Apostolic Church Planting: Birthing New Churches from New Believers

by J.D. Payne

Church planting is not just about gathering new communities of people who are already Christians. In the book of Acts, church plants begin with sharing the gospel. Planting churches flows naturally out of making disciples. Pastor J. D. Payne explains the process and stages of church planting, with biblical foundations and practical steps for planting teams. He provides a pathway for the multiplication of disciples, leaders and churches. Here are church planting strategies and activities that are simple, highly reproducible and can be implemented by ordinary team members, not just by charismatic leaders. This guide can be used for planting in contexts among any given people group, domestically or internationally. It is an ideal resource for teams to work through together as they follow God's call in their community.

Genres: Church, Discipleship, Ecclesiology, Christian, Leadership

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2015

About the author

J. D. Payne (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is pastor of church multiplication at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, and has served as missionary.

Reviews

[Zack · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are helpful nuggets of insight and wisdom, the underlying ecclesiology and sacramentology is fatally flawed. I appreciate how the author dignified the place of scripture, but his use of scripture was not adequate to the task. Some of the valuable points include:

- character over skills/charisma
- the central place of discipleship for church multiplication
- team/partnership approach
- at one point, he helpfully frames the task of evangelism and church-planting as directed toward creating societies for the worship of God

But having either of the sacraments (i.e., Christian baptism) apart from having a church is scripturally and theologically untenable. Also, the lack of connectionalism between churches fails to follow biblical ecclesiology.

[Phil Whittall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short book on church planting is a contribution to the conversation around disciple-making movements (DMM) and Church Planting Movements (CPM). It offers a clear model, a clear pathway and a clear theology for the methods it outlines.

The strongest conviction that the book outlines is that new churches should come from new believers and that where you see groups of new believers come to faith in Jesus they should constitute a church. This lays clear, steady and persistent focus on the call to evangelise and calls church planters to consistent efforts in sharing the gospel. This is important, challenging and right.

JD Payne also keeps his focus fixed on unreached people groups and seeks to steer away primary resources and efforts going towards, let's call it, renewal church planting in places where there are already plenty of churches. He reminds us that this may not mean leaving a country but could just as easily involve church planting in the same city just amongst a community or people group that is unreached. Payne claims (probably correctly but I don't have the sources to check) that the majority of church planting efforts & resources go towards the renewal effort not the unreached effort.
So his call to go to the unreached is important, challenging and right.

The basic model is, in essence, that a missionary team would be formed (carefully selected and weeding out the uncalled or ungifted), the prepare and move to their 'field' and begin sharing the gospel. As people come to faith a church is gathered. elders are appointed and the team shifts to equipping the church and/or starting more churches in new locations. That's the plan. Simple. But not easy.

Payne is aware of the trials, difficulties and challenges that church planters encounter and there is no illusions here nor any grand promises of rapid movements that often characterise these books. Payne is also aware and accommodating towards other church planting models but remains insistent that they should be the exception and new churches from new believers the rule.

I had a few observations that got me thinking as I read the book based off how my own personal experience stacked up against the book. Firstly, Payne essentially describes two entities: the church planting team and the new church. Outsiders and insiders if you will. My own experience has been one entity. The church plant. Any team is the nucleus of the new church and expects to be a part of it for as long as God wills. No us & them, just us. Now this might be because none of the church plants I've been involved with have been amongst an unreached people (although by Payne's definition of less than 2% evangelical, then the Swedes may qualify).

Secondly, both teams that I've been involved with have taken anyone willing. You'd love more gifts but you don't appear to have anyone to choose from - a church planting take it or leave it if you will. I appreciate the strengths of Payne's approach but it just hasn't matched up with my reality of planting from church to church.

Lastly, I noticed that whenever Payne talked about the church planting team I processed it as an individual and I think that speaks to the challenges I faced with point 2. But Payne does focus on team and that is a definite strength.

This is a short, straight-forward, no frills approach to church planting. It seeks to take the methods of Paul and his band of missionaries (the apostolic in the title) and apply them as straight-forwardly as possible in our modern world. A worthwhile introduction to the topic.

[Cody Justice · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book's strength is its simplicity; it's also the glaring weakness. There are some decent practical thoughts here and there, but little that a moderately sensible person wouldn't think of. The bullet point summaries at the end of each chapter may be helpful for reference. He gives some guidelines and outlines processes and transitions which could prove profitable, if not to follow exactly then at least as stimulus for further thought.

