Oven Ready Church?

I'm really excited to see developments at church. There is a plan afoot for Wakefield Baptist Church - it is a fair trade shop (only slightly exciting) together with a new church plant (extremely exciting).

Here is part of the plan:

Linking in with other strategic partnerships which are in-line with God’s Global Village

Gatherings which feature post-modernal explorations of Christian faith and faith issues

Establish an accessible Christian Community

Actively serving Wakefield on Christ’s behalf. Eg. Street Angels (Brilliant initiative!)

The nature of the Christian Community will be defined by God’s desire for grace and justice and worked out through the lifestyle choices that the café and shop promote.

I've been reading stuff...

Some of it relevant. Terry Pratchett's "Going Postal" was a great book but not much of a help.

I scanned one book which looks fantastic: Roland Allen's "Spontaneous Expansion"

I've just finished Vincent Donovan's "Christianity Rediscovered" (oops! should only have read the first bit for Theology group!!) Couldn't put it down - I believe God chose a guy like him (A catholic priest) to shock us complacent evangelicals into re-thinking how church should be. A prophetic book. He was referring back to another prophet: Roland Allen.

Reflecting on Donovan I am left with some worries:

Things that could go wrong:

1. Christians will join the new plant (that is NOT church planting - it is church splitting). I would like to see that banned!
2. It will be shaped by the expectations of the planter/missionary rather than the new community
3. It will do "emerging church" (the fad), rather than "be" church emerging from the culture of the new believers (the spiritual roots of true emergent church)
   

Getting it right?

Probably partly down to:

1. Chosing the right planter/missionary
2. Having an exit strategy