A North Texas
Missional
Greenhouse
A Missional Greenhouse
is an environment where
a movement of growth
and reproduction are
anticipated and nurtured
Developing a
Greenhouse Atmosphere
for a Church Planting
Movement in Texas
A Missional Greenhouse?
Mark 4:26-29
A man scatters seed…
the seed sprouts and
grows… All by itself the
soil produces grain…
all by itself?
…in Greek…automate literally - automatically performed by God Himself!
A Missional Greenhouse?
1 Corinthians 3:5-6
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is
Paul? Only servants, through whom
you came to believe--as the Lord has
assigned to each his task. {6} I planted
the seed, Apollos watered it, but God
made it grow.
A Missional Greenhouse?
1 Corinthians 3:7-8 So neither he who
plants nor he who waters is anything,
but only God, who makes things grow.
{8} The man who plants and the man
who waters have one purpose, and
each will be rewarded according to his
own labor.
A Missional Greenhouse?
• Acts 4:4 But many who heard the
message believed, and the number of
men grew to about five thousand.
• Acts 9:31 Then the church
throughout Judea, Galilee and
Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It
was strengthened; and encouraged by
the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers,
living in the fear of the Lord.
A Missional Greenhouse?
• Acts 16:5 So the churches were
strengthened in the faith and grew
daily in numbers.
• 2 Corinthians 10:15-16 …Our hope is
that, as your faith continues to grow,
our area of activity among you will
greatly expand, {16} so that we can
preach the gospel in the regions
beyond you.
A Missional Greenhouse?
• Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come
to seek and to save that which was lost.
• John 10:10 I have come that they may
have life, and have it to the full.
• 1 Timothy 2:3-4 This is good, and
pleases God our Savior, {4} who wants
all men to be saved and to come to a
knowledge of the truth.
A Gospel Movement
Platzregen: The gospel is a
moving thundershower
•
Luther was taken by references to a "drought of
the Word of God" in Israel's worst times of
distress, God's most severe affliction on his
apostate people. That drought would only be
broken when God, sola gratia, sent his
"Platzregen," a surprise thunder shower, a
cloudburst, to refresh his apostate people with
mercy and forgiveness, and thus revive faith and
the fruits thereof.
A Gospel Movement
Platzregen
• Luther's Gospel-metaphors of
"Platzregen" (a sudden rain
shower) and "ripples-from-astone-cast-into-a-pool" are
mission metaphors derivative from
the Gospel itself, the prime mover
in mission.
A Gospel Movement
Platzregen
• Mission happens when God turns on the
Gospel rain shower, when God tosses the
Gospel-pebble into the water. The rain and
the pebble do the "mission work." A major
source in Luther's works for such mission
theology are his many sermons preached
on the Feast of the Ascension, where the
assigned lectionary text always was the
Markan version of Christ's Ascension.
Platzregen
At times Luther spoke of the negative side of the
Platzregen image, namely, God moving it away
from lands where it bore no fruit. One such
example is from 1520:
"Germany has never before heard so much of God's
Gospel as now. There was scant trace of it in our
earlier history. But if we let it pass by without
thanks and honor, I am afraid that we shall have to
suffer plague and grimmer darkness. My dear
Germans . . . make use of God's Word of Grace
while it is there. For know this, that the Word of
God's grace is like a "Platzregen" (a sweeping
thundershower and downpour), which never
returns to where it has already been.”
A Missional Greenhouse?
• God is growing His Kingdom of
Grace
• God's plan is for exponential
reproduction of believers, groups,
churches, and movements
• We can plant, water, remove
obstacles and fertilize, but God
brings about the growth by the
power of the Holy Spirit
Why church planting?
• Churches over 15
years old – 1 Adult
convert for every 67
members
• Churches 3-15 years
old – Ratio is 20:1
• Churches 0-3 years
old – Ratio is 10:1
• What does this
mean?
Reframing our thinking
"Church parenting is costly, but that
cost is an investment, not a
loss…church parenting is an
investment in the Kingdom.
Churches that parent other
churches do not lose. “
Phil Stevenson, The Ripple Church
Reframing our thinking
"Churches that plant churches do
not lose money; they invest it into
a situation that will result in a net
return to the Kingdom"
"They do not lose people; they
invest them in the work of
gathering a harvest."
Why new missions now?
•
•
Our Growing Texas
population (400k
annual growth)
Data from U.S.
Census bureau
shows 4 of the
biggest population
gaining areas are in
Texas (DFW,
Houston, Austin,
San Antonio)
A Missional Greenhouse?
What do growing demographics
have to do with it?
Why are the people around
us -- around us?
A Missional Greenhouse?
What do growing demographics have
to do with it?
Or asked another way -Is the movement of people from one
place to another – from one nation to
another – from one state to another
merely the result of humankind’s efforts
to find a better life, flee oppressive
governments or seek new economic
opportunities?
Why the people around us are
around us…
Acts 17:26-27
26 From one man He made every
nation of men, that they should
inhabit the whole earth; and He
determined the times set for
them and the exact places
where they should live.
Why God has done this…
27 God did this so that men
would seek Him and
perhaps reach out for Him
and find Him, though He is
not far from each one of us.
In 1990, 52 million people attended a
Christian church each weekend.
Church Attendance in 1990 & 2006 Compared to
Population Growth 1990 - 2006
60,000,000
51,110,171
50,000,000
40,000,000
30,000,000
20,000,000
10,000,000
-
Church Attendance 1990
The American Church
Research Project
Church Attendance 2006
Population Growth 1990 - 2006
By 2006, however, 52 million people still
attended a Christian church each weekend.