But the book suffers from severe anemia in its lack of laying out doctrinal fundamentals in a comprehensive and rigorous sense, rarely moving beyond strict words to proper principle and sense and application of such. Among the problems here are the simplistic and baptistic assumptions and assertions which run throughout. The author is emphatic in his conception of biblical church planting as "evangelism that results in new churches." This is true, in a sense, in that where the gospel is preached and Christ is received among former pagan unbelievers, a church then may blossom.

But it is not true in another and equally biblical sense, one that is contemporaneously relevant to the USA today. For example, in the NT much evangelistic effort was not spent on unbelievers, per se, but on believers, i.e. in the synagogues among the church there of that time, many of whom worshipped and believed in God and had the Scripture, yet had not yet heard or believed in what the Puritan Nathaniel Stephens calls "the final exhibition of the promise." Still others, like some of those to whom Peter preached, were in the visible Jewish church (synagogue) yet had consented to the crucifixion of Christ, and thus, though they were the people of God, they were entirely without the essence of true religion according to their relation to the progress of redemption in history.

To the Baptist mind, this probably doesn't make much if any sense, due in large part to their view of Scripture, covenant, etc. To the typical Baptist, the church is considered, directly or indirectly, as a spiritual institution that began in Acts 2, comprised exclusively of the elect or saved. But that's not true. The church began in Genesis 3 with Adam and Eve, given the first gospel promise (Gen. 3:15) and worship ordinance (Gen. 3:21, 4:4), and continued immediately to their posterity, Cain and Abel in Genesis 4, the former being merely a part of the visible church before being judged and cast out for impenitence, the latter dying a martyr in the invisible church. Essential principles like this simply aren't dealt with in this book.

But such is unfortunate, because, this is particularly relevant to the question of church planting and missionary efforts today. Payne's assumption and assertion, throughout the book, is, that missionary labor must chiefly be spent on "unreached-unengaged" people groups, whether here in the USA or elsewhere. But "unreached" is defined by him in such a way as to make much of the evangelism in Acts to be superfluous and wasteful, being that it was not always to particularly pagan unbelievers, but to the church, both Jews and Gentile proselytes, which had yet to learn of and apprehend the final exhibition of the promise in Christ having come.

What does this mean? What is a present day application? In principle, it means that missionary efforts are not strictly or even necessarily chiefly to pagan unbelievers, but they can and should also be to the church visible, even to believers, but of those who are immature, not fully instructed, and stuck in a declining, apostate, or erroneous expression of the church and of the Christian religion, even without their knowing it: and such was the case in the NT in principle. If that doesn't sound like much of the American church today, I think it's time to check our hearing.

On these points, and others like them, the book is largely without meaningful perception and discernment, but is content to skim the surface. Its simplicity affords it an ease of accessibility and immediate practicality, while it simultaneously hamstrings it from being particularly profitable with the principles and sense of Scripture perhaps most relevant for us today. In this way, I actually think such approaches will prove to be long term harmful to the church.

[Chad Delhotal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have since my college days taken a keen interest in church planting and have read a few books on the subject. This book was the first, that I've encountered, to really think through how the Apostle Paul managed to start so many churches in so little time. The author presents a convincing case with many practical suggestions. This book is well worth reading for anyone interested in seeing more churches established.

[Joe Valenti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not exactly what I thought it was, but it was still very helpful. This book was a recommendation from a friend that was given after a conversation about local church planting. Very quickly I realized that this book was focused on planting along the unreached. However, there was much in this book that is helpful regardless of the locale. Very helpful!

[Peter Vik · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world of a million different ideas on how to start a church, it's really nice to read something that actually takes a look at how things were done in the Bible, and then goes so far as to suggest that scripture should provide our model for church planting. Clear, Concise and refreshing. Well done Dr. Payne!

[Tim Kuepfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better concise visions for church planting, new churches from new believers, based off the New Testament model. You will need to read more of his books to fill out the details.

[Daniel Deurbrouck · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a strange book. J.D. Payne has some very useful insights--challenging how most contemporary church-planting is done. He advocates largely for planting churches by sending a small team to evangelize, and then allow a community to form naturally from the disciples formed, appointing elders from among the congregation, then moving on.

