Course Description: An exploration of the different church planting models that are prevalent today, including accelerated church planting, traditional-style churches, and the house church movement. (Prerequisite for CPR Majors only, may be taken concurrently: EMS 205)
Course objectives:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of the biblical mandate to engage in church planting and the church’s call to multiplication.
2. Demonstrate familiarity with evangelical views regarding the role of church planters and approaches to church planting both in North America and beyond.
3. Evaluate one’s own gifting and call in light of the various types of church planting models and methods.
4. Develop a church planting strategy for DFW and/or beyond that is focused on a particular part of the city, a neighborhood, a community, or among an unreached people group.
Required Texts:
Cheyney, Tom. Thirty-Eight Church Revitalization Models for the Twenty-First Century. Orlando: Renovate Publishing Group, 2014. ISBN: 9780990781608.
Keller, Timothy. Center Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012. ISBN: 9780310494188.
Nerger, Steve, and Eric Ramsey. Bivocational Church Planters: Uniquely Wired for Kingdom Growth. Atlanta: North American Mission Board, 2007.
NOTE: You must purchase this book through Amazon only!!!
Ott, Craig, and Gene Wilson. Global Church Planting: Biblical Principles and Best Practices for Multiplication. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2011. ISBN: 9780801035807.
Payne, J.D. Missional House Churches. Colorado Springs: Paternoster, 2007. ISBN: 9781934068250.
Wright, Christopher J. H. The Mission of God’s People: A Biblical Theology of the Church’s Mission. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2010. ISBN: 9780310291121.
Select one in consultation with the professor:
Cole, Neil. Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005. ISBN: 9780787981297.
Dever, Mark. The Church: The Gospel Made Visible. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2012.
Patterson, George, and Richard Scoggins. Church Multiplication Guide: The Miracle of Church Reproduction. Pasadena, Calif.: William Carey Library, 2002. ISBN: 9780878084479.
Rodriguez, Daniel. A Future for the Latino Church. Downers Grove: Intervarsity, 2011. ISBN: 9780830839308.
Sinclair, Daniel. A Vision of the Possible: Pioneer Church Planting in Teams. Waynesboro, GA: Authentic Media, 2005. ISBN: 9781932805567.
Stetzer, Ed. Planting Missional Churches. Nashville: B&H, 2006. ISBN: 9780805443707.
Course Requirements:
A. Attendance, Class Participation, and Discussion (5%): This course will not meet on campus each week. There will be times when we meet off campus and/or online. Student flexibility is required. The professor will conduct this course in seminar format with students taking the lead in discussing the material. This requires a high level of student involvement and active participation from everyone is expected.
B. Reading Quizzes (15%): Fourteen quizzes will be administered via BlackBoard to determine the student’s comprehension and mastery of the Ott book (see reading schedule below). All quizzes will be open in BlackBoard so that you can work ahead; however, you must complete all the assigned reading and all the corresponding quizzes by midnight on May 12th. The quizzes are open book but you are limited to 15 minutes. There will be no make up quizzes since they’ll be open the entire semester. For students who complete all fourteen quizzes on time, their four lowest grades will be dropped.
C. Reflective Summaries (30%): Students are required to read the designated chapters from selected books according to reading the schedule below and submit a 2 page (maximum), single-spaced reflective summary over the contents. Summaries are due one hour before class starts and should be submitted in PDF format via BlackBoard with the student’s name at the top and the book chapters you’re summarizing (no cover page is required). Your summary should include, in one composite document, each of the following three elements (for the assigned chapters from each book individually), clearly marked with headings: (1) content summary, (2) positive and negative evaluations, and (3) application. The positive and negative evaluations as well as the application are designed to be areas where you offer your own critical reflections on the reading material and apply them to your own life as a church planter. This will assist you in writing your Church Planting Strategy (see below). Additionally, students will be assigned to lead the class in discussions of the books.
D. Critical Book Review (20%): Each student is required to select one book from the list above in consultation with the professor. Students are to write a 5 page (maximum), double spaced critical review in accord with the Criswell Manual of Style and the Content Guidelines listed below. Your book review must be submitted via BlackBoard in PDF format by midnight on April 27th. Students will have time to present their book reviews on April 28th. For each day your review is late, your final grade for this assignment will be reduced by 5%.
