Helping churches plant the next one hundred churches in the California region of the CRC (Nevada, Hawaii)

The purpose of this Ministry Focus Paper is to present a contextually relevant, theologically sound and practically workable strategy for planting the next one hundred churches in this region by 2015.; The California region is made up of the forty million people who live in California, Nevada, and Hawaii. With the least number of churches for the largest number of people, this region is the greatest mission field in North America today. During the past fifteen years the Christian Reformed part of Christ's body has planted and affiliated over ninety new churches in this region. For the praise of God, the eternal good of thousands of people in the region, and the health of the CRC, we urgently need to plant many more churches here to reach new groups of people. The next one hundred churches will be planted very differently from the last one hundred churches. This Ministry Focus Paper will address our context, the biblical mandate, and a strategy for church multiplication in order to help churches do this biblically, relevantly, wisely, and boldly.; This paper contains three major sections. Leaders and churches who want to be effective in planting new churches must be aware of and responsive to the need and context in which they live and minister. Therefore the first section provides an overview of the demographics of this region and compares those findings with the number of churches here. Going beyond diagnostics, this paper prioritizes specific opportunities for church planting that are especially necessary and feasible for our various churches. After reviewing the churches that have been started here and some discoveries from that experience, this part of the paper also describes some hopes and dreams for the next ten years.; The second section of this paper reviews the biblical perspectives and theological understandings that provide foundations for why churches need to start churches. Along with a biblical theological rationale, this section also addresses the role of the Holy Spirit and some Reformed emphases that are important for church planting. Finally this second part will identify biblical perspectives that are foundational as churches prepare, provide leaders, and support new churches.; The third section identifies some practical strategies and tools which have been used and which will be needed in order to implement those biblical perspectives and which can effectively support churches planting churches in this region. The paper looks at ways that our classical, regional, and national partners can help churches plant churches through wise preparation, effective leadership development, and necessary support for new churches.