Church Planting Systems
Behind a movement of new churches, there are often simple systems at work. Why systems?
Systems enable us to do things over and over again, expending less energy because we have created a system. Systems are based upon habits which have served us well and keep us on track.
Systems guide us to think about the best ways to do things and to continually improve what we do. We use systems in all of life to create efficiencies, become more productive, maintain quality, and evaluate and improve our work.
Simple systems enable catalysts to find better and better answers to the five critical questions and use those better answers to grow a movement, by the grace of God. The ABCDs of church planting (Assessment, Basic Training, Coaching, Developing) symbolize four simple systems which enable the planting of more churches, better churches, and the multiplication of workers for the harvest. Each system is dependent upon the Holy Spirit for power and guidance. But lessons learned are constantly used to improve and expand the systems, enabling greater fruit for the harvest by simplifying tasks and multiplying workers.
If the vision is vivid, then the next task of leading a movement is making sure the systems are simple and reproducible. By simple, I do not mean easy or watered down. I mean understandable and easily communicated. The systems in a missional movement should be few and so simple that you can reproduce them on the back of a napkin by memory .
Ferguson and Ferguson, Exponential, p.203-204.