Bob Roberts Jr.'s The Multiplying Church

Chapter one of Roberts’ book examines the difference between the West and the two-thirds world and how the West has focused on church planting movements and trying to reconstruct a new church based on frustrations with the old. The two-thirds world, on the other hand, has seen an organic, Spirit-led growth of the church that is rooted in hope and excitement. Such a glaring distinction raises several questions for me. One, what are we in the West failing to see and how can we learn from the rest of the world? And two, how can we in the West work to become a part of the larger global church movement? In order to begin to answer these questions, I wonder if we need to focus not on what the West specifically needs but rather what the Church has to offer that can transcend culture.

Roberts then argues in chapter two that a global church planting movement is bound to happen at some point in the future, especially considering the rapid globalism that is spreading around the world. If we agree with Roberts and anticipate such a movement, this raises questions for those of us desiring to plant churches in the West regarding the need to alter our outlook and shape what we do now in order to help to usher in such a movement.

While I am not sure that I agree with everything that Roberts argues in chapter three (e.g. when he states that every church should “tithe” ten percent of its membership to plant other churches), I do believe that the model of networking that he describes holds great value for the church planting process. I believe that the local church needs to expand outward, with leaders starting new groups which can later develop into new churches rather than part of a church’s population merely breaking off in order to start a new congregation.

In chapter four, Roberts argues that the most important reason for starting a new church is the pursuit of transformation. In order to pursue such an end, I think that we first need to ask questions such as what needs to be transformed in the community in which we are seeking to multiply churches? How do we incorporate the missional, incarnational, and contextual elements of such transformation into what we do on the practical, ground level?

Chapters five, six, and seven examine what Roberts terms the “prime players,” or those individuals who have a key role in the church multiplying process. He reinforces the idea that all people play a role, not merely the planters alone. Chapter five looks at the “apostolic fathers,” or those older leaders who have a vision to start churches out of their own churches and thus mentor and send out younger leaders to do so. Chapter six then examines the “daredevil sons and daughters,” or risk-taking, entrepreneurial planters. Finally, in chapter seven, Roberts discusses the importance of using the gifts and skills of all of the disciples who comprise the Body of Christ. All three of these chapters reinforce for me the necessity of truly knowing all of the individuals that comprise a church planting team so that their particular giftedness can be used to its fullest potential.

In chapter eight, Roberts examines the importance of not focusing on the actual church that is being planted to the exclusion of ignoring the community and the transformation that needs to occur in society. Such a point underscores for me the need to utilize careful research and to invest a significant amount of time in coming to understand the structural makeup of the community in which I desire to plant a church.

Roberts then moves outward even further in chapter nine to argue that although a church plant may start in and for a community, it ultimately needs to look outward to the needs of the world at large. This chapter resonated with me as I feel connected both with the West and the world as a whole and believe that we as church planters can benefit when we take our focus off of the West and look instead at the institutions and processes that span the globe.

In chapter ten Roberts advocates for starting a church-starting center in an existing church. This chapter does not necessarily apply to me at this point as I am not sure whether or not I will ever use this approach to plant a church.

Chapter eleven reminded me of the importance of not losing sight of the more practical side of the church planting equation. While we should trust God to supply all of our needs, we must not ignore the processes of planning and education (e.g. in relation to budgetary needs).

Finally, in chapter twelve, Roberts discusses several of the pitfalls and difficulties associated with working with people and coming together as a missional family in a church plant. I believe that in the beginning of any new planting movement it is important to be proactive and on the lookout for all of these issues, as people coming together in such close community have great potential to bring about more harm than good at times.