Church Planting For The 21st Century - The Christian Challenge

Ancient and Future:
Church Planting
For The 21 st Century
By The Rt. Rev. Chuck Murphy
Chairman, Anglican Mission in America
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven
and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 18:18-20.
The Mission and Vision
ROOTED IN THE HISTORY and tradition of East
Africa’s revival, the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA) is
a missionary movement of the Anglican Province of Rwanda
charged with building an alliance of congregations committed
to gathering, planting and serving dynamic Anglican churches
in North America.
Christ’s Mission – what author/researcher George Barna has
described as the broad spectrum of what God is calling us to
do for His Church – is expressed in the Great Commandments
and Great Commission. Since AMiA’s beginnings in 2000, we
have been mission-driven, and we understand our mission field
to be the 130 million un-churched individuals in the U.S. Our
vision, then, is to break through the barriers of post-modernism,
to proclaim the saving grace of Jesus Christ and to draw others
into a relationship with Him. We have experienced a sovereign
movement of God’s Spirit during the last six years, and I believe
our best days are before us. We feel a strong sense of urgency,
passion and expectation as we look toward 2007.
On average, Anglican Mission has added a new church every
three weeks since 2000, and we expect to see that momentum
continue and build, with nearly 40 groups in the fellowship
process and around 30 in early stages of conversation and formation.
More importantly, lives are being transformed as people
enter a relationship with Christ and grow as faithful disciples.
While Christianity is the fastest-growing religion in the
world, with 1,400 new churches per month established in
More than any other faithful Anglican body outside
the U.S. Episcopal Church at the moment,
the Anglican Mission in America seems to excel
at church planting. TCC invited Bishop Chuck
Murphy to explain for the benefit of all CHAL-
LENGE readers the AMiA’s approach to this core
aspect of the Church’s mission.
Africa alone, churches
in North America are
experiencing decline.
Anglican Mission was
born in the midst of
a severe crisis of faith
and leadership within
the western church,
and we rejoice in the
harvest God is bringing
forth, giving us
the opportunity to
plant and strengthen
churches that impact
our culture. The Anglican
Mission provides a
way for our congregations
and clergy to
be connected to the
The Rt. Rev. Chuck Murphy
worldwide Anglican
Communion through
Rwanda, while being free of the crises of faith, leadership and
mission in the Episcopal Church (TEC).
A LOOk at AMiA’s roster of churches reveals that a full 60
percent of our congregations are new churches rather than
emerging from TEC. We’re grateful to God for this increase
and understand this is our true calling. This doesn’t mean we
only receive and affiliate new church starts, but it does mean
that every church coming into the Anglican Mission is expected
On average, Anglican Mission has added
a new church every three weeks since
2000, and we expect to see that momentum
continue and build…
to have a “missional” orientation and passion. As we move
forward, our eyes are on the call to evangelize those that God
is calling, and to be about the business of building the “one,
holy, catholic and apostolic church” in our time.
The Method
And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter
seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the
seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by
itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
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www.challengeonline.org The Christian Challenge November-December 2006 5