Ripe for Harvest

S ESSION 1: S EEING THE B IG P ICTURE • 51

C. For further study:

1. Don L. Davis. Sacred Roots Workshop: Retrieving the Great Tradition in the Contemporary Church . Foundations for Ministry Series (Wichita, KS: The Urban Ministry Institute, 2012). 2. Kevin J. Vanhoozer. Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox, 2014).

IV. Implications for Planting Healthy Churches among the Poor

A. Church planting is simply a new leaf on the tree of God’s design.

1. The Holy Spirit has been birthing new families for thousands of years.

a) Plantatio ecclesiae (Latin for church planting)

b) George Liele (c. 1750−1820)

(1) One of the first church planting missionaries from the United States

(2) In 1774 he organized the “first” black church in America, and he planted the first Baptist church in Jamaica in 1789.

2. A new church plant is simply one more expression of the Holy Spirit’s life.

B. New churches come in different shapes: three expressions of the Church.

1. The Small Church (or “house church,” 20-50 people): The small (or house) church can be understood as a “Thanksgiving Dinner” family gathering. a) A recent study of approximately 160 church plants launched between 1991 and 2015 among the urban poor showed that some 60% fit into this category.

Context Values/Vision Prepare Launch Assemble Nurture Transition Schedule/Charter