My only issue with his broader point, is that although he argues that the above is Paul's own methodology, he doesn't convincingly make the argument that it is how church-planting "ought" to be done, which is a major oversight.

The main problem with this book is that most of it is unnecessary. Bizarrely, chapters 6-7 are almost an exact repeat of chapter 5, and even chapter five is almost a repeat of chapter four. Essentially, if you do read this book, read only chapters 1-4, and skip 5-12.

To cap it all off, J.D. Payne repeats almost all his points in chapter 12, the only difference being that with each point he refers to doing anything else as "unethical", although he gives almost no justification for this.

All told, a decent 50-page pamphlet, but a book was not necessary.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a quick read. This book is a good introductory book, and was written to be a complement to JD Payne’s much longer Discovering Church Planting book.

Throughout Apostolic Church Planting, JD Payne emphasizes and outlines church planting with an eye to planting churches among Unreached peoples, both overseas and among the Unreached peoples in our backyard (an argument he more fully develops in his other book Strangers Next Door).

Some thoughts central to his book are:

• “Biblical church planting is evangelism that results in new churches.” (P. 17 among countless other places in the book)

• Per the subtitle “birthing new churches from new believers,” and in other parts of the book, JD Payne argues that new churches should primarily be composed of new Christians, this is in contrast to the prevalence in the West where new church plants are initially composed of Long-time Christians.

• making the distinction between the Universal Church (All believers, every where, throughout all of time) and the Local Church (Believers in a specific place). He then draws the distinction between what the church IS and what the church Does. JD Payne defines the Church as a baptized group of followers of Jesus, who have identified themselves as the local Church (rather than say a bible study, small group, etc.), covenant together, that then DO the things that the Church is called to do, gathering together regularly, appointing elders, teaching and preaching the Word, the Lord’s Supper, baptizing new believers, church discipline, etc.

• An underlying assumption of the book is that church planting teams will be formed within and sent out by a local church, rather than having “Lone Ranger” church planters who labor alone.

In the book he provides an outline for church planting from Pre-Entry & Team Formation, through Phasing-Out & Mentoring the planted churches. He also discusses methodology, and guidelines for developing a strategy. He then lays out ethical guidelines for would-be Church Planting teams to adopt and use.

All in all, a good book. I plan to read Discovering Church Planting to see and understand the larger context that this book was written within.

[Zach Blum · Rating 4 out of 5]

"But planting [churches out of long-term believers] is to be the exception to our strategies, right? There is a place for it. However, we should permit it as the exception, not the expectation. It is not a regulative paradigm in the New Testament. The gravity of the biblical evidence is that churches are to be birthed from the harvest fields. Biblical church planting is evangelism that results in new churches, not the shifting of sheep in the Kingdom."

I appreciate Payne's exploration of church planting methods as actually practiced by apostolic bands in the early church.
Having grown up in a church that "replicates" by planting churches out of 20-30 existing believers who are tasked with reaching the lost until the group grows enough that it can then plant another church (pulling from the same group of long-term believers), I have grown to feel that the methodology is rooted in pragmatism more than it is a healthy imitation of biblical models and principles.
I can't think of a more biblical paradigm than sending out those who God has specifically gifted as evangelists/church planters (Eph. 4) and subsequently establishing new churches out of brand new believers, who will eventually mature and learn to govern themselves under the tutelage of the church planting team. Payne's subsequent conclusion is that God will similarly gift a handful of those that come to faith in this new church to then leave and propagate a new church utilizing the same church planting method.
An awesome vision for true, Biblical church planting.

[Caleb Lawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Biblical church planting is evangelism that results in new churches." - J.D. Payne

I read this for seminary a few years ago and thought it was decent. Reading it again in preparation for church planting was slightly underwhelming. Overall the book seems primarily focused on church planting amongst cross-cultural, unreached/unengaged people groups. There's some good fundamental stuff here, but for planting another church amongst reached people groups I didn't find much. I think my major qualm with the book which maybe affected my outlook the rest of the way is Payne's distinction between what a church is and what a church does. He says: "Corporate gatherings and the Word rightly preached are both necessary for local churches to be healthy expressions of the universal body of Christ. But these are actions the church does, not who it is" (27). So a church can be a church without gathering? That is fundamentally at odds with the NT. He also advocates for starting small groups before you start a church (52). Just fundamentally some differences on ecclesiology. Also just boring haha

