The Church Planting
Journey by Robert E. Logan
Book Review
Bob Logan has spent his ministry planting churches, coaching
church planters, and helping church leaders disciple Christians and multiply churches.
In his new book, The Church Planting Journey, Logan draws on his experience
and wisdom to describe a successful approach to church planting in our current
environment. He concentrates on preparing the planter and creating disciples, since,
as he says, “Church planting is a byproduct of making disciples” (p.11).
The Church Planting Journey is broken into four parts,
each with multiple chapters. Every focused chapter contains scriptural support,
important concepts, practical examples, and concrete steps, all of which are relevant
to a broad range of plant styles in any denomination. A Journey Guide closes
each chapter. The Journey Guide contains a “Checklist for the road ahead”,
a focus for the planter’s own personal discipleship, questions for the planter
and the planter’s coach, discussion questions for the planting team, and prayer
focuses for the planter and the team.
The first part, Get Ready: Personal Commitment and Readiness,
focuses on the church planter. Chapters in this part focus on development of
the planter’s vision and values, confirming a call to planting, learning and
understanding of the planting process, and persevering through inevitable
challenges and discouragements. Part two,
Get Set: Preparing and Planning, looks at the organizational foundations
underpinning a plant, including building the core team, identifying the target audience,
designing the ministry, securing financial support, and developing a proposal.
Part three, Get Going: Living Out the Mission, discusses the plant’s
ministry while getting started. Themes include vision casting, engaging culture,
making disciples, multiplying disciplemaking communities, and preparing for the
launch of public worship services. Part four, Keep Going: Ongoing
Development and Multiplication, helps continue a plant’s development while
it prepares for multiplication. Chapters in this section cover leadership
development, ongoing evaluation and development, planning strategically, and
dealing with growth and change. The final chapter in this part focuses on one of
Logan’s key themes, which is creating a multiplication movement of churches.
While The Church Planting Journey focuses on church
planters, almost everything in the book is helpful for any pastor who wants their
church to make disciples and bear fruit. Depending on the pastor’s particular
situation, different chapters will be more relevant at different times. The Journey
Guides, especially, ask questions that established churches leaders need to
ask themselves and their congregations for ongoing growth and development.
If I had to pick only one book to sit on my desk next to my
Bible to guide me in leading a church that lived out its calling and multiplied
disciples effectively, The Church Planting Journey would be that book.
This volume is a true gift to the church, and the fruit of a lifetime of
faithful ministry by one of the contemporary church’s most effective leaders.
This book may be purchased from Amazon or other booksellers.
(Disclaimer: I have worked with
Bob Logan for more than a decade and received a review copy of The Church Planting
Journey.)
