Equip & Release Third Generation Church Planting

 Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

In Village Church Planting, we have a vision. Our vision is a church in every

African village by 2050. We pray for this vision daily. We ask God to give us

grace to do our part to extend the Word of God to every African village. But we

have to admit, our vision is huge. How can it ever be reached?

The only way this vision can be reached is if Christians across the continent

practice the multiplication of disciples, leaders and churches. If we simply add

a daughter church once every three or four years, our vision will never be

reached. But if we multiply disciples, leaders, and churches, we have a chance

to see a church in every African village by 2050.

So, in VCP we ask every training center to train 15 first generation church

planters. We want to have a large base from which to begin church

multiplication in every new area. Then we ask every first generation church

planter to start two second-generation churches. That’s right, we expect every

first-generation church planter to train at least two members of his or her

church to each lead the planting of a daughter church. This is real

multiplication.

Where there was one church, now there are three! But it is not easy to

successfully equip and release two or more church planters from a young

congregation. It requires much prayer, much patience, and much time to model

the way and train those two or three church planters. Nevertheless, this is the

primary job of a VCP church planter: to model the way, to assist daughter

church planters and watch them work. VCP church planters then leave the

responsibility for the second-generation church and its daughter churches with

their disciple. Model, assist, watch and leave. The words are easy to say, but

the work involved requires faith, wisdom, and hard work.

If you are a VCP church planter, you have already begun this work of

multiplication. Good job! Praise the Lord! You are on the right track.

Once your disciple has started a second-generation church, you need to be very

careful to share the vision for multiplication with him or her. That’s right; you

need to help your disciple train his people to plant third generation churches.

It sounds hard. But you have already modeled the way. So teach your disciple

to train his people the way you trained him. Remind him of times when you

prayed with him, shared the vision with him and modeled ministry skills for

 him. Coach him to identify potential church planting disciples. Listen to his

concerns, then build up his faith.

In VCP, we don’t just believe in multiplication, we practice multiplication. May

God’s grace be upon you this month as you help spread the vision and skills for

church multiplication to the third generation of church planters!

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #DaughterChurchPlanting