A Home Mission Board Strategy for Church Planting in the Atlantic United Baptist Convention
Publication Details
The development of a Home Mission Board strategy to equip the churches of the United Baptist Convention of the Atlantic Provinces to plant new churches is the central thrust of this dissertation. Each of the three sections contains two chapters. The first section, "The Biblical and Theological Foundations for Church Planting," traces the central role of "the people of God" in God's plan of redemption. The organic nature of the church and the implications of the Great Commission indicate that God intends for the church to multiply itself among the peoples of the world. Biblical models and principles of church planting including the team approach and strategies of the Apostle Paul are provided. The second section, "The Context for Church Planting," analyses the historical development and growth of the Convention together with a description of how changes in the philosophy of ministry of the Board have impacted its effectiveness in this task. An in-depth analysis of church planting methodologies and growth trends in churches planted in the last fifteen years provides the basis for the plan of ministry that is developed in the last section. The third section, "The Strategy for Church Planting," includes a chapter on the selection and mentoring of church planters. A recruitment strategy and a structured interview is developed. A plan including new policies and practices will enable the Board to respond to inquiries from churches and Associations for assistance with church planting ministries. A specific strategy to initiate church planting in the urban Associations is developed. God designed the church to grow numerically, which includes the planting of new churches. A group of those churches have mandated the Home Mission Board to equip them for this task. This strategy has a firm biblical foundation while embracing the historic Baptist principle of the autonomy of the local church.
Physical Description: 259 pp.