Malphurs, Aubrey. The Nuts
and Bolts of Church Planting: A Guide for Starting Any Kind of
Church. Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Books, 2011.
Introduction
Dr.
Aubrey Malphurs is a senior professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and
president of the Malphurs Group. He is also the author of over a dozen books,
as well as president of the Malphurs Group, a church-consulting firm where he
trains and does consulting for churches. He has been called a visionary and his
goal is to help the next generation of leaders to be excellent for Christ.[1]
Summary
Aubrey Malphurs’ goal was to write a book
about church-planting that would be useful for the inexperienced to the veteran
church-planter. He defines what church-planting is and how not understanding
the correct definition could have someone trying to fulfill a role that they
were not meant to be in. The author also highlights the importance for those
who feel that they are being led into being a church-planter to have a passion
for what they do. If they do not have zeal, then they would not be successful
in planting churches.[2]
Malphurs does not agree with many
authors who say that a person needs to have a call from God to plant churches,
but it could be as simple as taking an assessment test to see where they score
on the scheme of things. He also suggests this to determine what their gifts
and talents are that may be of value to their being a church-planter, or the
need to do something else. He recommends that churches who are thinking of
using a church-planter’s services to interview them and do a few audits to
ensure that they have the right candidate for the job, which also includes
assessing their temperament.[3]
Malphurs addresses the issue of
funding when it comes to approaching people for donations for the
church-planting project. He helps to break down the barrier of pride that many
leaders have when it comes to asking for money and gives various tips as to how
to request donations and other ways to fund the process. The author also deals
with the church-planting four-fold process where he outlines what he labels as
the conception stage that is relevant for new churches to begin.[4]
The author devotes a chapter to
being actively engaged with the community. He suggests that the church learns
to build relationships with those they wish to evangelize to. Malphurs
encourages the reader to research information concerning the people where they
plan to start a church such as the geographics, belief system, culture
characteristics, demographics, and more.[5]
The author also goes over the importance of making disciples and how to
communicate to those in the disciple-making process. Malphurs believe that
churches are not making it a priority to make new disciples and this
contributes to the church being stagnant. Therefore, a church-planter must be
intentional in this area and have clear strategies for making, keeping,
maturing and growing other disciples. He breaks the church’s ministries into
two categories – primary and secondary. The primary is important for maturing
believers and secondary ministries help to support the primary ministries as
electives according to the author.[6]
Malphurs engages the new
church-planter to focusing on their mobilization of their team, building a
staff, and establishing the new location for the church. He gives steps from
start to end as to how to plant a church from the ground up and the people that
are needed to help sustain and grow the church once it gets started. The author
has outlined in every chapter practical steps that can be used for a church to
begin, grow and expand. By following the information provides, the guesswork is
eliminated, and the process is made easier.
Review
Malphurs
effectively simplified the church-planting process for someone who may be new
to starting a church from the ground up. He helps the reader to understand and
accurately assess if they are meant to be church planters so that they will
know God’s plan for their lives. He goes beyond just giving tips as to how to
begin church planting, but he tries to make sure that the person who will be a
church planter has the passion and what it takes to do the job, so that they
will not make the mistake of getting into a ministry that they were never
intended to do. He has them to count the cost, not only financially, but in
other areas in their lives to ensure that they have weighed out what it takes to
truly commit to this venture.[7]
The
author helps the church planter to go beyond the cycle that most organizations
go through, but he helps the reader to see that the church is to experience
continuous growth through which he speaks of taking place through birth, transference,
evangelism and spiritual.[8]
He encourages the reader to go beyond just the inward growth of the church, but
to always look to grow outwardly. He focuses on the Great Commission, which
helps the reader to be focused on the true mission of the church.[9]
This book does well by allowing the reader to see that planting churches must
be catered to the need and not a pre-determined fixed model. One of the things
that was interesting in this book was how the author defined the roles of the
church planter, pastor, and the church. He felt the need of explaining these
roles and people’s expectation so that they would not get confused and what he
felt were misconceptions that were non-biblical about these roles.
Malphurs
also lists things that he considers to be important in the church-planting
process – core values, mission, vision and strategy that are unique to every
church that is being planted because there is not a one-size-fits-all model.
These key elements may vary based on different certain elements such as the
people, geographical location, need, etc. He successfully breaks down this
process so that the planter can utilize their time most efficiently in ensuring
that the needs of the area is met through the church that they are led to
plant. He also brings to the reader the importance of having a clear vision so
that the church can know the direction they need to go in the church-planting
process. The author effectively lays out what the new churches are supposed to
do and be about as well as knowing how to implement their goals and achieving
success.
There
were some things within Malphurs book that would be quite problematic for
leaders who have a heart for their people. In chapter four of his book, he
dedicates it to assumptions that people have regarding those who shepherd them.
One of the things he outlines is the primary role of the pastor and how some
people’s expectations are based on generations instead of biblical concepts.[10]
He proceeds to write that pastoral care is not the main role of the pastor. He
uses the example of people, who have been hospitalized, should not have the
expectation of their pastor to visit as if they were a chaplain whose main job
was to care for them.[11]
This statement is a major turnoff for those who know that it is not only the
pastor’s job to lead, teach, cast visions and pray, but a pastor should put his
prayers to action by visiting those who are sick and literally would benefit
from having his physical presence in their midst -- if only just one time.[12]
One could go as far as to say that anyone, regardless of how much education,
experience, skills, and anointing they may have, who would dare to say, or even
think in such a manner does not have the heart of the True Shepherd. This type
of mindset is appalling to say the least for any spiritual leader to have.
