Winning the World

8 Wi nn i ng the Wor l d: Fac i l i tat i ng Urban Chur ch P l ant i ng Movement s

throughout the world today. At a time when definitions of the Church have become more and more loose and individualized, we will analyze all church plant and growth theories as they relate to the Nicene marks of the Church in the world. Using these marks as representative of a legitimate biblical view of the Church, we will then discuss and investi gate the connection between church planting and world evangelization, growth, and leadership development. In our first session we will focus upon the various underlying principles which contribute to the explo sive multiplication of churches in places like India, Western Europe, and China, and discuss the possibility of similar revival, renewal, and reproduction of the Church among the poor in American cities. Our aim will be to isolate the critical dimensions of spiritual vitality which God might use to ignite explosive, dynamic, and reproducing movements around the world, and here at home. As a result of taking this course, each student should be able to: • Help create a definition of church planting movements that takes into account both the biblical materials on the church as well as the latest research on such movements around the world today. • Understand the Nicene marks of the Church, and be able to use these marks as a measuring rod for assessing the validity of movements around the world. • Isolate the main factors in American spirituality that make rapid multiplication of churches in American cities difficult. • Identify the main principles and dimensions underlying rapidly growing church planting movements. • Memorize selected texts on the nature of church growth and multiplication. • Critically engage some of the latest notions of church and weigh them against the biblical, orthodox understanding of spirituality and body life. • Outline what you consider to be the most significant elements of any successful, viable, and sustainable church planting movement among the unreached urban poor in the city. During this age of harvest and Gospel witness, nothing represents a priority for the people of God as fulfilling the commission of our risen Lord to go into all the world and make disciples of all peoples. The priority of the Church in this epoch is to win the world, i.e., to evangelize the lost on earth with the Good News in order that the