The Church Planting Journey

Around 1995, a few pastors, and leaders (including myself)
in my city began to meet to discuss church planting. The discussion starter was
the resource kit known as The Church
Planters’ Toolkit (1991) written by Robert E. Logan. We would read (and at
least on one occasion watch a video) and discuss the principles within this
remarkable tool. We applied these strategies and principles as we became a
Church Planting Management Team and Church Planting Catalyzers. Later I spent
time on the national board of Church Planting Canada with Murray Moerman and
other national leaders and saw the same principles and strategies employed and
encoded in the training manuals we used for planters and catalyzers. I came to
realize why people were beginning to call Dr. Bob Logan the father of modern
church planting.

In 2003, I left a job as a Lab Scientist to plant a network of
house-churches in Calgary where I personally put into practise the strategies
and principles to which I had been calling others. Planting two churches in two
cities in Western Canada gave me a whole new appreciation of the complexities
of planting and the need for a good coach. I took coach training from Dr. Logan
and hired him as my personal coach.

Now 25 years after my introduction to
Robert E. Logan and his church planting principles, I have just read The Church Planting Journey[1]
which Bob says is a translation of the earlier work for a contemporary audience
working in a contemporary context. I am happy to say that this pioneer still has
much to add to the church planting conversation. His insights from forty years
of being a practitioner, planter, teacher, professor, and learner are here in
this new work. One of many examples is what Dr. Logan has to say about
assessing the original vision in terms of the fit with the planter and
alignment with the mission. This section will be a great help to many who
wrestle with the tension of adapting as they proceed. The end of each chapter offers
a place for the reader to contextualize their own vision, cultural context, and
prayer life which I pray planters and catalyzers will patiently use. This book
is once again set to reignite the church planting conversation and I
congratulate my friend in having the foresight to see the need. May Jesus
Christ richly bless the reading of this book.