The Anabaptists planted many churches across Europe in the sixteenth century, convinced that new kinds of church were needed, free of state control, committed to Jesus-centred discipleship, multi-voiced community, economic sharing and non-violence.
Church planting today offers opportunities to pioneer churches that are creative and contextual, incarnating good news in a post-Christendom culture. Anabaptist principles and practices are being embraced by some of these church planters, and the Anabaptist Mennonite Network wants to resource and encourage them.
There is a substantial and growing literature on church planting. Much of this is rooted in the North American context and not always culturally appropriate for the European context. Some of it is programmatic, hyped and unreflective. This short list of books is highly selective. It contains a few books written from an explicitly Anabaptist perspective and others that offer helpful guidance, both practical and theological, on church planting and the cultural context.
Bergquist, Linda & Michael Crane: City Shaped Churches: Planting Churches in a Global Era (Urban Loft, 2018)
Bolger, Ryan (Ed.): The Gospel after Christendom (Baker, 2012)
Church of England: Mission-shaped Church (London: Church House, 2004)
Finney, John: Emerging Evangelism (Darton, Longman & Todd, 2004)
Frost, Michael: Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture (Hendrickson, 2006)
Gibbs, Eddie & Ryan Bolger: Emerging Churches (Baker, 2005)
Hardy, Andy & Dan Yarnell: Forming Multicultural Partnerships: Church Planting in a Divided Society (Instant Apostle, 2015)
Hollinghurst, Steve: Mission Shaped Evangelism (Canterbury Press, 2010)
Howson, Chris: A Just Church (Continuum, 2011)
James, Christopher: Church Planting in Post-Christian Soil (OUP, 2018)
Kilpin, Juliet: Urban to the Core (Troubadour, 2013)
Kreider, Alan, Eleanor Kreider & Paulus Widjaja: A Culture of Peace: God’s vision for the church (Good Books, 2005)
Kwiyani, Harvey: Multicultural Kingdom (SCM, 2020)
Morisey, Ann: Journeying Out: A New Approach to Christian Mission (Continuum, 2006)
Moynagh, Michael: Church for Every Context (SCM Press, 2012)
Murray, Stuart: Church Planting: Laying Foundations (Paternoster, 1998)
Murray, Stuart: Planting Churches: A Framework for Practitioners (Paternoster, 2008)
Olofinjana, Israel: Partnership in Mission (Instant Apostle, 2015)
Ott, Craig & Gene Wilson: Global Church Planting: Biblical Principles and Best Practices for Multiplication (Baker, 2011)
Paas, Stefan: Church Planting in the Secular West: Learning from the European Experience (Eerdmans, 2016)
Robinson, Martin: Planting Mission-shaped Churches Today (Oxford: Monarch, 2006)
Roxburgh, Alan: Missional: joining God in the neighbourhood (Allelon, 2011)
Shenk, David & Stutzman, Ervin: Creating Communities of the Kingdom (Scottdale: Herald, 1988)
Stone, Bryan: Evangelism after Christendom (Brazos, 2007)
Tomlin, Graham: The Provocative Church (SPCK, 2008)
Van der Poll, Evert & Joanne Appleton (Eds.): Church Planting in Europe: Connecting to Society, Learning from Experience (Wipf & Stock, 2015)
Woofenden, Anna: This Is God’s Table: Finding Church Beyond the Walls (Herald Press, 2020)