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The church I would plant (part two)

The church I would plant (part two)

Last updated on: May 23, 2015 at 3:59 pm by David Murrow

The church I would plant (part two) 2015-05-23T15:59:44-09:00 David Murrow

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Why do churches make so few disciples? Is it due to laziness? Fear? Selfishness?

I think it’s a simple lack of resources. The vast majority of our energy, creativity and volunteer time go into producing the weekly worship service, plus the phalanx of ministry programs churches must offer to stay competitive. The key leaders in the church are so exhausted keeping the ministry machine going there’s little energy left for intensive, one-on-one disciple making.

In most churches worship is the dog – and discipleship is the tail.

In my past two posts (here and here) I’ve been pondering how one might organize a church that places personal discipleship at its center – rather than as an add-on program that is often neglected.

So here’s my idea.

I call this church planting model Men’s League. A few years ago I created a web site that presents the concept as a men’s ministry model. However, I’ve always thought Men’s League would make a fantastic church-planting model. (To learn more visit www.mensleague.org.)

For familiarity’s sake, I chose the metaphor of a sports league. You’ll see how this plays out as you read further.

Christ spent three years preparing 12 men to lead the early church. What if we did the same?

Christ’s inner circle consisted of three men, who represent the trinity inside every man: the mind (James), the will (Peter) and the emotions (John). So at the center of the league would be a Peter (a doer), James (a thinker) and John (a lover). These three men would be the church planters.

(CLICK ON THE SLIDES TO MAKE THEM BIGGER)

Following the sports league metaphor, we would call these three men commissioners. (I hesitate to use biblical terms such as apostle because power-seekers have often abused these titles)

For the first few months, the new church would consist of these three commissioners, getting together regularly for fellowship, study and service. They would share one another’s burdens and confess their sins one to another. These men would receive practical training in how to lead others to faith in Christ; how to disciple their loved ones, and how to maintain a rich devotional life.

All the while, these commissioners would pray intensely for the next phase: inviting 12 mature men to join the league. These men would be called coaches. They would be men of character who have a desire to become disciple makers.

Early on the 12 coaches would be paired – just as Jesus paired his apostles. Every coach would have a buddy, like this:

In the first year of our church plant, only 15 men would participate. The commissioners would meet weekly with the twelve coaches, leading them through a series of team building experiences, Bible lessons, and leadership training. In addition, the coaches would be given daily devotional material to assist in their development.

You could use any curriculum to disciple the men, but I recommend an emphasis on personal experiences. Bible study is great – but men really change when they are out of control of their situation (I’ll blog more on this later).

After a year or so, each pair of coaches would be responsible to find 12 more men to disciple. Unlike the original 12, these new men don’t necessarily have leadership potential. They are regular guys who simply want to be discipled in the ways of Jesus. I call them contenders – for no other reason than “commissioner” and “coach” both begin with C.

So that’s the basic structure of the church: 3 commissioners discipling 12 coaches, who disciple 72 contenders. You will find this exact structure in the gospel of Luke chapters 6, 8 and 10.

Now, is Men’s League only for men? Not at all. Once a month, the League sponsors an all-comers meeting in a rented space. All 87 men, their families and friends gather for a feast – which I call “The Lord’s Supper.” Visitors would be welcome. Here’s a rough outline of how the meeting would proceed:

Everyone eats, visits and enjoys each other’s company.
After about 30 minutes the commissioners lead the assembled church in a simple song, such as Amazing Grace.
Announcements. Mission updates, etc.
Sacraments: communion, baptisms, etc.
Five or six men stand and give short testimonies of what God is doing in their lives, to encourage the community (and the children).
The coaches gather with their teams’ families to share requests and pray for one another.
More visiting, clean up and go home.
There’s no sermon or musical performance.

You may be asking, “Where is the sermon?” Answer: there isn’t one. The Lord’s Supper does not center on singing, sermon or sacraments. That’s because instruction has already taken place during the week within the coaching groups. The big monthly gathering is focused on fellowship, sacraments and prayer.

I’m particularly excited by the idea of men offering their public testimonies during The Lord’s Supper. As my children grew up I was never afforded a public platform to proclaim God’s working in my life. Kids need to hear their fathers tell what the Lord is doing in their lives.

Now you probably have a million questions. I’ll address these twelve in my next post:

Do the men ever attend regular weekly worship services?
What about the women and children? How are they discipled?
What’s the economic model? Does anyone get paid?
How can Men’s League be a church when it doesn’t offer a weekly public worship service, according to the model we are familiar with?
Would the league offer add-on programs such as Awana, youth group or VBS?
How would the church grow beyond the original 87 men and their families?
What are the advantages of Men’s League vs. a regular church?
Do you have to go to seminary to plant a men’s league?
Is this just multi-level marketing? When do we start selling Amway?
What about sacraments? Weddings? Funerals? Baptisms?
How do we bring in new people?
What mission outreach does Men’s League accomplish? How do you benefit the community?

David Murrow is the author of the bestselling book, Why Men Hate Going to Church. David’s books have sold more than 175,000 copies in 12 languages. He speaks to groups around the world about Christianity’s persistent gender gap. He lives in Alaska with his wife of more than 30 years, professional silk artist Gina Murrow. Learn more about David at his Web site, www.churchformen.com, or join the conversation on his Facebook page, www.facebook.com/churchformen. Don’t forget to share this page by clicking on the links below, or scroll down and leave a comment (right below those annoying ads that pay for this blog).

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May 4, 2015

The church I would plant (part one)

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May 19, 2015 The church I would plant (part 3)

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