Planting (mid-sized) churches in Europe

A new report from Joanne Appleton of the European Church Planting Network (ECPN) about the use of “mid-sized” groups for church planting.

In it she writes:

Across Europe are finding that the development of mid-size communities is a successful tool in church planting in post-Christian European society.

For example, the main church auditorium at St Andrew's (Chorleywood, UK) holds around 350 people. But less than five years since planting mid-size communities alongside their services and small groups, the number of actively participating members has grown from around 400 to 1,500.

Five years ago, the church had a diminishing attendance and less than 12% of the congregation was in small groups, says Andrew Williams, associate vicar at St. Andrews. “People were asking, 'What does the church have to offer me?' and not contributing to the life of the church, rather than saying, 'We are here to serve a lost and broken world,'” he says.

Today, 72% of the church members belong to one of 32 mid-size, missional communities, engaging in mission-focused activities such as serving neighborhoods or working with the deaf community, the elderly and homeless.

Visit the ECPN website to download the full report and for access to articles and podcasts on church planting.