Ecclesiology

Read more about the article Critical Review of David Garrison’s “Inside Church Planting Movements” (by J. A. Irons)
Biblical Basis of Missions / Book Reviews / Definition of Church / Ecclesiology / History / New Converts Leading Churches / Pragmatism / Rapidity / Women Leading Churches

Critical Review of David Garrison’s “Inside Church Planting Movements” (by J. A. Irons)

Introduction Inside Church Planting Movements (2026) is published by WIGTake Resources, a small publisher started by David Garrison in 2004. WIGTake has published several other movement-related books, including the original Church Planting Movements, T4T, Any-3, A Wind in the House of Islam, and Bhojpuri Breakthrough, among others. After more than two decades since the original release of…

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September 3, 2026
Read more about the article The Church Planting Movement Debate: Getting to the Heart of the Matter
Biblical Basis of Missions / Disciple Making Movements (DMM) / Pragmatism

The Church Planting Movement Debate: Getting to the Heart of the Matter

Discussions about church planting movements, supportive and critical, have been a part of missions for the past two decades. While many individual issues have been addressed, the central issue has been less clear. This article suggests that discussions and debates about church planting movements center on implicit values. Instead of debating secondary issues, it is important to…

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March 19, 2026
Read more about the article The Defend and Confirm Podcast Interviews Radius President Brooks Buser
Definition of Church / Ecclesiology / Obedience-Based Discipleship / Rapidity

The Defend and Confirm Podcast Interviews Radius President Brooks Buser

Brooks Buser is the president of Radius International and a vocal critic of CPM and DMM. In this episode of the Defend and Confirm Podcast, co-hosts Sean DeMars and Russell Berger ask Brooks the following questions (paraphrased): Brooks, tell us a little about who you are and what you do.What does training missionaries at Radius look like?Have…

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January 20, 2022
Read more about the article “Disciple Making Movements” by Robert Kelbe
Disciple Making Movements (DMM)

“Disciple Making Movements” by Robert Kelbe

Robert Kelbe critiques disciple-making movements from the perspective of a Reformed Presbyterian. He does so using the outline of the seven elements of disciple-making movements as found in David and Paul Watson's book Contagious Disciple Making (2014, Thomas Nelson). Kelbe concludes: "As Reformed Presbyterians, we might rather have to sacrifice explosive growth on the altar of Biblical…

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June 29, 2021
Read more about the article “An Embryonic Ecclesiology Enabling Church Planting Movements to Flourish” by Robert Christopher Abner
Ecclesiology / T4T

“An Embryonic Ecclesiology Enabling Church Planting Movements to Flourish” by Robert Christopher Abner

Abner completed this PhD dissertation in December 2019 as a student of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He argues for an "embryonic ecclesiology" which "identifies the core elements of a church that, when given appropriate attention, will enable a new church plant to flourish where it is planted" (p. 50). He uses his rubric of an embryonic…

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January 1, 2020
Read more about the article “A Strange Sort of Orthodoxy” by Adam Coker
T4T

“A Strange Sort of Orthodoxy” by Adam Coker

Adam Coker is a former missionary with the IMB and currently serves as Assistant Professor of History and Christian Studies at Brewton-Parker College. In this article, he shares his personal experience of being trained in CPM methods as a new IMB missionary. He then critiques T4T methodology using seven T4T problems as his outline: Making the method…

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November 1, 2016
Read more about the article “The Ecclesiology of Training for Trainers: The Issue of Method and 1 Timothy 3:6” by John Henry Serworwora
Baptist / Ecclesiology / New Converts Leading Churches / T4T / Women Leading Churches

“The Ecclesiology of Training for Trainers: The Issue of Method and 1 Timothy 3:6” by John Henry Serworwora

John Henry Serworwora is a native Indonesian educated at Mid-America Baptist Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also the former president of Jakarta Baptist Theological Seminary (2006-2010). In this 2014 article in the Great Commission Research Journal, he heavily critiques the ecclesiology of T4T, including using new converts as leaders, promoting women to church leadership,…

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July 1, 2014