Viral Churches

A groundbreaking guide for multiplying the impact of church plants Based on a study that was commissioned by the Leadership Network, this book reveals the best practices in church planting and uncovers the common threads among them. A much-needed resource, this book will inform, guide, and even catalyze today's many church planting leaders. The authors clearly show leaders how to plant churches that create a multiplication movement and offer inspiration for them to do so. The book addresses their questions about what to do next in their church planting strategies, in light of research on what's actually working best. Author Ed Stetzer heads up LifeWay Research Provides reliable, credible information about what church planting strategies work best A volume in the Leadership Network Series Offers a definitive guide for church planting and the burgeoning movement it is part of.

About Leadership Network ix Foreword xi Rick Warren 1 Introduction 1 2 Church Planting: The New Evangelism 11 3 Growth by Multiplication: Big Contrast to Addition 31 4 New Players: Aggressive Local Churches and Church Planting Networks 49 5 Kingdom Cooperation: Church Planters Learning Together 67 6 Predictors of Success: Recruitment, Assessment, and Deployment 83 7 Thriving: New Church Survival Rates 101 8 House Churches: Separating Reality from Fiction 115 9 Multisite Strategy: A Fast-Growing Trend That Affects Planting 129 10 Rapid Growth: Still Not Reproduction 139 11 Funding: Partnerships Matter 149 12 The New Scorecard: Measuring a Church Multiplication Movement 161 13 Obstacles to Missional Replication: What Holds Us Back 185 14 Conclusion: Solving the Toughest Challenges 195 Acknowledgments 209 Appendix: List of Churches and Networks Cited 211 Notes 215 Annotated Bibliography for Church Multiplication 225 The Authors 233 Index 237 Scripture Index 244