E. Church Planting Strategy Prospectus (30%): Each student is required to write a 12-13 page, double spaced paper formatted according to the Criswell Manual of Style wherein they detail a church planting strategy. The student should identify a focus area (city, neighborhood, community, or people group) in which to plant a church and write a paper including all the parts outlined below. The paper should be in your own words with less than 30% quotations from other materials. A grading rubric will be posted in BlackBoard. Students will present a brief synopsis of their papers during the final class session and receive feedback. The final version of your paper must be submitted in PDF format in BlackBoard and is due by midnight on May 12th. The following topics should be covered:
I. Introduction (1/2 page)
II. Demographics of Context (3-4 pages)
III. Challenges of the Context (2-3 pages)
IV. Church Planting Strategy (6-7 pages)
1. The Model to be Used
2. Evangelistic Strategies
3. Disciple-Making Strategies
4. Expected Financial Cost (to be provided)
V. Conclusion (1/2 page)
Attendance policies:
Absences: Since class participation is vital to learning, absences should be taken only when absolutely necessary. More than three (3) absences for block classes will result in a grade of “F” in the courses. The professor and the Vice President must approve all exceptions to this policy. Proportionate absences apply to all other terms (Winter, summer, etc.). Students are responsible for all absences due to illness or any other reason. Granting of excused absences is permitted at the discretion of the professor.
Tardies: Missing more than fifteen (15) minutes at the beginning or end of a class period is considered one absence. Three instances of tardiness of fifteen minutes or less equals one absence. The tardy student is responsible for notifying the professor of his/her presence in writing at the end of class. Students who wish to depart early should clear it with the professor.
Grading scale:
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A 97-100 4.0 grade points per semester hour
A- 93-96 3.7 grade points per semester hour
B+ 91-92 3.3 grade points per semester hour
B 88-90 3.0 grade points per semester hour
B- 86-87 2.7 grade points per semester hour
C+ 83-85 2.3 grade points per semester hour
C 80-82 2.0 grade points per semester hour
C- 78-79 1.7 grade points per semester hour
D+ 75-77 1.3 grade points per semester hour
D 72-74 1.0 grade point per semester hour
D- 70-71 0.7 grade points per semester hour
F 0-69 0.0 grade points per semester hour
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Incomplete grades:
Students requesting a grade of Incomplete (I) must understand that incomplete grades maybe given only upon approval of the faculty member involved. An “I” may be assigned only when a student is currently passing a course and in situations involving extended illness, serious injury, death in the family, or employment or government reassignment, not student neglect.
Students are responsible for contacting their professors prior to the end of the semester, plus filing the appropriate completed and approved academic request form with the Registrar’s Office. The “I” must be removed (by completing the remaining course requirements) no later than 60 calendar days after the grade was assigned, or the “I” will become an “F.”
Institutional policies:
Academic Honesty: Absolute truth is an essential belief and basis of behavior for those who believe in a God who cannot lie and forbids falsehood. Academic honesty is the application of the principle of truth in the classroom setting. Academic honesty includes the basic premise that all work submitted by students must be their own and any ideas derived or copied from elsewhere must be carefully documented.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
• cheating of any kind,
• submitting, without proper approval, work originally prepared by the student for another course,
• plagiarism, which is the submitting of work prepared by someone else as if it were his own,
and
• failing to credit sources properly in written work.
Learning Disabilities: In order to ensure full class participation, any student with a disabling condition requiring special accommodations (e.g., tape recorders, special adaptive equipment, special note-taking or test-taking needs) is strongly encouraged to contact the instructor at the beginning of the course or if a student has a learning disability, please inform the professor so assistance can be provided.
Auditing and Sit-in Students: Any student may enroll in a course as an Auditor or Sit-in as long as the class is below capacity. A student’s permanent transcript will reflect which courses have been completed as audits. Sit-in students are not given grades by professors and their transcripts will not reflect enrollment in the course. Taking tests and participation in course activities are afforded to credit students in the syllabus and is at the discretion of the professor.
Distance education:
(One requirement in your distance education course should include a more specific assignment or task which will involve the student’s use of Wallace Library’s resources in a way that can be evaluated.)
General: Students participating in courses through Distance Education, whether with or without live interaction, must complete the academic requirements for those courses with the integrity and commitment necessary to participate in and benefit from all of the exercises provided by the professor for learning the subject matter of the course. Therefore credit for Distance Education courses is the same as credit for courses taken on campus.
Library: Distance education students can access information about Criswell College’s Wallace Library at http://www.criswell.edu/current_students/library/. The Wallace Library manual is available at http://www.criswell.edu/current_students/library/library_handbook/.
Student Life: Students needing educational support or services should contact the Student Services at 214-818-1332 or .
