Focus on Reproduction, Mentor's Guide, MG12

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F O C U S O N R E P R O D U C T I O N

churches at all. What would be your definition of a true church? What is your reaction to the professor’s bold (if not somewhat ill-informed) claim that many urban churches were not really churches at all?

Planting Urban Churches: Reaping

Segment 1: Transitioning Leaders Toward Independence

Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

Empowerment is the final stage of effective urban church planting (cf. Evangelism , Equipping , and Empowerment). This last phase focuses on the final step of the PLANT acrostic, or transition toward independence and maturity . Above all things, we must strive to raise up a generation of leaders for the congregation who will go on to take full responsibility for the care and feeding of the members, and ensure its ongoing growth and mission. Effective urban church planters must seek to invest as much time and energy as possible into qualified leaders, those who are commissioned by God, proven in character, competent to serve, and willing to sacrifice on behalf of the community. Our objective for this segment, Transitioning Leaders Toward Independence , is to enable you to see that: • The final “E’ of effective urban church planting refers to the concept of Empowerment , that process which seeks to help the emerging church become sufficient to work with other congregations as leadership authority is given over to the church in order that it may become a self-governing, self-supporting, and self-reproducing church. • Raising up godly leaders who faithfully and responsibly shepherd and protect the church is the single greatest responsibility of effective urban church planting. Without godly gifted leaders taking responsibility for the well being of the newly formed church, the likelihood that it will survive, let alone thrive, are nil to none. • In order to ensure a dynamic, healthy urban church, the church planter must do all that he or she can to invest into a leadership team who will have the authority, character, competence and membership support necessary to cause it to grow and mature in Christ.

Summary of Segment 1

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