Here’s the rationale for my prediction that church planting will replace the parachurch as the primary evangelistic vehicle in America. Four reasons why church planting takes the best of parachurch strategies and reimplements them into the life of the local church: a. communities of faith: this is what the parachurch develops on campuses. People get involved in the parachurch community and then invite their friends to be a part. Church plants, who naturally attract younger people, can do this as well on a more permanent scale. This is the bedrock of evangelism. b. initiative evangelism: this doesn’t mean confrontational evangelism, but rather recognizes that the burden of initiative of spiritual conversations is on the believer. Parachurches teach this principle well, but church plants can be taught it also. c. outreach to emerging generations, generally attracting younger audiences. Since church plants do attract younger people on the whole, they will be…
Campus Crusade for Christ
Church vs. Parachurch part II
Charlie wrote: Christ came to build his church and that is what he charged his apostles to do, but i argue that what is being described as “the church†is limited to to “the local church/esâ€. i can only comment on my experience at louisville, but this parachurch of ccc has fueled many local churches with students who know how to share their faith (something that many adults seldom if ever do), they know how to study the scriptures, they can disciple and be discipled, and they know what community and fellowship applied look like, and they know how to give. in parachurch ccc at uofl i have never sensed an us verses them, cru verses the church mentality. i have, on the other hand noticed an us verses them mentality of “local church†verses “local church.” CCC is targeting the young and so-called ’emerging’ generations. 50 years ago, CCC…
Campus Crusade vs. the Local Church: my evaluation
Thanks for the comments guys. I think there are tremendous advantages to the parachurch, but on the whole, the campus ministry variety is a dying class. But first, the good news. Here’s are some advantages of parachurch ministry: 1. Scope: Singular commitment to a particular vision that has the muscle to reach a larger scope.The local church is at a disadvantage because its scope is going to be, by definition, limited to a particular community. 2. Ecumenism: Since CCC doesn’t focus on doctrines that can tend to divide, it can sweep up a large number of laborers into the umbrella for the purposes of evangelism, while leaving the doctrinal concerns under the purview of their specific churches. 3. Unhindered Focus: CCC can legitimately target those who would be ‘leaders’ while not giving much attention to those who are less fortunate. That means CCC will generally focus on the educated, the…
Discussion Topic: what do you think of the parachurch?
2 weeks ago i went to Colorado for Campus Crusade for Christ’s staff conference that happens every other year (does that make it biannual?). This is a big pep rally to get excited about CCC. While I was there, i found myself being more and more grateful that I am headed primarily into church ministry. Strange, though, at a place where i should feel most connected and excited about Crusade I found myself dreaming more and more about church. I will post more on this later, but I’d love some reactions from you.