David Garrison

David Garrison

Run a google search for “church planting movements” and David Garrison dominates.

I read his e-booklet a couple of years ago. I’ve just finished his book. Some quotes that got my attention:

On evangelism

Essential to every movement is the principle of over-sowing. Just as nature requires a tree to drop thousands of seeds to produce a single sapling, or a human body to generate hundreds of eggs to yield a single baby, so it is with evangelism. In church planting movements we find hundreds and thousands of people hearing the gospel every day. . . . page 177

On intentionality

If you want to see churches planted you must set out to plant churches. page 181

On who’s in control

These two governing forces of biblical authority and Christ’s lordship reinforce one another like parallel railroad tracks guiding the movement as it rolls far beyond the direct control of the missionary or initial church planters. page 182

On local leadership

In a church planting movement you begin with the torch in their hand. page 188

On rapid reproduction

When you teach your first churches to labor for many years under a missionary pastor while waiting to receive their own seminary trained leader; then require the church to purchase their own property and building; fill it with enough tithing members to support all of the above, you can’t expect them to generate rapidly reproducing daughter churches. Rapid reproduction starts with the DNA of the first church. page 195

On my mind

Why is it that there is so little evidence of dynamic church planting movements in the developed world and so much evidence in the developing world?