The Evangel Dean Basic Training Resource Handbook

A PPENDIX • 267

B. Why keep an agricultural metaphor in the city? 1

1. It works in a different way in the city than it does in the country, but it is worth keeping.

a. The metaphor is deeply biblical.

(1) Agricultural metaphors (roots, plants, trees, vines, etc.) appear more than 1,000 times in Scripture.

(2) The Church finds its place in the Kingdom, and the Kingdom includes all of Creation.

b. It is powerful.

(1) Urbanites in the inner city know

the power of roots under a sidewalk.

(2) Case Study: Roots: The Saga of an American Family

IV. Evangel as Part of a Larger Church Plant System

A. The contexts of an Evangel church planter

1. Specific soil. Every church planter is called to a specific community.

2. Specific family heritage. Every church planter brings a specific vision of the church relating to church background and experiences. 3. Specific sending church. Every church planter operates under accountability and has been commissioned to the task of church planting by a specific church or group of churches.

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1 Some suggest agricultural metaphors don’t work for urban ethnic leaders ( http://www.stuffwhitechristianslike.com/2010/07/86-agricultural-imagery.html )