I just completed Dave and Jon Ferguson's book - EXPONENTIAL. It was one of the best books on church leadership and church planting that I have ever read. Dave and Jon serve as pastors at Community Christian Church in the Chicago area. They were one of the first churches to attempt a 'multi-site' (one church in many locations) strategy.
Their ministry has also launched a church planting branch called NEW THING NETWORK. They are modeling discipleship and reproductive leadership as well as anyone in the nation right now. I am thoroughly impressed.
In some ways, our church planting efforts and Community Christian's were happening at a parallel time. They were reproducing campuses (multi-site) at the same time that we were reproducing neighborhood churches (multi-church). As I read their philosophy of ministry in EXPONENTIAL I realized that God was/is doing the same kinds of things in them as he was doing in me. I align with almost all of the DNA (values) I see in their approach.
What they have done is make their processes simple, clear, understandable and repeatable. For instance, their process for raising up an apprentice leader.
Step 1: I do. You watch. We talk.
Step 2: I do. You help. We talk.
Step 3: You do. I help. We talk.
Step 4: You do. I watch. We talk.
Step 5: You do. Someone else watches.
I will share a few more principles from this book over the next week. If you are a church leader, let me encourage you to pick up this book. Its excellent stuff.
