Transformations/Encounter with God Program

Critique: Assumptions and Beliefs

• The collective destiny of groups
• Identifying and opposing the kingdom of darkness
• New revelations
• Ecumenical in focus
• Socialistic in practice
• Geographically-based
• Kingdom theology
• Biased presentation

Encounter with God Program

Four Factors for Growth

1. Development of an impact or Encounter church in highly visible and accessible areas of strategic cities.  
2. An evangelistic philosophy that will be satisfied only when the Lord returns.  
3. Resources concentrated by the sending agency and the national host church.  
4. A financial commitment to an Encounter Fund that is designated solely for the purchase of land and the erecting of buildings for the new Encounter churches.  

Encounter with God: Guayaquil Model

• Fall 1987 the new model was implemented in 7 churches which averaged 20% annual average growth.  
• This led to 42 local campaigns and 810 decisions to follow Christ.  

Basic Principles: Guayaquil Model

1. Work only with churches who subscribe to the four Encounter principles and establish those principles as their long-range goals.  
2. Work only with pastors who have vision for growth.  
3. Use existing resources with no dependence on outside financing.  
4. Use mission funds only for evangelistic efforts.  

Strategic Planning

Developing an Urban Strategy

1. Start by creating a prayer base for your activity
2. Gather data [Census data, sociological studies, regional reports, first-hand research {visit urban planning commissions, utility companies, local government agencies, leaders of social service agencies, community associations, churches}]
3. Create a strategy map: buy a large map of the region showing every street. 
4. Delineate the neighborhoods: Identify your boundaries; place some kind of marker for religious sites, etc.  
5. Create a template for your report possibly including

• population pyramids
• A small map showing boundaries
• Housing information
• Immigration patterns
• Marital status patterns
• Income
• Employment
• Religious preferences
• Community description
• Recommended strategies for planting cell groups

1. Make Population pyramids
2. Develop a neighborhood analysis
3. Cluster neighborhoods into categories
4. Take surveys of population awareness
5. Conduct surveys or interviews to gauge population receptivity [discover which population segments are turning to Christ in churches or parachurch organizations.  Discover which population segments are most vulnerable to cults and what causes them to respond.  Interview people in different neighborhoods.  If people are responsive in one area, check the same population in another neighborhood.  
6. Create your strategy, document it and publish it.  
7. Select key areas for penetration (a responsive population in multiple neighborhoods could all be approached by a single strategy)
8. Use a checkerboard planting pattern: Combine people from 2 or more cell groups to penetrate an unreached area between them.  
9. Create an actual strategy

• Who are the responsive segments we have discovered?  
• Should we seek to penetrate several groups as a test of receptivity before focusing on only one?  
• Which groups should be reached first?  How will this start help us reach others?  
• Where do these groups live?  
• How should we communicate with them?  (word-of-mouth, house to house survey, direct mail, Twitter?)
• What will be our reason for contacting them?  (small groups of various kinds?)
• Where will we meet them?  Their homes?  Some neutral site?  
• How many groups can we launch in six months given our resources?  

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~ by caitlinshirley on April 29, 2009.