Reproducible Pastoral Training: Church Planting Guidelines from the Teaching of George Patterson
4.5
5
2
2
Excellent Book for Missions or Church Growth
Reproducible Pastoral Training: Church Planting Guidelines from the Teachings of George Patterson by Patrick O'Connor is a book about missions. However, its insights are also helpful to anyone who is either starting a church or seeking to see it grow. Patrick O'Connor dives into the wisdom of George Patterson and presents it in an intelligent way.
Various topics are explained in the text. How does one reach a culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What is better, door-to-door evangelism or another technique? Is it best to begin with a multi-cultural church or to start with one culture? How does one utilize contacts for the sake of the Gospel? Also, how does one prevent establishing a foreign church rather than a native one? Furthermore, the author goes into issues like how leaders are trained and when they should begin serving.
I found myself revisiting preconceived notions of what is done in Western churches and thus is considered to be biblical. For instance, the distance between the time someone accepts Christ and is baptized. This and many more ideas of how to start, run and develop a church are tackled in this volume.
I would recommend this book to missionary candidates and pastors alike. Board members would be challenged to think more biblically as a result of reading it. Perhaps someday we will see the impact this book has on missions and pastoral ministry.
An interesting aside to this review was that our church had missionaries come and about 10 years prior, one of them had met the author and was told by him he would write a book and this was it. I felt led by the Lord to give him my copy. Isn't that great?
This book was given to me free of charge in exchange for a review from Mission Frontiers.
September 30, 2011
Training in Church Planting and Discipleship
Reproducible Pastoral Training: Church Planting Guidelines from the Teachings of George Patterso n By: Patrick OâÂÂConnerâ is a compilation of sixty-eight specific guidelines from the teaching of George Patterson, cross cultural missionary, who served for twenty years in northern Honduras. Patterson served as a mentor to Patrick OâÂÂConner who replicated these principles in his mission assignment in Western Honduras.
These sixty-eight principles are developed in a logical progression in five chapters which cover topics including: Gather the Flock, Develop a Healthy, Joyful Church Body, Let the Flock Multiply, Train Leaders in Jesusâ Way, and Pass on the âÂÂLight Baton.âÂÂ
The book is rich in cross cultural missions studies with proven strategies in new church development, principles for intercultural communications with a religious focus and Christian culture. These principles also include church growth and evangelistic outreach.
I found the figures, tables, checklists, and clever âÂÂtalking birdâ illustrations helpful, practical, and adaptable. I also appreciated the extensive bibliography filled with missiological principals, strategies, and related church planting methods, as well as important Biblical teaching on Christian living in cross cultural environments.
âÂÂReproducible Pastoral Training: Church Planting Guidelines from the Teachings of George Pattersonâ is a comprehensive manual and important guidebook for Christian discipleship based on New Testament principles modeled by the life and teaching of Jesus and further developed by the life and writings of the Apostle Paul. OâÂÂConner has captured the essence of PattersonâÂÂs teaching which provides the reader with hours of contemplative reflection, study, and application for meaningful ministry.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's guidelines. As reviewed for Midwest Book Review.
September 28, 2011
Welcome to Christianbook.com! Sign in or create an account
Cart
0 items
Checkout
We now accept PayPalfor ALL orders
