Missions in
America 2013
“Biblical Foundations &
the Organic Church
Legacy of Wesley”
April 27, 2013
The Great
Commission of
Jesus
“Go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them…teaching
them to obey everything I have
commanded you.” (Matt 28:19)
Mission – Church
of the Nazarene
“…to make Christlike disciples
in the nations.”
Other denominational families
have similar mission statements.
John Wesley – A
Great Model
…beyond the ministry of Jesus,
John Wesley developed one of the
greatest disciple-making models in
the history of the Christian faith.
“…The world is my parish!”
A Wesleyan
System of
Disciple-Making
…John Wesley revolutionized
18th century England because he
spent a lifetime building and
perfecting a disciple-making
system!
John Wesley’s
System Had To
Be Reproducible
Wesley realized that no disciplemaking movement would ever
reach the masses of England and
beyond unless he built a system
that was reproducible.
He Quickly
Realized Ordained
Clergy Flaws…
There were not enough ordained
clergy to lead Wesley’s disciplemaking movement, so he
instinctively began developing a
group of lay-preachers.
Part of Wesley’s
System – 52
Standard Sermons
He inspired their hearts, wrote
their sermons, and sent them out!
God raised up an army of over
650 lay preachers to revolutionize
th
18 century England!
Wesley’s Preface
to his 52 Standard
Sermons
My mother’s gift to me in 1978,
in the second year after my call
into the ministry…
Two Great
Preaching
Contemporaries…
The two most well known
preachers who led the spiritual
th
renewal movement in 18
century England…George
Whitfield and John Wesley.
George Whitfield
was a better
preacher…
…but when Whitfield died, there
was no discipled group, no
church and no system that
followed him to perpetuate his
life’s work.
In the few years
after John Wesley
died…in 1781…
…more people were saved,
sanctified, discipled, trained and
sent out into mission than John
Wesley ever trained and sent
during his entire lifetime! Why?
The Key to John
Wesley’s Success
John Wesley understood the
importance of building solid,
disciple-making systems within a
movement. That’s what the
Wesleyan Master’s Plan is all about.
The Church
Challenge Today
The Facts: By far, the majority of
U.S. churches lack an integrated
system for evangelism and
disciple-making like Wesley
th
developed in 18 century England.
Wesley’s Basic
Order of Salvation
1. Win
2. Gather
3. Disciple / Teach
4. Send
Wesley’s System
of Interlocking
Groups
1. The “Society” – encounter God
2. The “Class” - open group
3. The “Band” - closed group
Wesley’s System
of Interlocking
Groups
1. Society – congregations, members
tied to involvement in the “class”
2. Class – weekly, 10-12 people,
focus was on what to avoid, pursue,
helpful practices, “means of grace.”
Wesley’s System
of Interlocking
Groups
2. Class Leadership – was the first
rung of leadership development in
Methodism (identical to today’s
Master’s Plan approach)
1) Societies, 2) Classes and …
Wesley’s System
of Interlocking
Groups
3. Band – closed discipling group in
Methodism, very high commitment,
very high accountability; its
purpose is identical to the G-12 or
Master’s Plan closed groups being
developed & used worldwide today.
Making Wesley
Contemporary!
George Hunter III
“Both of the Wesleys were pragmatists and
would do whatever it took to reach people
for Jesus Christ. Charles was a cultured
musician with high church taste, but he
shelved his preferences, condescending to
write hymns to the tunes of low-browed
drinking songs being sung in English pubs.”
Wesley’s Focus on
Disciple-Making
He told his lay preachers: “Preach
in as many places as you can. Start
as many classes as you can. Do not
preach without starting new
classes!”
Making Wesley
Contemporary!
George Hunter III
“We do not honor our founders by blindly
perpetuating in a changing world what they
once did nor by hijacking their tradition
and imposing something culturally alien;
we honor them by doing for our time and
culture what they did for theirs.”
