Replanting Second Parish Church to Embrace Missional Discipleship
Replanting an Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) to embrace missional discipleship involves shifting from an attractional, inward-focused model to a "sent" community that integrates Gospel proclamation with active outreach. This transformation is driven by the Holy Spirit through robust Bible teaching, reforming small groups into missional communities, and encouraging organic, everyday evangelism within the community. [1, 2]
Key Strategies for Replanting towards Missional Discipleship:
- Shift from Inward to Outward Focus: The Holy Spirit revives OPC congregations by moving them beyond traditional, gathered-only assemblies to act as "sent" communities that incarnate Christ's mission in their local neighborhoods.
- Establish Missional Communities: Shift existing small groups to focus on missional goals rather than just Bible study. This involves identifying local needs, developing rhythms of presence in the community, and actively inviting others to join in.
- Rebuild Discipleship from the Ground Up: Move away from purely passive, lecture-based formation toward active discipleship, where members are trained to witness and make disciples in their daily lives.
- Emphasize Gospel Proclamation (Kerygma): The foundation of missional discipleship is the consistent preaching of the Gospel. It is essential to focus on repentance and forgiveness of sins rather than just a social gospel.
- Develop Organic Evangelism: Train members to view their neighborhoods as mission fields. This involves shifting from "projects" to "presence"—being intentionally present in the community to foster opportunities for sharing the Gospel.
- Adopt a "Win-Build-Send" Model: Focus on bringing people to Christ (Win), building them up in the faith (Build), and then training them to go out as disciple-makers (Send). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Steps for Implementing the Shift:
- Foster a Culture of Prayer: Cultivate a community that is deeply reliant on prayer for renewal and empowerment.
- Integrate Mercy Ministries: Ensure that ministries of mercy are connected to the Word, serving the local community and reflecting Christ’s love in practical ways.
- Evaluate and Re-vision: Use the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension guidelines (CHMCE) to assess the current church culture and intentionally move toward a more outwardly focused model.
- Reframe Worship: Design worship services, including evening services, to be welcoming to visitors and centered on preaching the Gospel. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