Video and Other Intellectual Property Rights: Unless otherwise specifically instructed in writing by the professor, students must neither materially nor digitally reproduce materials from any course offered by Criswell College for or with the significant possibility of distribution.
course outline and reading assignments
(O=Ott; W=Wright; K=Keller; C=Cheyney; N=Nerger; P=Payne):
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WEEK 1 (1/21) Introduction to the Course
WEEK 2 (1/28) The Gospel and the Church’s Mission
Quiz #1: O (Foreword; Preface; Prologue; Chs. 1-2)
RS #1: W (Preface; Intro; Chs. 1-3); K (Intro, Part 1)
WEEK 3 (2/4) The Gospel and the Church’s Mission
Quiz #2: O (Chs. 3-4)
RS#2: W (Chs. 4-6); K (Part 2);
WEEK 4 (2/11) The Gospel and the Church’s Mission
Quiz #3: O (Ch. 5)
RS #3: W (Chs. 7-8, Interlude); K (Part 3)
WEEK 5 (2/18) The Gospel and the Church’s Mission
Quiz #4: O (Ch. 6)
RS #4: W (Chs. 9-11); K (Part 4)
WEEK 6 (2/25) The Gospel and the Church’s Mission
Quiz #5: O (Chs. 7-8)
RS #5: W (Chs. 12-15); K (Part 5)
WEEK 7 (3/3) Church Planting Models
Quiz #6: O (Chs. 9-10)
RS #6: C (Models 1-17, pgs. 1-78)
WEEK 8 (3/10) Church Planting Models
Quiz #7: O (Ch. 11)
RS #7: C (Models 18-38; pgs. 79-134)
WEEK 8 (3/10) Church Planting Models
Quiz #7: O (Ch. 11)
RS #7: C (Models 18-38; pgs. 79-134)
March 14-18 NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK
WEEK 9 (3/24) Church Planting Models
Quiz #8: O (Ch. 12)
RS #8: N (all)
WEEK 10 (3/31) Church Planting Models
Quiz #9: O (Ch. 13)
RS #9: P (Intro, Chs. 1-3)
WEEK 11 (4/7) Church Planting Models
Quiz #10: O (Ch. 14)
RS #10: P (Chs. 4-6 and Appendices)
WEEK 12 (4/14) Church Planting Models
Quiz #11: (Ch. 15)
WEEK 13 (4/21) Church Planting Models
Quiz #12: O (Ch. 16)
WEEK 14 (4/28) Student Book Review Presentations (due by Midnight 4/27)
Quiz #13: O (Ch. 17)
WEEK 15 (5/5) Student Church Planting Strategy Presentations
Quiz #14: O (Ch. 18-19; Epilogue)
WEEK 16 (5/12) Final Versions of Church Planting Strategies (due by Midnight 5/12)
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CONTENT GUIDELINES FOR A CRITICAL Book Review
(with thanks to Dr. Ken Keathley and Fred Grissom)
The book reviews should be styled after the reviews found in scholarly journals. Each review should contain the following elements. Page numbers refer to double-spaced typed pages. The total length of a review should be 5-7 pages.
(1) Bibliographic entry. At the beginning of the review, you should specifically identify the book being reviewed. The most efficient way to do this is by including a bibliographic entry for the book.
(2) Biographical sketch. You should include a brief, not more than 1/2 page, biographical sketch of the author. The purpose of this is to demonstrate the author's competence or incompetence for writing the book. You should include information about where he was educated, where he teaches, what other books he has written, and anything else about him, which is relevant to a critical judgment of the book. Sometimes church affiliation is relevant because it can be an indicator of possible bias on the part of an author. Our library has a number of sources of biographical information about authors. Biographical information is just like any other kind of information. If you get it from a source, including the book jacket, you must identify it by a parenthetical notation. If you quote from the material, put quotation marks around it.
(3) Summary. This section should be relatively brief, 2 or 3 pages and should concentrate on describing the contents of the book. A frequent problem with book reviews is that students make the summary much too long, making the review seem like a friend's account of a movie he went to the night before. Do not try to include all the details. Concentrate on giving a clear indication of the principal concerns of the book and the major conclusions of the author. Use specific details only to illustrate your general comments. Caution: What I am asking for is a summary of the book and the author's conclusions, not a précis of the subject matter the book contains. For example, if you review Lightner’s, The Death Christ Died, you are not just reviewing a certain theology of the atonement, but a book about that particular viewpoint. The focus of the summary should be the book itself and the author's conclusions. It is not necessary to write “Wells says,” or “Erickson argues,” or some similar phrase in every sentence, but your summary should indicate throughout that what you are reviewing is a book and an author's conclusions. Beware of the trap of treating an author's arguments as facts. One of the reasons for doing book reviews is to sharpen critical skills.