The 12 Essential Elements of a Church Planting Movement

I read an excellent post last week on the 12 Essentials of Church Planting Movements.  The number one essential was mobilize persistent prayer on a large scale.  I have been asking myself the question; are we a movement that is marked by prayer?  Am I a leader who reflects a God centered dependency?  Over the last two months I have been working on taking my prayer life to a new level.  Through reading books on prayer, developing prayer lists, prayer retreats, through just praying more, listening more, writing out my prayers, praying the prayers of Scripture and practicing spiritual disciplines.

On an individual level it is not a hard thing to figure out but on a movement level I struggle with figuring this one out. How do you mobilize persistent prayer on a large scale?  One of my goals this year is it get a handle on this. For 2009 I am giving a big amount of energy to this subject...through my writings, research, interactions and through my prayers.   My prayer for me this year is:  Father, help me, show me, guide me in how to mobilize persistent prayer on a large scale that will touch our leaders, churches, regions and movement, that will transform our hearts and transform our world
through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Here is the excellent post on church planting movements from New Generations International. I love this statement: What They Are is Why They Work!

"Church Planting Movements" are characterized by these essential elements:

1. Mobilize persistent prayer on a large scale
2. Eliminate the inherent barriers caused by transmitting external "Western/Christian" culture
3. Establish "simple" churches based on the fundamental Biblical requirements
4. Gain access to restricted or resistant areas through compassionate service
5. Finding and discipling the "Man (or Woman) of Peace" (Mt.10, Luke 10) as the key to establishing an "insiders" movement
6. Utilize chronological storytelling within oral cultures to effectively lay a biblical foundation for understanding God, salvation, and the Christian life
7. "Disciple people into conversion" through progressive family-based evangelism and personal discovery from God's Word
8. Provide heart-language Scripture resources in audio and written formats
9. Train new believers to discover God's truth through personal study of His Word and to obey immediately
10. Emphasize "obedience-based discipleship" as a lifestyle for every believer
11. Utilize only indigenous church planters and local lay leaders to launch and lead new churches
12. Train new leaders to regularly plant new churches as a normal part of being a church  (HT)

Comments

[Kevin Van Wyk]

This is good stuff. I started planting with every book on planting I could find. I did everything I could afford. After, 3yrs of working strategies, I'm convinced prayer and fasting are the key!

I would like a little more explanation on the other 11 elements.