"He spoke about multiplying disciples by making them disciple-makers as soon as possible and through that process, they become leaders and church planters. Something that most church planters would agree to, right? However, as we studied Luke 10 (the sending out of the 72 leaders), this key principle emerged. God uses simple, uneducated, unresourced & unafraid men to prepare the way for God to plant churches among new people groups. God can do this with anyone who is available and willing to loose his life and renounce his ambitions." Anthony Testa on Victor John
This weekend in Netherlands is a special training for the Jesus Freaks from all over Europe. I was invited to be there but alas am still busy getting our truck ready for the road. Victor John is the teacher. He has helped start a church planting movement in India that now numbers 80,000 house churches and 3 million people. I am really excited about this weekend. Jesus Freaks came into being in the 90's when some German punk and goth teenagers found Jesus and then started nearly a hundred churches across Germany and beyond. The growth later slowed down, possibly because they listened to Western teachers who told them how to do it [my opinion] but I really think the Indian church movements could point them in the right direction.
What can Europe learn from India? A heck of a lot. The importance of discipleship, the simplicity of starting house churches, the priesthood of all believers, the place of personal sacrifice, faith in the Holy Spirit. And a lot more? Anyone have thoughts?
Another leader from India who is teaching us Westerners about church planting is Victor Choudrie. I have some thoughts from Victor in a post entitled Slice of Nicolatia and in my article What Did You Go Out To See?