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Elgin, Ill.
Speaker points church planters to their Anabaptist roots


British church planter Stuart Murray called on Mennonite and Brethren church planters to draw more on their own roots in order to establish churches that are as radical in contemporary society as 16th-century Anabaptist churches were in theirs. “I don’t care if you plant 10 churches or 50 churches over the next decade,” Murray told the 61 pastors, denominational leaders, seminary representatives and mission executives gathered for the fourth annual Anabaptist Evangelism Council in Elgin, Ill. Feb. 17-19. “The goal is not to plant more churches, but better ones – churches more concerned with values than with techniques, churches that are healthier, more sustainable.”

Murray has been a church planter himself over the past 20 years and is now teaching church planting and evangelism at Spurgeon’s College, a Baptist seminary in south London. He is currently chair of the United Kingdom Anabaptist Network and editor of its journal, Anabaptism Today.

Murray appealed to the group to study their own heritage. The Anabaptist reformers planted believers (rather than territorial churches) who were committed to mission, he said. They were multi-voiced in worship, had church discipline and engaged in truth-telling and mutual aid.

“We are living in a postmodern culture where most persons under age 35 don’t even know the biblical story, are deeply spiritual but not too religious, are alienated and wanting connections but are really not committed to anything, especially the established institutions of society, including the church,” Murray continued. He listed four features that are important for a new church plant: a community of faith that allows for doubt and dialogue; that embraces spirituality; that works with new believers in a narrative rather than a doctrinal mode; and that builds a community focused on friendships, not more meetings.

Among the “10 most valuable lessons” he learned in church planting, Murray said, were choosing the right leadership, preparing the planting church, researching the target community, identifying core values before setting goals, establishing light, flexible structures and considering “network churches” as well as neighbourhood churches.

In a survey of the churches planted in the last decade in Mennonite Church USA (a recent merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church), Church of the Brethren and Brethren denominations, Steve Clapp, president of Christian Community, and researcher Angela Zizak underscored the need for another of Murray’s “lessons” – developing a denominational framework for church planting. While 61% of those surveyed said they felt supported and encouraged, nearly a third said they would like more encouragement from their conference/denomination. Of the 157 churches in the research sample, 34 had wrong addresses given to the researchers by the sponsoring denomination.

Walter Sawatsky of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind., in his “listening report”, said he was struck by Murray’s call for a more relaxed approach to membership rules, moving from being “bounded churches” to being “centred churches” at a time when the “stronger and more persistent voices” in Mennonite Church USA are calling for stronger boundaries. The push for stricter discipline, Sawatsky suggested, is “a fearful response” which “hinders church planting”.

The three-day conference was sponsored by New Life Ministries, an inter-Anabaptist organization which brings together representatives from six denominations in Canada and the United States. Booklets containing Murray’s presentations as well as the results of Zizak and Clapp’s church planting research will be published soon and will be available for $10 US each (plus shipping) from New Life Ministries, 1996 Donegal Springs Rd., Mt. Joy, PA 17552-8903, phone (800) 774-3360, e-mail lifeminnew@aol.com. Selected portions of Murray’s comments are available on NLM’s Web site: www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org.

 – Dick Benner, GCMC news release

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Last modified June 4, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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