Movements with Steve Addison

A while ago I heard this short talk by Simon Pillar on the link between generosity and the spread of the gospel. The Gospels and Acts identify many people who used their wealth for the advance of the Christian movement. It's a bootleg recording from the Arrow graduation dinner so the quality is less than perfect.

Most of us go looking for our next church planter among bright young youth pastors or seminary students. Neil Perry found his next church planter among drug dealers and prostitutes. It's only five minutes but you will be amazed by what you hear. Neil was a guest presenter at my Exponential 2011 workshop. If you want to learn more about what Neil is doing, listen to the reports and interviews with Jeff Sundell on the Movements podcast. They work closely together.

The fourth and final interview with Barney on the qualities required to spark church planting movements. This one is on House: Relating

Here's how Jeff Sundell sees his mission field. Expanding networks of contagious relationships for the spread of the gospel. The third and final report from Jeff on applying CPM principles in the US.

We've just hosted a three day Community of Practice for leaders that are applying church planting movement (CPM) principles around Australia. We brought Jeff and Angie Sundell (above) out to facilitate the peer learning. Here Jeff Sundell talks about his efforts to apply what he learned about CPMs in India and Nepal, back home in the US. This is the first of three sessions. They will be valuable for anyone wanting to multiply disciples and communities in a western setting.

I'm in Christchurch, New Zealand this week. A city recovering from a massive earthquake (7.1). I'm with 150 leaders from the Vineyard talking about Movements. I Skyped in Tim Scheuer to talk about what God is doing in SW Sydney. I've interviewed Tim a number of times. This is one of the best. Although there are a few technical glitches to endure, it's worth it.

The third interview with "Barney" on the qualities required to spark church planting movements. This one is on Hands: Doing.

The second interview with Barney on the qualities required to spark church planting movements.

I got up this morning before 5:00am to drive across town with Dave Lawton for a prayer meeting with his church planters. Along the way we talked about making disciples and planting churches in Melbourne, Australia. After the interview and a coffee we gathered to pray. Dave pulled out a whiteboard and drew on it all the "households" his workers were connected with—Sudanese, Sikh, Aussie battlers, mainland Chinese, Vietnamese, and Aussie college students. Team members reported in on how they were connecting, sharing the gospel and praying for people in the households. They didn't focus on individuals, but on family and friendship networks. As they connect they invite people into a Discovery Bible Study. As people come to faith, they begin to form church in their world. Dave and the team are not trying to plant a church. They want to multiply churches from the start. Dave has about fifty volunteers throughout Melbourne—north, south, east and west. The vision doesn't stop with Melbourne. In two weeks he and the team are driving 900kms to walk and pray through western Sydney and see what opens up. . .

I caught up with Barney via skype recently and talked to him about the qualities required to spark church planting movements. He gave me four that he looks for: 1. Head: Knowing 2. Heart: Being 3. Hands: Doing 4. House: Relating In this podcast he introduces the first one—Head: Knowing. We'll work our way through the other three over the next few weeks.

Here's someone who knows a missionalary movement when he sees one. In this latest podcast I interview Jeff Sundell (of Bugger Hollow) about how he is applying the principles of fuelling church planting movements in North Carolina. It may be the South, but Jeff and his team are not targeting the Bible-belt, unless your concept of the Bible-belt includes drug dealers and prostitutes.

Five years ago I sat in on a vision retreat with Tim Scheuer (front left) and the leadership of the Church Army. God showed up. The team bought in. The rest is history. Tim has stepped down as national leader and is now back on the frontline in one of the toughest suburbs in Sydney. The third in a series of interviews with Tim Scheuer on what God is doing in Airds. You'll be encouraged and learn about multiplying disciples and churches in the real world.

Wherever I go, westerners tell me, "It won't happen here." Despite the impact of church planting movements in the developing world, they are a rarity in the western world. In the first of two interviews, I talk to Jeff Sundell about ten years experience in fueling church planting movements in Nepal. In the second interview, I talk to Jeff about how he is now applying those principles back in the USA.

Tim Scheuer has been baptizing new believers down at the Airds swimming pool in Sydney. Looks like he'd better buy a season's ticket. Ten more people have come to faith in Christ in the last week.

Dave Lawton has been on a journey in three stages. He has seen a church planting movement in India and Nepal. He has helped spark a church planting movement out of Crossway, one of Australia's largest suburban churches. Now he is making disciples and multiplying "simple churches" in some of the most needy regions of the city of Melbourne, Australia. Over twenty churches have been planted in one of the most secular nations on earth. His story is full of valuable insights for anyone on the journey of making disciples and multiplying churches.