A Vision of the Possible: Pioneer Church Planting in Teams

by Daniel Sinclair

Book Overview

We have long been aware of the challenge of reaching the unreached peoples of the world. For many this seemed a daunting and almost impossible task. However, with a clear biblical model of church... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932805567
• ISBN13: 9781932805567
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Authentic
• Length: 294 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Broadly applicable

This book has great insights that are helpful regardless of your situation. A blend of broad issues like vision and purpose all the way down to specifics make this applicable to anyone - especially those "pioneers church planting in teams." I borrowed it, promptly bought my own copy, and am buying one to give away.

Church Planting in Difficult Regions

Sinclair is no armchair missiologist but has had twenty-nine years of experience of planting churches among unreached peoples both personally and coaching teams. Here is someone to listen to. The book is divided into fourteen chapters with an epilogue and five appendices. Sinclair states his goal in the Introduction: This book attempts to unpack what is involved in working in teams to plant churches among the most resistant people on earth. Envisioning the steps will fire our faith and lead us to go after the seemingly impossible--for whatever fields might seem to us as resistant and in actuality white unto harvest. page viii. The first chapter challenges us to reconsider the question of "Apostleship" during this age and merits thoughtful adaptation to our way of thinking of missions. Appendix 1 later on is entitled "Apostleship in the New Testament." The second chapter treats a subject already touched upon in this newsletter--the question of "What is a Church?" and then moves to "and How to Plant One." The third and fourth chapters deal with working together in teams and chapter five with the phases of church planting. The latest version of these phases is also available online at [...]. Then in Appendix 5, Sinclair lists "Top Ten Team Pitfalls." Chapters six to nine are concerned with language, role and residency, evangelism, and discipling believers in that order. Chapter ten touches on leadership of a church planting team and gives some invaluable help. Chapter eleven cares for the question of the church planter's role with relation to the national believers. Sinclair gives options that can free up the church planter from one model approach only. In chapter twelve the author deals with the issue of church planting movements in resistant areas and in chapter thirteen wisely deals with three models of church planting. This should be of great help to those who are struggling with the question. In his last chapter the author closes with what he feels is the key to effective church health--what he calls "The Crucial First Group of Elders." This book is probably one of the most helpful studies for those working among unreached peoples. It could be the key for the development of a team formed for this reason. Sinclair beautifully deals with biblical and missiological issues but comes down strongly with the primacy of the Word of God over all. He also balances so well the various issues so that one does not sense a "cookie-cutter" approach to church planting. Read and apply this to your church planting context and you will be richer for it.

Great missions book

If you want to read one contemporary book on missions, this is it. I really liked the book, particularly the appendix on orality.