Part IV
"Very few churches are planted too slowly" (p. 109). So begins chapter 5 of Planting Churches in the 21st Century, in which Murray tackles the question of "When?" (to plant a church). Throughout this chapter, he repeatedly recommends patience. "Frustrating though it may be to pioneers and activists, [a] preparatory period is vital if the planting process is to be properly planned" (p. 125).
According to Murray, this "preparatory period" should include not only the research discussed earlier, but also prayer, fund-raising, and identifying places to gather. He recognizes the importance of mission, community, and worship for any faith community, but he questions the prioritization of corporate worship services that has long dominated church-planting efforts:
Prioritizing corporate worship...is a legacy of the Christendom era, in which mission and community were often marginalized. Church planting should not be warped by this inherited bias. It is time we reinstated mission and community as equally central constituents of church.... If a community is forming with the intention of engaging in mission or if missional activities are intended to create a community, we may recognize that a church is emerging, whether or not this community is yet worshipping together. (pp. 126-127)Finally, Murray questions the need for and prudence of big "launch events" (p. 130). Again, it has long been assumed that these events are necessary to start a new church well. But they may ultimately be unhelpful; for example, for "ventures that operate relationally rather than through events, a public launch may be superfluous or misleading" (p. 130).
to be continued
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