Dr. Van Rheenen discusses the differences between pastoral and apostolic ministry in this month's reflection. Dr. Van Rheenen examines Garrison's book Church Planting Movements in this month's reflection. The need for church planting has disappeared from the radar screens of many North American churches. In this Monthly Missiological Reflection Dr. Van Rheenen describes five types of church planting to heighten understanding and provide motivation.
Many missions churches are like potted plants.
They are merely transplanted replicas of those found in sending cultures. The following Monthly Missiological Reflection on The Missionary as a Listener reflections on responses to this reflection and describes how contextualization occurs in new church plantings. After describing responses to the previous MMR on Transplanted and Contextualized Churches , this reflection describes how contextualization occurs in new church plantings. Missionaries should not only be master teachers of the word of God but also effective cultural listeners. Instead of making cultural decisions unilaterally because of their life experiences as Christians and training as missionaries, they should serve as partners within the body of Christ and collaboratively work with the developing Christian community to develop church patterns that are both theologically responsible and culturally impactful.