[Bryan Catherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his book, Apostolic Church Planting: Birthing New Churches From New Believers, Dr. J. D. Payne sets out complement his larger textbook, Discovering Church Planting: An Introduction to the Whats, Whys, and Hows of Global Church Planting with this much shorter book. Payne also tries to answer additional questions and further mature ideas that were not as developed in the larger textbook. "Naturally," writes Payne, "there is some overlap between the two. If there weren't, you would be wise to question an author who writes two books on a subject with no continuity and much divergence in thought" (9). Found throughout Apostolic Church Planting is the statement, "For more on _______ see chapter _______ in Discovering Church Planting." Clearly the two books are highly tied, although both stand alone on the topic of church planting. However, Apostolic Church Planting's illustrations are current, as to be expected; not that Discovering Church Planting is out of date. In addition, Apostolic Church Planting better address the need for apostolic planting in North America.

Like every other book on church planting, Payne starts with the question, what is church planting? Often, a person picking up a title that deals with church planting will already understand the answer to this question; but it seems appropriate that Payne address this issue. Given the slightly different approach, size, and nature of this book, it is possible that this title could be the first book a future planter or planting team reads on the topic.

Payne writes, "Throughout the Bible, we read of the birth of churchs--after disciples are made. Biblical church planting is evangelism that results in new churches" (15). Right upfront, Payne defines planting as making disciples of those who did not previously have a relationship with Jesus, gathering them together, and then birthing a new church from this group. Outside of his definition is the mission that takes a large group of believers and starts an instant church in another location (although he does not condemn this kind of work). "Churches," Payne states, "are supposed to be birthed from disciple making" (16).

Next, Payne addresses a biblical rationale for what a local church is and is not. Having previously served as a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, this is where his professor cap comes out. And Dr. Payne wears it well. As the book progresses, it becomes more and more practical, eventually concluding with some extremely applicable chapters. Each chapter concludes with a summary, offering a concise snapshot of the primary points of the chapter. At only 121 pages, this is a quick read.

Apostolic Church Planting is easy to read but it is not an 'easy read.' Church planting is hard work and Payne does not sugarcoat it. It is clear that Payne is passionate about helping apostolic planters do the hard work of planting churches that actually advance the Kingdom of God. Like his other books, Payne's style is a little dry. You won't find witty anecdotes or clever writing, but you will find grounded, informative thinking, paragraph after paragraph.

A potential weakness of the book is the lack of perspective from the church in Antioch. Payne appears to use Paul as his primary source for apostolic planting, but Paul did not plant the church in Antioch. In fact, other than knowing they were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, we have no idea the names of the men who planted this church! While an argument from silence is not appropriate, it does seem as if disciples were made by these man who spoke to the Hellenists and preached Jesus. According to the text, some believed. When Barnabas was sent to check it out, he determined that he and Saul could be of service teaching in Antioch. Verse 26 calls this group a church (Acts 11:19-25). It is difficult to know the timeline, but this example seems rather appropriate and a discussion from this perspective would bolster Payne's argument for apostolic planting rather than hiving off a group of disciples and transplanting them elsewhere. But this is such a minor weakness it is almost not worth mentioning.

Apostolic Church Planting makes a great book for would-be plant teams. It's short, divided into easy sections, and offers a great deal of information worth discussing. In addition, as the team has more questions or would like to work through a particular section in greater detail, they could consult Discovering Church Planting (and Payne tells them right where to look). This book would also make a good introductory book for a Bible college or seminary course on church planting or missions (although it should be partnered with an additional textbook). And Apostolic Church Planting is a must read for anyone considering church planting.

As a church planter in a tough place, I highly recommend this book!

You can order your copy of Apostolic Church Planting: Birthing New Churches From New Believers at Amazon.com.

Dr. J. D. Payne is the pastor of multiplication for the Church at Brook Hills. In addition, he's one of our favorite guests on Salty Believer Unscripted. Some of his other books include Roland Allen: Pioneer of Spontaneous Expansion; Missional House Churches: Reaching Our Communities with the Gospel; Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping the Face of the Church; and Strangers Next Door: Immigration, Migration and Mission, among others. You can also download three free ebooks at www.JDPayne.org.

