Lausanne World Pulse – P.L.A.N.T.S.: Equipping Seminary and College Students for Church Planting
By J. D. Payne
Over the past nine years, I have had the privilege of serving as a professor, equipping students in the area of missions and evangelism. When it comes to teaching church multiplication, I have found that effective training programs should be designed around P.L.A.N.T.S.
P—Provide the Biblical and Theological Foundations
One of the dangers of teaching practical subject matter is that we focus on the “how-tos” and fail to establish the “whys.” We must not be so quick to teach students the methods of church planting that we fail to begin with the biblical and theological foundations. I have found it to be of the utmost importance to establish a healthy understanding of the relationships of Christology, Ecclesiology and Pneumatology (Christian doctrine of the Holy Spirit) to church planting.
1. Christology. Beginning with Christology, it is extremely important to assist students in looking to the scriptures to answer questions such as: “What is the relation of the incarnation and atonement to mission?” “What is a disciple of Christ?” and “What does it mean to be a kingdom citizen?”
2. Ecclesiology. Ecclesiology is the most critical issue in church planting today. Because of the natural tendency to define the local church in terms that are more reflective of cultural preferences than the biblical prescriptions, I strongly encourage spending a significant amount of time establishing a healthy doctrine of the Church. How students answer the question, “What is the Church?” will affect everything they do in church planting. Their answers will significantly shape their strategies, methods, understandings of leadership development and understandings of themselves as missionaries.
Assist students in finding biblical answers to questions such as: “What is the Church, both universal and local?” “What are the necessary New Testament components for a church to exist at any time, in any place, among any people?” In other words, “According to the Bible, what is the basic essence for the Church to be the Church?”
3. Pneumatology. The role of the Holy Spirit in church planting is neglected in many circles today. As educators, it is important to assist students in understanding the doctrine of the Holy Spirit as related to missionary work. Questions such as: “What is the role of the Holy Spirit in church planting?” “What is his role in making disciples?” “What is his role in sanctifying the new churches?” and “What is his role in appointing elders over new churches?” are important questions to address in the classroom before students begin their work.
L—Layout Missiological Principles
Embrace and teach missiological principles that support the multiplication of disciples, leaders and churches. These principles include those related to indigenous church planting, contextualization, receptivity, locating persons of peace, evangelizing oikos networks and leadership development.