A Conversation with Eric Metcalf

By David Dummitt When I was first invited to write an article about urban church planting, I planned to write about trends, research, data, and the like. But after thinking about it some more, I decided that rather than share my thoughts, it would be more powerful to share the insights of someone in the proverbial trenches of urban church planting. I recently sat down with Eric Metcalf, a colleague, fellow church planter, and friend. Eric and his wife, Erin, are church planters in downtown Chicago. Eric is also the residency catalyst for NewThing. Their passion for the Jesus mission,

July 28, 2017

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Planting

4 Key Reasons Why Network Church Planting Is Succeeding

By David Dummitt Church planting has been a dynamic practice for 20 centuries, with methods and strategies morphing in response to context and culture. Modern church planting is seeing tremendous success as it shifts from “traditional” to a network church-planting model. The classic “parachute-drop” model is one of the most common methods we have seen in the last century. In this model, a church planter sets out like a pioneer to launch a church where there is no church. Typically, in this traditional, high-risk model, the church planter sets out with limited resources and few (if any) connections. In the

June 20, 2017

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Planting

5 Reasons Church Planting Should Matter to You

By David Dummitt Not long ago, when you talked to church leaders about church planting, eyes would glaze over and conversation topics would awkwardly shift. I”m excited to live in a time when this is changing. Organizations like NewThing, Stadia, Passion for Planting, Orchard Group, and others demonstrate that more and more churches are passionate about planting even more churches around the globe. Whether you lead a congregation of 50, 500, or 5,000, your engagement in church planting is critical to the mission that Jesus gave us to be and make disciples. Multiplication is a charge for each one of

January 27, 2017

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

How Residencies Prepare Emerging Church Leaders

By Dave Ferguson and Warren Bird How and why residencies have become standard operating practice for all of NewThing”s new church planters. When you think about a residency program, you might envision doctors in training, honing their craft under the tutelage of seasoned physicians. For NewThing (www.newthing.org, an international church-planting network birthed out of the Chicago-based Community Christian Church, www.communitychristian.org), a 9- to 12-month residency is required for any emerging leader who wants to start a church in NewThing”s network. It”s standard operating procedure for all of their new church planters. “For us, residency is the chute before you launch

December 6, 2014

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Planting

Classroom Component Added

By Jennifer Johnson The NewThing Network, a church planting movement launched by the leaders of Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL, has long been known for a focus on reproducing churches and multiplying momentum. This, of course, requires a consistent influx of new leaders who then develop new leaders. NewThing”s residency program helps identify and coach these apprentices, and the organization”s new Leadership Training Center, opening in 2015, will add a classroom component to the process. “The residency is a nine- to twelve-month program that connects future church planters with leaders who can mentor and teach them,” says Eric Metcalf,

August 26, 2009

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Planting

Interview with Todd Wilson

By Brad Dupray Todd Wilson serves as director of Exponential Network and is on the leadership teams of several national church planting ministries. Todd received his BS in nuclear engineering from North Carolina State University and spent 15 years working in the Division of Naval Reactors on nuclear submarine design, operation, maintenance, and overhaul. In 2000, he entered full-time vocational ministry as executive minister with New Life Christian Church (Centreville, Virginia). As a church-planting church, New Life releases Todd as a missionary to the kingdom with a primary focus on church planting and other entrepreneurial initiatives. Todd and his wife,

February 24, 2008

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Growth

The Polysite Church

By Dave Ferguson “I”m not sure I can get them to come to church with me.” I was surprised to hear Kathy say this because literally every week she brings people who are far from God to Community Christian Church (CCC). Often I will look out into the crowd during a weekend service and see a whole row of people sitting next to her and I know these are people just beginning their spiritual search. Kathy is as passionate about helping people to find their way to God as I am. So I listened intently as she described a group

January 31, 2007

Brad Dupray

Church & Ministry Church Planting

Interview with Dave Ferguson

Dave Ferguson reflects on Community Christian Church’s multisite growth and why he calls it a “reproducing church.” He explains alignment, leadership development, and how churches can prepare to launch new sites and plant churches.