I love the take-no-prisoners attitude of Bruce Lee. He wasn’t content following the same “systems” others said needed to be followed. Bruce Lee was bold enough to be original—to follow his passion, regardless of what it looked like.
I believe this to be the new frontier of church planting. Where we are willing to sacrifice the “sacred cows” for the sake of rapid church planting and Kingdom growth. Not holding to the standards of man but humbly submitted to God’s.
Put these on the table,what is generally taken off:
Putting the planter’s gift set ahead of the style of church
This requires an openness to the style of church that fits the planter, not trying to find a planter to fit the style. This may mean planting two or more churches closer together that reach different “style seekers.”
Embracing many forms of churches, as part of the whole
We need to bring the whole of church planting to the same table. House church, attractional, missional, whatever-nal, skate park church. All play a vital part of winning many. None is superior to the next.
Taking the indigenous, non-degreed planter seriously
Taking a planter who knows a community or the culture of a community is tremendously powerful. The first church planters were “uneducated and unleared,” but they were local guys who knew their own local culture and were highly effective in reaching it.
The Multi-Ethnic mandate
God calls us to reach the whole community we plant in, not just a targeted portion. I disagree with the notion, “You must know your target market—you can’t reach them all.” The inside of our church should reflect the outside. That’s a powerful church that can change a community.
That’s my list. Care to add or take away?