Church Attendance in 1990 & 2006 Compared to
Population Growth 1990 - 2006
60,000,000
51,110,171
51,668,200
50,000,000
40,000,000
30,000,000
20,000,000
10,000,000
-
Church Attendance 1990
The American Church
Research Project
Church Attendance 2006
Population Growth 1990 - 2006
Meanwhile, by 2006 52 million more people
were living in the United States.
Church Attendance in 1990 & 2006 Compared to
Population Growth 1990 - 2006
60,000,000
51,110,171
51,668,200
51,773,556
50,000,000
40,000,000
30,000,000
20,000,000
10,000,000
-
Church Attendance 1990
The American Church
Research Project
Church Attendance 2006
Population Growth 1990 - 2006
Slightly more Churches Start each
Year than Close, but not Enough to
Keep up with Population Growth.
Churches Closed and Started and Net Gain each Year from 2000 to 2005
4,500
4,000
4,009
3,707
3,205
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
303
500
Closed Each Year
The American Church
Research Project
Started Each Year
Net Gain each Year
Gain Needed to Keep Up
with Population Growth
Dallas/Ft. Worth Metro Area 2000
Percentage of the Population
Attending a Christian Church on
Any Given Weekend
16.3%
18.8%
Denton
17.9%
Collin
Hunt
19.3
21.6%
Parker
26.9%
Rockwall
21.4%
Tarrant
Dallas
19.7%
Kaufman
18.2%
Hood
19.5%
Ellis
16.4%
Henderson
The American Church
Research Project
North Texas
Mission Ripe
Hot Spots
Joe Pool Lake – North
12.5 sq.miles
Cedar Hill – 11.96 sq miles
Midlothian – 13.38 sq. miles
Irving North/Los Colinas
8.42 sq. miles
Burleson/Crowley
29.76 sq. miles
I-35 east on 20 to 45 south to Lancaster
17.30 sq. miles
East Arlington
8.49 sq. miles
Kennendale and East
23.92 sq. miles
North West of Arlington – Bentley Village
23.92 sq. miles
Parenting Models
• Daughtering
• Shared Parenting
• Satellites/Multisite
• Language Group
Congregations
• House Churches
• Along-side Ethnic
Congregations
Should Small Churches Plant Churches?
• When you plant a daughter church, you
have multiplied yourself and are
reaching twice as many people.
• Think of the joy you receive by
watching God bless your children.
• Think of the joy you will have watching
God bless your daughter churches.
• Our LCMS history has small churches
planting other churches from the
earliest times
How Your Mission and Ministry
Facilitator Can Help
• Come along side mission focused
pastors and leaders to share the vision
of church planting by congregations or
partnerships of congregations
• Help potential planting congregations or
partnerships study the demographics of
potential targeted communities using
tools from Mission Insight
• Help potential planting congregations
ask the right questions
…the Right Questions?
1. Do you and your people have a
burden for lost people?
2. Has your congregation shown a
willingness to step out in faith?
3. Do you have a vision for your
community and region?
4. Has your congregation practiced a
generous spirit?
5. Are you willing to risk?
…the Right Questions?
6. Does your congregation have a
genuine kingdom mindset?
7. Are you willing to invest resources
(people, finances) outside the walls of
your local church?
8. Why do you want to plant a church?
9. Who do you want to reach?
10. Who are the people in the area?
…the Right Questions?
11. What is the growth potential in the
area?
12. What Ministry DNA from your present
ministry do you want to carry over to
a Mission? What Ministry DNA would
be better left behind?
13. How are you asking people to pray
about this?
…the Right Questions?
14. How do we work toward finding the
right person (mission planter)?
15. How do we make sure we have the
right place?
16. How do we make sure we have the
right plan in place?
Once you are moving
toward planting, MMF will…
• Work with the planting congregation or
partners in designing a Mission Plan
• Pray for and with the planting
congregation and partners
• Connect planting congregation or
partners to appropriate resources
(print, media, real people and mission
starts) which will be helpful
• Help congregation locate appropriate
planter candidates
Once you are moving
toward planting, MMF will…
• Meet regularly with leaders as they
revise and finalize their Mission Plan
• Sign-off on the Mission Plan (Right
Person, Right Place, Right Plan)
• Walk with the planting group as they
apply for funding with the Texas.
• Function as advocate to the Board of
Mission Administration
Once Mission Plan is approved, and
planter is in place, MMF will…
• Meet regularly with Mission Planter and
leadership core
• Help connect Mission Planter to a
mentor/coach
• Monitor growth, (spiritual health,
numerical growth, community impact)
as appropriate
• Help facilitate charter process when
time is right
Once Mission Plan is approved,
MMF will…
• Help new Mission Plant already
begin thinking about when they
will be ready to plant!
• Continue to work with originating
planting congregation or
partnership on their own spiritual
vitality as well as help they plan for
their next opportunity to plant!
Texas District Will Provide…
• Cost for screening
potential mission
planters
• Cost for training
mission planter
• ½ cost for
mentor/coach (ca.
$5,000)
• Assistance of Mission
and Ministry Facilitator
• Ministry Area Profile
(demographic report)
for target area
Texas District Will Provide…
• Finances
– Plan A Up to $200,000
repayable funds
• Interest free
• Repay 100% over 20 years
– Plan B (usually for
International start)
• Up to $100,000
• Interest free
• Repay 50% over 20 years