Matthew
25:35-40 totally debunks this author’s reasoning as to why visiting the sick is
not the pastor’s job. Jesus said that when someone does care for those in need,
it is as if they have done it unto him. He never said that leaders were exempt
from this, for he visited the sick, raised the dead, evangelized to people of
all walks of life, and led a life of servitude even though He was a leader. To
use the text of the widows’ care in Acts 6 is totally misconstruing what the
text was talking about. Delegating duties is fine when it comes to providing
certain needs such as making sure that widows have provisions, but the Bible
says in James 5:14-16 that those who are sick are to call the elders of the
church so that they may lay hands on them. Pastor and elder is to be used
interchangeably. Therefore, no pastor should dare to think that they are beyond
going to see after the sick and dying. One day, it could be that very pastor
who will need another pastor to come visit their sickbed to give a word of
encouragement and pray for them.
Application
This book helps me to know that it
takes a lot of dedication when it comes to planting churches. Nevertheless,
everyone should know that this is what God would have for you to do. I agree
that assessment tests can help us to narrow down where our gifts can be best
utilized, but I disagree that one should not hear a call from God and/or know
that He has led them in this direction. Assessment tests are fine, but in order
for me to work effectively in my ministry, I needed to know for sure that I was
approved by God to do so and not just that I was gifted to do it. I agree with
the author that one should be passionate about what they do, but I believe that
when God calls you to work for Him, the Holy Spirit fills you with the passion
to do the things of God.
I plan to plant house churches in
the very near future. There are so many people who are leaving the 4-walls
because of many ungodly things that are being done within the church. Nearly
every week, there is another scandal involving a pastor and people are losing
faith in many leaders because of this. I have also heard people say that they
are tired of leaders always begging for money as they fatten their pockets at
the expense of the poor in their million-dollar mansions, high-priced cars,
expensive clothes, multiple jets, and the list goes on. I must say that when I
have heard things of this nature, it has saddened me because Jesus said that
His house should be called a house of prayer and just as the money-changers came
for the people to buy and sell as well as rip them off, many leaders in the
body of Christ are doing the same thing. Therefore, I would like to go back to
the book of Acts and help people to have a restored faith in God and know that
He has leaders after His own heart.
One thing that made me to be more
determined than anything with being a leader for God was when I read that
pastors are not to assume pastoral care and/or visit the sick. This made my
skin crawl because too many leaders want to shepherd the flock outside of the
pin, but we must get dirty with the sheep and sometimes, it does not smell so
good, but sheep need guidance at all times, or they will find themselves in
situations that they cannot get out of. It is the shepherd’s job to go after
the one who is not with the other ninety-nine, and if that means going to their
sickbed, so be it. We have lazy shepherds and one of the reasons so many souls
do not come to Christ because the shepherds want to fatten themselves as they
starve the sheep. This book opened my eyes to the harm so-called shepherds are
doing to many in the body of Christ.
Overall, I feel that this book is
well organized, and a new church-planter can gain valuable information as to
the church-planting process. New ministers, layman, and anyone who is assisting
someone planting a church would benefit from reading this book. I would
suggest, however, that they chew the meaty material and disregard the bone of
lazy shepherding that is written within this book. At the end of the day,
people want to know that you truly care about them. I will utilize the
structural information, fundraising, staff building and even discipleship
information that was written within the book, but I will never forget that with
evangelism comes having a heart for the people and prayer. The Bible says that
the Holy Spirit added to the Church’s numbers daily, so once I get done
creating my structure, studying the demographics, working with a team, getting
funding, etc., I must allow the Holy Spirit to operate. I must do the work as a
passionate church planter and allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest.
Conclusion
Dr. Aubrey Malphurs wrote a book
about church-planting that would help new and future church-planters with the
Great Commission. He gives a step-by-step approach into the church-planting
process. Any person who has never planted a church before will gain valuable
information within the pages of this book from start to finish in order to do
what they have been called to do. Although, he does not believe that
church-planting has to be a calling, he offers suggestions such as taking
assessments so that the person can know if church-planting is for them. They
will also find out if their gifts are best used in another area. After reading
this book and applying its concepts, a new church-planter can move forth in
confidence with what they have learned.
[1] Ed Stetzer, "The Nuts and Bolts of
Church Planting," The Exchange | A Blog by Ed Stetzer, last modified March
29, 2011,
https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2011/march/nuts-and-bolts-of-church-planting.html.
[2] Malphurs, Church-Planting, chapter 1.
[3] Malphurs, Church-Planting, chapters 1
& 2.
[4] Malphurs, Church-Planting, chapter 5.
[5] Malphurs, Church-Planting, chapter 9.
[6] Malphurs, Church-Planting, chapter 10..
[7] Malphurs, Church-Planting, chapter 5.
[8] Malphurs, Church-Planting, chapter 1.
[9] Malphurs, Church-Planting, introduction.
[10] Malphurs, Church-Planting, chapter 4.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Ibid.
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