Planting Churches among the City's Poor - Volume 1

318 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 1

1. The equipping of leaders is the single most important issue involved in the creation and sustaining of vital church planting movements among America’s urban poor. 2. We must rediscover new, more biblical, less enculturated ways to raise up and release urban leaders for the work of leading the church, and advancing the Kingdom in mission. 3. While we must be careful not to lay hands on any person too quickly, we must also be careful to recognize that unless indigenous leaders fully receive the authority and responsi bility to do the task, the Gospel will not penetrate the receiving culture.

VII. Conclusion

How do these views above coincide with the New Testament definition of the body of Christ, as well as the Nicene theology of the Church embodied in the creed, i.e., that which defines the church as one (biblical identity), holy (shared spirituality), catholic (historic roots and connectivity), and apostolic (representative authority)?

1 Thess. 5.21 (ESV) – but test everything; hold fast what is good.

A. Clarification between the facts and the claims

B. Evaluation of the evidence supporting the claims

1. The facts of the matter

2. The teachings of Scripture

C. Re-evaluation of the claims based on our understanding of the evidence

D. Conclusions to draw