Master’s Plan
of Evangelism:
published 1963
“In 1980’s, Robert Coleman taught
a seminar at Mission Charismatic
International in Bogota, Columbia
and out of that the senior pastor
developed what has become G-12.
Master’s Plan
or “G-12”
“Over 30,000 churches worldwide,
including 3000+ churches in North
America now use this model of
disciple-making…used now in
over 125 different denominations.
In the U.S…
Numbers of
Churches Use It
…with a U.S. adaptation of this
explosive disciple-making model
that is now being contextualized
for field-testing and delivery
throughout the U.S.
Known as
G-12…
…a nickname that stands for Groups
of 12. Used throughout the scriptures
by God, i.e. Israel’s 12 tribes, Joshua’s
12 stones, Elijah’s 12 stones, Christ’s
12 disciples, 12 months in a year,
God’s government structure, etc.
Now Used by
Many Churches
Overseas
This is the model being used by the
largest, fastest growing Nazarene
church in the world, in Cali,
Columbia…has grown from 200 to
average over 14,000 in 10 years.
Sunday Service – Outreach
Sunday Service – Outreach
Sunday Service – Outreach
Six Basic
Components
1. Powerful Encounter Week-End
2. A 30 weeks of classes focused on
coaching, disciple-making
3. Life Groups – open, evangelistic
Six Basic
Components
4. Long-term, one-on-one discipling
5. Lead Group – closed group of 12
6. Each leader challenged to
develop their own group of 12
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
A Second Related DiscipleMaking Model…
Emerging in Church Planting
Movements Worldwide
Hundreds of People Attended
Churches This Year!
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
There are multiple ways to make
disciples. It takes all kinds of
churches to reach all kinds of people.
But to be effective, you MUST build
a disciple-making system!
…is a new kind of
disciple-making
system. It is built
on the very same
principles now being used by
Nazarene missionaries around the
world as they cooperate with the
Holy Spirit in facilitating Church
Planting Movements.
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Jesus Understood The Power of a
Decentralized Movement!
“But I tell you the truth: It is for
your good that I am going away.
Unless I go away, the Counselor
will not come to you; but if I go, I
will send him to you.”
Jesus – John 16:7
The Focus of Church Planting
Movements is Not…
…filling seats in buildings, growing
numbers in well-organized programs.
Global growth to build the Kingdom
IS all about…introducing people to
Jesus, challenging people to live like
Jesus…moving the church out into
people’s neighborhoods…
The Great Commission of the
Church Is Not Come, But GO…
• Key Question: “How do we
move the church in the U.S. out of
the focus of, “come and hear our
message” to the focus of, “let’s go
and bring Christ to people in their
neighborhood…where they live?”
Nazarene A “going” church
Organic
looks very different
Church
than a “please
Network
come” church.
A key question: “Will we embrace
different kinds of churches, emerging
to reach out to different
neighborhoods, led by different kinds
of people?
God at Work All Over the World
In Church Planting Movements
• 4,000 churches planted in
Northern India in just 10 years
• 150,000 Gypsies in Western
Europe turned to faith in Jesus Christ
• 160,000 Chinese were baptized in
a single year
God at Work All Over the World
In Church Planting Movements
• 150,000 Muslims have turned from
Mohammed to Jesus
• 400+ Nazarene churches have been
planted in Ethiopia in one year
• 433 Nazarene churches have been
planted in S. Sudan in 18 months
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
As we study CPMs
world-wide, our
primary longing is
to see a Church
Planting Movement hit the shores of
the United States, as it is beginning to
happen in numbers of denominations.
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
A regular
characteristic in all
of the Church
Planting Movements we have studied
to date internationally and in the
U.S., is the emergence of what we
call “organic church” leaders.
“Organic Church”
• We are learning that MOST
international growth of the church is
“organic church” in form and function
• We must LEARN from what God is
doing around the world. In the U.S.,
we must focus on developing “organic
church” networks and learn to love
organic churches!
