Viable urban church planting models depend on the chosen leaders, community, and affiliation.
How does urban church planting differ from suburban or rural planting? What are the best practices for this model of church multiplication?
In this article, we’ll take a look inside our Evangel School of Urban Church Planting, where leaders explore a spectrum of church planting models and determine the strategies that best serve an urban church planter in establishing congregations among the poor.
TRAINING LEADERS
Before we identify the different models, let’s explore the training offered by World Impact, which is designed specifically to equip teams to reach under-resourced communities.
Pastor Bernard Emerson described it this way:
“A lot of times we find ourselves in trainings and seminars and conferences that don’t speak directly to our context. And what happens is we end up learning something that we either have to translate into our context or – to help an instructor find out and under who we are – we have to translate our context to them. At Evangel, that work is done because it’s all about the urban context.”
Our purpose is to train workers to plant healthy, reproducing churches among the urban poor, and this informs every aspect of the student’s education. For example, during training, teams receive coaching by seasoned urban church planters who assist in developing a plan for these foundational areas:
● Church structure
● Services
● Outreaches
● Finances
● Discipleship
● Leadership development
Students emerge empowered, equipped, and ready to activate their calling to plant churches and share the good news of Jesus Christ in their own urban communities.
Did you know World Impacts breaks down walls by training leaders in prison?
THE IMPACT OF RESOURCED LEADERS
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the work of Pastor Joseph’s church plant movement did not slow down. One of his leaders baptized 30,000 new believers in 1,000 new churches!. In 2021, the work continued with eleven church planters and leaders commissioned, representing six denominations and six different areas in Bangladesh. Their vision is to host an additional ten schools in the next two years.
In four years (and counting), the partnership between Pastor Joseph, his leaders, and World Impact has positively affected thousands, both at home and in Bangladesh; their work continues to flourish. This story shows that when pastors and leaders are given the tools and resources they need to succeed, they will.
In this case, Pastor Joseph oversaw an incredible movement of church plants getting up and running with commissioned leaders and servants.
But this isn’t the only way to see churches get planted and multiply. There is a spectrum of church planting models in the evangelical arena. Let’s identify seven of them here and consider which are best suited for church planting in an urban setting.
7 Possible Urban Ministry Models for Church Planting
1. Founding Pastor Model
In this model, a leader moves into a community with a commitment to lead and shepherd the church that is planted. Because of the nature of the work of planting churches, the pastor often starts in the role of an entrepreneurial leader and then transitions into the long-term pastor.
2. Church Split Model
Never an easy route, sometimes a new church is formed when a body of believers has a fundamental disagreement over some issue of morality, Bible interpretation, or schism.
3. Nucleus Model
Sometimes called the Colonization Model, this method involves a central assembly of believers commissioning a smaller “nucleus” from its group to leave the larger assembly and relocate into an unreached community as a kind of ready-made nucleus of the church which is to be formed. Oftentimes, the “ready-made nucleus” already has leadership in place and members already organized. When people in under-resourced communities experience trauma, the local church can be a beacon of hope. Learn more about trauma healing ministries .
4. Mother Church Model
In this model, a strong, central congregation determines to become a kind of sending center and nurturing headquarters for new churches planted through its oversight. This new church might be located nearby or far away from the mother church.
5. Cell Church Model
Cells, connected structurally and pastorally to a central congregation, constitute a church of their own based on their participation in the cell together. In this church planting model, the members consider the heart of its life and ministry to occur within the small cells.
6. Home Church Model
Similar to the cell church model, home churches are intentionally planted with attention given to the authority and autonomy of the gathering of believers who meet together in their respective homes.
7. Missionary Model
This model describes a church where a cross-cultural planter works to plant a church among an unreached people group or geographic area. The intent from the beginning is to help the church be self-governing and self-supporting.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT URBAN CHURCH PLANT MODEL
Church planters carefully consider many aspects of each model, asking:
● What are the critical issues to be considered most when planting in an urban setting?
● How do culture and context impact that decision?
● To choose the best planting option for a particular group or area, what’s the one central element that must be understood?
● Is moving forward in this way spirit-led or human-led?
● What is the role of my family?
● Which model will ensure we thrive, instead of just surviving?
● What kind of support will I need?
At times, a hybrid model is the best choice. Other times, a textbook Missionary Model is the way to go. The key is to choose a model that builds on the strength of the church planter and congregation, with a clear vision for the future of that church.
Viable urban church planting models depend on the chosen leaders, community, and affiliation. And as we’ve seen over and over again, God will reveal the best way for each team. The first step is to seek His wisdom.
Learn more about how you can support church planting with World Impact.