[Blake Odgers · Rating 4 out of 5]

JD is a practitioner who is passionate about the nations. As a result, his strategy for church planting is focused on being replicable and easily translatable across cultures/contexts. JD's definition of biblical church planting is "evangelism that results in new churches." It is very apostolic and against the grain of modern (especially American) church planting that begins with a "visionary" leader that goes into a community, starts a church, and builds over time. I enjoyed this read and will include it in any recommended reading for church planters!

[Joanna Martin]

Somewhat simplistic/formulaic and repetitive, but helpful as a reminder of the fundamentals. Most helpful, possibly, as a guide for getting a team on the same page. Lacking in discussion of partnership/receiving from the local community, more the feeling of "performed on" the community, yet a fairly robust warning about micromanaging a new church and paternalism (which in my experience is basically the default of church plants). Worth the read.

[Joshua Reichard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short helpful read on what it looks like to plant a church. Payne was helpful in that he made the process simple and to the point. He kept his methods biblical and focused on people and not merely methods or programs. Too often churches or Christians get caught up in activities, programs, or methods and fail to be with people, pray with people, and evangelize people.

[Liam Bomar · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read - I recommend this to any person that follows Jesus. Not a how-to guide, rather a book that reveals to the reader how churches are developed out of evangelism. Love this book.

[Cheney Hanken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro read on global church planting. However, there is much to be learned by the American church on the apostolic nature of church planting. “True Biblical church planting is evangelism that results in new churches.” Not the reshuffling of church goers into a new church.

[William Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apostolic Church Planting is a short guide written for church planting teams to work through to aid in their ministry. It’s approachable and clear. I’ll remember this book for future reference and use.

[Eric Durso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple. Good.

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, concise book on church planting. Should be required reading for all church planters whether in the US or oversees.

[Daniel Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that hits on the big ideas that go with church planting.

[Ronald J. Pauleus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very practical and to the point. Billions remain who not heard Christ, and I purpose to tell those I can about the good news.

[Jake Litwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall really good book on a basic understanding of church planting.

[Luke J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting and helpful read. Great content.

[Adrian Agapie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doesn't seem applicable to XXI century N-America

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Church planting is all the rage lately. You can read books on it, you can go to conferences, attend denominational workshops on it. Is there anything new to say on the subject?J.D. Payne didn't write Apostolic Church Planting: Birthing New Churches From New Believers to say anything new. Instead he calls would-be-church planters back to a biblical model of church planting patterned after the Apostle Paul (14).

The heart of his model is simple: evangelize an area, gather converts and baptize them, and identify as church (22). Identifying pastoral leaders, celebrating communion, having systems of discipline, good preaching, etc., are all necessary for a church's vitality and health, but Payne distinguishes between what the church is (a local gathering of disciples) from what it does (the work of the ministry) (26-27). So the four necessary components for church planting are sowers (evangelists), seed (the gospel), soil (a culture, city or community) and the Holy Spirit (19-20). That's it. Simple right? Difficult to implement, but conceptually simple.

Payne goes on to describe practices of plant team members, the stages of church planting and implied changes in leadership structures and development, methodology and ethical guidelines. His discussion of the phases of church planting will help planting pastors and teams Payne is pastor of church multiplication at The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham and has written several books on church planting. He has a good deal of practical insight on the process.

Throughout the book, Payne stresses two persistent features of apostolic church planting: (1) a church built from new converts/disciples is the rule, transfer growth is the exception; (2) our models of ministry should be simple enough to be reproducible. This roots church planting in the great commission call (Matt. 28:16-20).

One of the best features of this book is its brevity. He has written a more comprehensive resources on church planting, Discovering Church Planting (IVP, 2009). This book distills Payne's thinking on planting and answers some questions not addressed in the earlier volume. But this book is not as comprehensive as the early book, and doesn't discuss in-depth every aspect of what you need to know in church planting. What you have instead is a short book that is accessible to an entire church planting team (pastors, leaders, elders, etc.). There is enough substance here to be helpful, without putting off the non-readers in your plant team. So I think this is a tremendous practical resource.

I appreciate Payne's discussion of methodology. He focuses on the simple and reproducible (84-5), he warns against the dangers of paternalism as we minister cross-culturally (85), he provides a framework for identifying our focus in the mission field, considering a people group's needs and receptivity to the gospel (94-99). These are important components in crystallizing a ministry vision and I found it quite helpful.

