Metro Manila's estimated day time population reaches 20 million people! On the weekends, the population shrinks to a mere 16 million. Density of our population, depending on the area of the city you are in, ranges from 50,000 to 70,000 people per square mile. These statistics may seem overwhelming to some, but to us, these statistics only motivate us to reach this great sea of humanity that God has divinely congregated!
As our world continues to urbanize, our paradigm must shift along with the demographics, socio- economic, and life structures of the people we are called to reach. God has given the Lyons family a passion to plant urban churches in the great megacities of our world. Recently, our ministry team has developed an urban church planting model that has begun to show great progress in overcoming barriers we have faced in the past.
Barriers Facing Asian Urban Church Planters:
Through the years common barriers have emerged in planting churches in the Asian Urban Context.
➢ Affordable Location ➢ Small Starting Congregation ➢ Lack of Staff ➢ Minimal Commitment of Initial Attenders ➢ Start-up Expenses - rental deposits, chairs, equipment, etc ➢ Maintaining Full Schedule of Services ➢ Discouragement From Slow Growth ➢ "Little Church" Impression ➢ Majority of Finances Spent on Facilities ➢ Failure due to lack of critical mass.
As we face and solve these barriers, we will be able to improve the quantity as well as quality of the church plant!
NFD Church Planting Strategy
Redirect Resources to Achieve Maximum Impact
By focusing our minimal resources on ministry and people, we avoid the trap of spending funds prematurely on facilities, creating pressure to "fill up" the new facility. We can spend needed resources on reaching people who WILL fill up the facility when one is needed. Initial funds are directed to ministry team members as they begin small groups throughout the target community!
By focusing energy on developing a core congregation rather than maintaining a facility, we are able to synergize outreach. More people are reached with the Gospel. Following evangelism, the ministry team will have time, energy, and resources to initiate discipleship and accountability as the new converts become part of a small group. Energy is not spent initially on maintaining a full slate of services but rather developing a viable congregation to launch the new church plant.
By focusing on discipleship, commitment, and accountability through small group involvement, the new believers increase their involvement in reaching their friends and relatives. This stimulates commitment to Jesus Christ and the new church as well as bring in much needed help to the ministry team in reaching the community.
By hosting periodic vision casting gatherings of all the small groups allows the pastor of the NFD church to begin teaching the basics of what a church is, what commitment will be expected of each member, encouraging each attender to reach their lost friends and relatives.
By developing the small group network and discipleship efforts results in a greater contact group of people to launch a larger congregation when the church begins formal services.
NFD Church Plant Case Study: Community Baptist Church Makati
Ministry Team: Francis Velasco - saved through our Christmas 2002 outreach; Francis Bato - Saved through Camp 2002; Aaron Esquino - Saved through our Small Group Evangelistic Parties
Pastor Daniel began reaching the target community in March 2007. Within nine months, the NFD Church plant had solidified 17 small groups with a core group of 150 adults and young people. With a large percentage of the core group involved in discipleship, the commitment of this new congregation continued to grow. During the first six months, Pastor Daniel led his church to host an evangelistic outreach that reached 1,500 in attendance on a Friday night rally. Pastor Daniel has trained 18 new leaders has had over 200 in their services prior to their actual launch. In December 2007, just nine months after beginning their first small group, CBC Makati launched their weekend services with 321 in attendance!
The church is now 16 months old and averaging 166 in attendance with offerings growing regularly. The church rents a local meeting hall on an hourly basis every weekend and continues to grow it's small group network. They currently have 22 small groups and continue to disciple the majority of their new members!
A major factor in urban church planting is the cost involved. With the NFD Church planting strategy, we can plant a church for $500/month for the first 2 years. As God blesses this effort, the new church will be able to replace the subsidy within the two year time frame and begin standing on its own! NFD Church Plant - Community Baptist Church Makati is well on its way to achieving self-supporting status using this plan!
The future is bright! We have locations and personnel to plant two more churches this year! Our goal is to plant 100 churches over the next 10 years in Asian Megacities! Would you pray about partnering with one of these churches? A commitment of $6,000/year or $500/month for two years could result in hundreds of souls saved. Additionally, your church could come and directly partner with the church plant over the two year period! Partnering first hand with a Filipino ministry team planting a new church can do a lot for your church's missions giving! Please pray about this partnership!
To Partner with a NFD Church Plant, send donations to:
BBFI - Greg Lyons * PO Box 191 * Springfield, MO 65801 * Note on donation - "NFD Church Plant"
To help set up a Vision trip to Metro Manila, visit www.ImpactingAsia.org
This will make the planning so much easier. Luke & Kelly Lyons help manage the group visits and can directly connect you to a new church plant in Metro Manila. LukeLyons@impactingasia.org
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