Foundations for Ministry Series: Winning the World

Is it possible to see God move in dramatic fashion in the inner city? This study considers the factors and forces connected to the amazing phenomenon of church planting movements taking place throughout the world today. We also explore the implications of these factors for multiplying churches in today's inner cities. At a time when our definitions of the Church have become more and more individualized, this study analyzes church plant and growth theories as they relate to the more communal Nicene-based marks of church life. Using these marks as the basis for a more biblical view of the church, this study discusses and investigates the connection between church planting, world evangelization, church growth, leadership development, and urban mission. It clearly identifies the underlying principles which have contributed to the explosive multiplication of churches in places like India, Latin America, and China, and proposes the possibility of similar movements of revival, renewal, and reproduction among the poor in American cities. A landmark study, our aim is to isolate those critical dimensions of spiritual vitality which God might use to ignite explosive, dynamic, and reproducing movements of churches among the poorest communities around the world, and here at home.