Stuart Murray

Is it possible to ask questions about the kinds of churches being planted without jeopardising the unity and co-operation that has characterised recent church planting initiatives? Might those who trace their spiritual roots to the Anabaptist sectarian church planting movement of nearly five centuries ago have some contributions to make on these issues? Is there an Anabaptist way of planting churches? Are there Anabaptist values that can help us discriminate among the many church planting strategies currently on offer?

Perhaps the fundamental Anabaptist contribution to contemporary church planting initiatives is simply to encourage deeper and more radical reflection on the kinds of churches that should be planted. Whether or not all of these churches ultimately embody values and practices that Anabaptists would endorse, they will be healthier and more likely to engage effectively in mission and ministry if they have emerged from a process of questioning about the kind of churches they should be. There is evidence that those who most strongly opposed Anabaptist principles and practices in the sixteenth century were, nevertheless, stimulated by this irritating movement to think more deeply about the nature of the church than they would otherwise have done.

In the sixteenth century, the Anabaptists reminded the Reformers that reformation was not just about theology but included issues of ecclesiology. Today, Anabaptists might encourage not only Mennonite or Brethren church planters, but church planters in many other denominations to remember that church planting is not just about more churches. It is about the renewal of the church and the development of new ways of being the church that are biblically rooted and contextually appropriate. Careful reflection on the cultural context within which new churches are being planted and deep engagement with biblical teaching takes time and may result in fewer churches being planted. But those that are planted will have more secure foundations and greater potential for sustainable witness.

By way of illustration, here are a few questions that I as a British church planting strategist suggest the Anabaptist tradition might pose for contemporary church planters:

So an Anabaptist contribution to the contemporary church planting movement might be to urge deeper reflection on the nature and ethos of the churches being planted. Anabaptist church planters may be encouraged to draw more explicitly on their own roots in order to establish churches that are as radical in contemporary society as the Anabaptist churches were in the sixteenth century. Church planters working in other denominations may be invited to consider Anabaptist perspectives on church and mission as they explore new ways of being church in a changing culture.

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