Front Matters

F RONT M ATTERS : P REREQUISITE R EADINGS FOR THE E VANGEL S CHOOL OF U RBAN C HURCH P LANTING • 35

Source: Ripe for Harvest, pp. 87-89

Target, a store which houses a number of select entities that supply its patrons with many choices and opportunities . This kind of church, which has both the economic and spiritual resources for multi- plication, can leverage its resources and capabilities to become both a sending/empowering church which reproduces itself many times over. Ideally, a mother or hub church is a congregation that is led by clear missional intents that allow it to leverage its capabilities and gifts to become a center of compassion, mercy, and justice ministries. It can also come to serve as the nurturing headquarters for church planters and ministry starters, and can easily operate as an incubator of other effective ministries among the unreached urban poor. Such an expression usually is more rooted in a particular built-to-suit facility that allows it to leverage these kinds of capabilities. 4. What are the critical issues (e.g., culture, the tradition of the church planters, and contextualization) which ought to be factored most into selecting the appropriate model or expression for use in planting a church cross-culturally in the city? 5. Of all the things which a church planter may be aware of, what do you believe is the central element he or she must understand in order to choose the “right” option for them?

Context Values/Vision

Prepare Launch Assemble Nurture Transition Schedule/Charter