Church Planting Through Global Teams

Global Teams is presently engaged with 166 unreached people groups worldwide, helping to plant churches within the culture of these groups.

When planting churches, Global Teams follows the model of John 1:14: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."

As a result of this approach, church planting movements emerge in forms and expressions that fit the culture of a people group and enable the Gospel to expand like yeast in the dough. Twenty nine (29) of these movements have emerged among Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and animists.

These movements are now beginning to send to other groups who have not heard.

The Formation of the Church Planting Movements

As whole communities gradually come to faith, these new church planting movements look something like this:

Yeast In The Dough

New followers of Jesus remain in their society. New believers are not extracted from their culture. They do not become someone “other” or foreign, but instead become “yeast in the dough” and spread the Gospel within their culture (Mat 13:33).

The church is planted into existing family and social networks. Global Teams seeks to preserve existing family relationships, as well as other already-existing social networks, and foster fellowships of believers within them. Therefore, the first thing asked of new believers is to share this faith with their families.

It is vital that the yeast remain in the dough so it can spread.

Local Leadership

Believers who “remain” are leaders from the beginning. Just as we see in the Gospels and Acts, existing local leadership is mentored right away, preserving societal leadership patterns.This allows the natural and spiritual gifts of the body to emerge and lead the church.

Worship Forms From Scripture

Worship forms for these new church plants are developed through the careful study of Scripture. In order for the emerging movement to be seen as one from within its own culture, new believers, through the careful study of scripture, develop worship forms which allow the emerging church planting movement to continue to identify with their own culture and people group.

Bible Translations

The Word of God is translated into the local language as needed for these new church planting movements. When oral and written translations are undertaken, they are carefully researched and meticulously checked so that the integrity of God’s Word is kept and shared within this culture.

This work is done by multi-national translation teams, including translators from that culture.

Locally-Sustained Churches

The new church plants are independent and locally sustained. Emerging church planting movements develop ways to support their movement, evangelize, choose new leaders and discover the truth of God’s word.