Review of David Garrison's Church Planting Movements

Garrison, David. Church Planting Movements: How God is Redeeming a Lost World. Richmond,

Va.: WigTake Resources, 2003.

Can be ordered through Amazon.com here

David Garrison takes a descriptive approach in his book to define the phenomenon called church planting movements whereby churches reproduce rapidly. In his book he outlines a brief history of his personal involvement with the study as well as an overview of the general parameters that define a church planting movement or CPM. A scientific study by no means, Garrison’s book is based on observations and reports from International Mission Board field personnel, national conventions and other protestant sources. Throughout these narrative descriptions, he sprinkles CPM teaching points such as the POUCH method typical in CPM churches.

            In part 2, he tells the geographic story of how church planting movements are breaking out all over the world. In Asia he begins the story with India’s billion-strong population as he describes a CPM incidence across several geographic points resulting in 4000 new churches planted within a 7 year period. He then moves to China to describe how a CPM there has resulted in a rate of 30,000 baptisms per day and thousands of house churches being planted each year. He describes other cases of CPM in Southeast Asia and especially highlights the Singapore home-cell mega church movement that has led to the forty-fold explosion of evangelical Christian adherents.

            Africa is also emphasized for its CPMs among the Muhaber in Ethiopia, the Maasai in Tanzania and the Teso people of Uganda. He then turns his attention to the Islamic world where some CPMs are breaking out in undisclosed locations. Latin America has also experienced CPMs among the Kekchi people of Guatemala. Interestingly, Europe seems to be the least frequent in the CPM phenomena, but there are emerging movements among refugees and gypsies there.

            In North America, Garrison points back to the nineteenth century for one example of a church planting movement, a phenomenon considered a revival at the time. Other examples of protestant CPM-like phenomena include a cell church model in Pennsylvania and explosive church growth at Saddleback, Willow Creek, and the Bethany World Prayer Center.

            In part 3, he outlines 10 universal elements present in observed CPMs. Then he lists 10 characteristics of most CPMs. Finally, he lists observed barriers to CPM that must be removed because they are the seven deadly sins against God’s movement.

In chapter 12, Garrison appears to deal with the theology of a church planting movement by describing the biblical basis for CPM characteristics. Only at the end of the book does he deal with practical or logistical issues like the definition of church, how volunteers can be used even though outsiders must keep a low profile, the role of foreign funding and formal theological education in a CPM environment.

Chapter 16 is a practical workbook for identifying and managing the universal elements, characteristics and obstacles.

Although he did a good job in describing CPMs occurring throughout the world, there are a few areas where Garrison falls short. He somewhat fails to communicate that these observations are from a descriptive rather than prescriptive approach. In fact the entire book format lends itself to being a self-help document for churches wishing to start their own CPM. Because he is not explicit about these matters, the tone of the book is more of a how-to manual rather than a celebratory documentation. He even includes a whole section entitled “Launch Pad” as a diagnostic workbook for individual churches to discover their CPM readiness. In an evangelical world full of quick fixes for church growth, this propensity toward prescription weakens the book’s overall effect.