I read this book as a non-church planter. I have been lucky enough to have been a part of a couple of church plants in my life, and for various reasons feel more drawn to planting a church than I ever had before. Apostolic Church Planting was helpful for me to see, in outline, the process and begin to dream about what it may look like. I give this book four stars.

Note: I received this book from InterVarsity Press in exchange for my honest review.

[Chris Woznicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Church planting is en vogue. You can find books upon books on the subject and even conferences on the topic that draw 1000’s of attendees. (I have to admit my favorite one of these conferences is Exponential.) But most church planting isn’t planting in the biblical sense. Yes it’s the start of new congregations, which is planting a “church” in some sense, but Biblical church planting consists of starting new local gatherings with an emphasis on the creation of new disciples. At least that is what J.D. Payne, pastor of church multiplication at Brook Hills, has to say. Quite simply Payne defines church planting as,

Evangelism that results in new churches.

This (really) short book, which in some sense is a distillation of his longer book Discovering Church Planting: An Introduction to the Whats, Whys, and Hows of Global Church Planting, is an attempt to provide the reader with the essential aspects – practically and theologically – that are necessary for doing church planting in a Biblical fashion.

Payne begins with stressing the importance of nailing down your ecclesiology before you start planting. He then provides the reader with a sort of “pathway” to planting as well as the stages involved in growing a church plant. Most importantly, in my mind, Payne stresses the need for developing leaders which will one day oversee the church. This is clearly the Pauline model.

Overall, I found this book to be very helpful. It’s a clear and concise model for doing church planting. It draws its insights from Scripture, experience, and testimonies. I myself am not a church planter, but I have plenty of friends who are. After reading this book I came away with a better understanding both theologically and practically about what exactly it is that they are doing. I believe that this book could serve as a useful set of reminders for those who are planting churches. But I also believe, and I hope that this book will help spur on a new generation of church planters.

Note: I received this book from IVP in exchange for an impartial review.

[Jason Poling · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Church planting is not about attracting a crowd or launching a worship service; rather, it is about the advancement of the kingdom as unbelievers become followers of the living God through local expressions of the body of Christ. Though attracting crowds and starting new worship services are not always bad things, their manifestations do not necessarily mean the kingdom had advanced.".

I will be chewing on this for awhile. Payne's emphasis throughout the book is that biblical, apostolic church planting always started with "evangelism that results in new churches", not from simply starting new churches "with longtime believers". He believes the latter model ought to be the "exception, not the expectation."

It is a compelling thought. Maybe Western Christianity's struggle to actively evangelize and make disciples, and its emphasis on pragmatism, performance, programs, and perfectionism has led to our current model of planting? I don't know. I'm still a fan of all types of planting...if people find Jesus, I'm a fan!! But Payne has made me think. Which is why I reviewed this book highly. Any author who challenges the status quo and my own perspectives, while using the Word of God as his foundation, gets my 5-star vote even if I don't agree with them 100%.

[Daniel Alvers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so thankful for J.D. Payne's influence in my life those few years ago at SBTS. This work is excellent, and a must have for any person thinking or being influenced in church planting. It's a small work and a good primer for his much larger work on church planting. The problems explored in this book are very profound and it's accomplished without a harsh attitude. J.D. simply points his reader to scripture and stirs up a wonderful conversation piece. The need for growth in the popular field of church planting is a necessity if new churches are going to be birthed. Planters, put away your budgets, buildings and western ideas for just a moment and think about what your about to do with your life. Don't run head long into the greatest war in the world without the equipping that is initiated by this small book. This conversation must be had by ALL leaders and thinkers when it comes to the forwarding of the gospel in the realm of planting churches.

[Josh Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second read through, and this book got more challenging this time. I greatly appreciate Payne seeking to be faithful to the text. This is a vastly different model of planting churches than what most are advocating for in our age. However, I think Payne has his finger on the pulse of Apostolic Church Planting and actually captures the essence of what NT multiplication looked like and how it can be contextualized today. We've made church planting far more difficult than what it really is, and one of the major results is we have churches full of people who claim too be disciples, but have never made disciples in their lives, and don't even know where to begin. I think implementing planting new churches from new believers would not only be a return to a more biblical approach to church planting, but would also solve the discipleship crises that many are dealing with.