Planting Churches among the City's Poor - Volume 1

P ART I: D EVELOPING U RBAN C ONGREGATIONS • 65

Form a Celebration Group

Celebration is a weekly, large-group meeting for worship, body-life and outreach. It is the preliminary step toward self-sufficiency and independence. In the Celebration stage of church planting the emerging church grows from a network of small discipling groups into a more formal large-group identity. The emerging church takes primary responsibility for leadership, ministry and finances. The mission continues to offer guidance, leadership training, and supplemental financial support.

The move to begin Celebration includes the following steps:

1. Develop a philosophy of ministry. 2. Mobilize your nucleus in preparation for going public. 3. Take care of important administrative issues. 4. Develop goals for the first three years. 119

Develop a Philosophy of Ministry First, develop a written philosophy of ministry. C. Peter Wagner says, “The philosophy of ministry addresses two principal questions: who? and how?” 120 The answer to the “who?” question defines which people group the church is seeking to reach. This question is partially answered even before church planting begins, but it is redefined after the church nucleus has been formed. If a multi-ethnic ministry develops during the early stages of outreach, the strategy for developing a multi-ethnic church should be spelled out in the philosophy of ministry. The answer to the “how?” question defines the details of the ministry approach used. Wagner suggests “you should have a detailed document of several pages that deals with things like . . . your expectation from the church members, your charismatic position, your ethical stands, your worship style, your musical program, your statement of faith, your fellowship groups, your budget process, and whatever else you consider important.” 121 The discipling group leaders can determine these details in consultation with the church planting team. Ezra Jones encourages

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119 See Logan, p. 6

120 C. Peter Wagner, Church Planting for a Greater Harvest , (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1990), p. 115

121 Wagner, p. 116