Review of eBook Spark & Interview from Dr. Ed Love

Review of eBook Spark & Interview from Dr. Ed Love

Dr. Ed Love is the curator of the Greenhouse Planting Network and the professorial architect of Wesley Seminary’s Certificate in Church Planting and Multiplication.

Exponential

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“Every fire begins with a spark.

Every movement begins with a move.

Every new kingdom work begins with a worker.

As I read the book, Spark: Igniting a Culture of Multiplication, I realized that Todd Wilson was not only sharing the how-to’s of church multiplication—he was also sparking a new desire in me to be a multiplication sparker. Wilson’s vantage point and voice is incredibly refreshing, challenging, and authentic. For Wilson, the pursuit of church multiplication is not merely about achieving a new strategy for church growth; it is a genuine expression to reach those who are missing from Christ and the church.

Shaping a cultural ethos is an incredibly difficult task for multiplication-minded leaders. Culture-crafting is usually quite counter-cultural, and a leader must be prepared to face the challenges of the status quo. Wilson not only shares how to create a multiplication culture, but he also exposes the reader to multiple stories where transcendent-multiplication is occurring. The blend of research and experiential insights leaves the reader inspired and imagining new possibilities in their current culture, even if it seems as if their church culture is closed-minded to multiplication strategies.

One of Wilson’s most powerful statements was when he declared, “When our conviction so perfectly lines up with our practices like what we read about in Acts, God’s response is multiplication. It becomes the inevitable outcome. As a result, we pass a tipping point where our core conviction, our story and our practice are so strongly aligned with who we are that we actually have to try not to multiply.” Within this ideology, Wilson helps the reader visualize what it would be like to live in an Acts 2 culture where multiplication was second nature.

Additionally, Wilson provokes readers to consider the head-spinning question, “Do my practices as a leader and a church reflect what I say are my core convictions?” After entertaining this question, I was immediately asked myself, “Do individuals in my church know my core multiplication convictions and do they see me emphasizing multiplication practices.” Needless to say, I was challenged, yet thoroughly inspired to light-up my particular church and network.

In short, Spark is a must read. Those who take Spark seriously will be exposed to new multiplication trends, practical next steps for creating a multiplication culture, and will find themselves morphing into a sparker.”

-Dr. Ed Love

Wesley Seminary will be hosting a bonus session at Exponential East this year entitled Multiply: What Every Leader Ought to Know About New Trends in Church Multiplication. This session facilitated by Dr. Love is designed to help church planters understand the current state and emerging options of church multiplication. Learn more about this bonus session as Dr. Love shares his thoughts in this interview:

What do you hope to accomplish through this bonus session?

My hope for attendees is that they will walk away from this session intrigued and inspired by what is happening in the church multiplication movement at large. If someone is thinking about multiplying through church planting, daughtering a church plant, adding a new service for a different ethnicity, creating a new venue, launching a campus, or partnering with a network, this session will help them know their options, learn about existing examples, and discover some of the best practices in building a culture of multiplication.

What are some of the reasons you are excited to host this Multiply session?

I get amped up every time I hear about a leader considering branching out. One time, Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” Jesus’ point was that this tree had moved from uselessness to usefulness. Hence, the image of birds (or the people of the land) finding a place to congregate and center their lives. Church planting and multiplication is really just another way to create more branches for people to congregate and re-center their lives around Christ. I have no doubt that this session will spark a desire in attendees to lead the type of church that has all kinds of branches expanding out into the world.

What are some tensions you have faced in this area?

I have personally planted two churches, daughtered a church, cultivated a church planting network, and have coached planters for several years. I have experienced just about all of the tensions a multiplier can experience. Yet I still see church multiplication as a vital part of God’s plan to redeem the world. Our world still needs Jesus and Jesus still longs for his bride to restore the world. If we are going to see the people of this world restored, we’re going to need more churches and more disciples who long to fulfill Jesus’ command to fish for people.

Why are you passionate about helping other leaders plant churches and multiply?

A few years ago, the Lord did an incredible life-altering work in me. You might recall the old childhood story of Humpty Dumpty… Well, I was Humpty Dumpty, and I had fallen off the wall. I had experienced the death grip of burnout. All the king’s men couldn’t put me back together, but the King of Kings did. Eventually, I was reassembled and began to lead in a healthy manner. It was during this time that the Lord also began to do another work in my life. God began to break my heart for those up-and-coming church planters and pastors. For some reason, I began to care about their walk with God and their ability to stay the course in ministry. Overtime, the

Lord placed me in several ministry positions, including being a professor at Wesley Seminary, where I could serve future multipliers. I don’t always understand why the Lord uses me in this capacity, but I am truly humbled and honored to be a part of other people’s multiplication journey.

What can someone expect to take away from attending the Multiply session?

In addition to being exposed to recent church multiplication trends, encouraged to reach the lost, and equipped to multiply churches, one of the unique features of this bonus session is that attendees can earn Master level credit with Wesley Seminary. Attendees can apply this bonus session and their experience at Exponential toward the first course in the Certificate in Church Planting & Multiplication, which is called Multiply. Multiply is a five day intensive course, based out of West Michigan. This foundational course allows students to experience and enter into a church planting movement, by visiting and interacting with the leaders of 10-12 new church plants, multi-sites, and missional communities. This bonus session will count toward the fulfillment of assignments in that course.

The Certificate in Church Planting and Multiplication consists of four courses designed to train multiplication minded pastors and future church planters. Whether you plan to start a new church, a new campus, or even a new venue, this program will help you:

• Develop practical skills needed to plant a new church, campus, or venue.
• Become familiar with the preeminent resources in church multiplication.
• Determine a framework for exegeting a specific culture and context.
• Develop an extensive vision and strategic plan for a future initiative.
• Acquire an enhanced knowledge in the theology and praxis of church multiplication.

We are so excited for this bonus session. Make sure you are there by registering for the main conference + pre-conference with code: wesley15. You will receive $30 off of your conference registration and a FREE pre-conference as well as access to Bonus Sessions. Register here!

To register for Multiply or the entire Certificate, please contact wesley@indwes.edu or call Wesley Seminary at 877-673-0009. For more detailed Certificate in Church Planting and Multiplication information here.

Download your FREE copy of Spark here.