Nazarene
Organic
Organic
Church Definition:
Church
Network
“a person, a group of people with
organic DNA, who plant God’s
Kingdom in their neighborhood…”
Nazarene
Organic
Organic
Church
Locations
:
Church
Network
Organic Churches can be started
anywhere, in homes, in coffeehouses,
in restaurants, in offices, on
university campuses, even in
bars…putting a church within
walking distance of people…
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Organic
Churches Are
Emerging…
They are called by multiple names:
house churches, simple churches,
organic churches, informal churches,
relationship based churches …but they
are emerging everywhere. Every state
needs dozens…!
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
A Missionary Way
of Thinking About
The Church…
Slogan: “Every Christian can be a
church planter, every home can be a
church and every church building can
become a training center.”
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
A Missionary Way
of Thinking About
The Church…
Organic Church Focus: “We want to
lower the bar of how church is done
and raise the bar of what it means to
be a disciple.”
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Organic Church
Benefits
• Have the potential to multiply rapidly
• They embrace people we normally
would lose or would never reach
because they don’t “fit” in our current
church paradigms
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Organic Church
Benefits
• They are very easy to start
• Organic church networks nudge our
complacency & challenge our church
presuppositions that may need
adjustment
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Organic Church
Benefits
• Organic churches do not need an
money, resources, people or music.
• However, it does require a unique
vision & mindset from the beginning, a
unique organic DNA
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Organic Churches
in Multiple
Denominations
• Southern Baptist Convention, Four
Square Church, Grace Brethren &
other denominations have already
embraced the organic church
movement as another vehicle to start
multiple new churches in the U.S.
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Every State
Needs Organic
Churches
• We are not suggesting that Organic
Churches are better than existing,
traditional churches
• We need all kinds of new churches
to reach all kinds of new people
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Organic Churches
Raise Questions
For Us…
• Where will the “pastors” come from?
• How will they be trained?
• How will they be kept from heresy?
• How will we maintain doctrinal
adherence?
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Organic Churches
Raise Questions
For Us…
• What does an organic church service
look like?
• How will we control it? Should we try?
• What will a mature U.S. “organic
church” movement look like?
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Organic Churches
Raise Questions
For Us…
• There are three major roadblocks to
“organic church” multiplication in the
U.S.:
1) buildings
2) budgets
3) big shots (clergy required)
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Organic Churches
Characteristics, a
Unique DNA
D – developing disciple-makers
N – nurturing core values
A – acting on the mission of Christ!
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Organic Church
Characteristics
The power-packed “life” of a organic
church has the tendency to multiply
other organic churches. The key is
“genuine life” at the DNA core of the
church. People who want to simply “do
church” an organic, New Testament way.
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Organic Church
Development
in the U.S.
• Attended 2 national training events for
house / organic church leaders
• House2House magazine – March 2001
• Circulation is now over 50,000, may
be 10,000 – 15,000 house churches now
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Do We Sacrifice
Church Quality?
On the contrary, the small, family-like
environment of the organic church is
ideally suited to the goal of helping
people become passionate followers of
Jesus Christ, if the DNA is right!
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Is God Calling
You To Plant?
What would happen if just like in
India, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Sudan,
Guatemala, …God would call people
in this district gathering to plant a new
church? An organic church? In your
neighborhood?
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
Is God Calling
You To Plant?
How would Michigan be different in
the future if we had 100 people follow
Jesus, join the Organic Church
Network and plant a new church in
their neighborhood?
Nazarene
Organic
Church
Network
The Vision from
Heaven For Your
Neighborhood!
“Therefore, King Agrippa, I could
not be disobedient to the vision from
heaven.”
Paul -- Acts 26:19
Missions in
America 2013
“Biblical Foundations &
the Organic Church
Legacy of Wesley”
April 27, 2013