The Barnabas Factors: Eight Essential Practices of Church Planting Team Members, by author and professor J. D. Payne, describes how Barnabas should be considered as a model for contemporary church planting team members. Each chapter of this work addresses a particular ¢â‚¬Å“Barnabas Factor, ¢â‚¬ a healthy aspect of Barnabas¢â‚¬â„¢ life that assisted in Kingdom expansion. The eight practices include:
1. Walks with the Lord
2. Maintains an Outstanding Character
3. Serves the Local Church
4. Remains Faithful to the Call
5. Shares the Gospel Regularly
6. Raises Up Leaders
7. Encourages with Speech and Actions
8. Responds Appropriately to Conflict
Dr. J.D. Payne is a National Missionary with the North American Mission Board and an Associate Professor of Evangelism and Church Planting in the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Having taught church planting and evangelism courses in evangelical institutions for nine years and served with several church planting teams and with the largest Protestant evangelical missions agency in North America, Dr. Payne is aware of the lack of quality church planting resources, particularly resources addressing church planting teams.
The book will be available later this week.‚ Purchase the book at the discounted rate of $14.99 $12.99 by going here. It is coming soon to online and brick and mortar retailers.
Praise for The Barnabas Factors:
Given the risky and pioneering nature of church planting, it is essential to develop healthy relationships amongst members of the founding team. Here J. D. Payne gives us a biblical model of engendering healthy team dynamics by looking to the life and ministry of Barnabas. This is a book for those of us who want to keep a joyful camaraderie whilst advancing the kingdom.
Alan Hirsch
Author of The Forgotten Ways and The Shaping of Things to Come
Founding director of Shapevine.com
The Barnabas Factors: Eight Essential Practices of Church Planting Team Members is a unique and much needed book for anyone interested in church planting. I strongly believe it is a must-read for newly appointed missionaries and just as essential for veteran missionaries. This book powerfully sets forth the need for godly personal characteristics that are vital for successful church planting teams. The diagnostic tool at the conclusion of the book will be a great help in evaluating potential team members.
Charles Brock
President, Church Growth International
Author of Indigenous Church Planting: A Practical Journey
I highly recommend this book. From end to end it is practical: it¢â‚¬â„¢s the relationship stuff, the personal qualities of team members, and the realistic nuts and bolts of ministry that are so ultimately determinative to fruitfulness in the church planting and team contexts. Payne brings great clarity as to what is a missionary ¢â‚¬Å“call.¢â‚¬ And for no extra charge there is a powerful tool at the end pulling all the principles together to help you decide who to take onto your team and who not to. A must-read for all church planters.
Daniel Sinclair
Author of A Vision of the Possible: Pioneer Church Planting in Teams
You reproduce what you are! In The Barnabas Factors: Eight Essential Practices of Church Planting Team Members, J. D. skillfully uses Barnabas to expose eight critical factors that enable a person to be an effective team player. Often, in the West we focus on glittery leaders; J. D. focuses on Barnabas, the glue of Paul¢â‚¬â„¢s first team. He does an excellent job of making these attributes practical and applicable in the team church planting context . . . The book certainly should be read by those headed for the field and those teams already functioning in a field context.
Dick Scoggins
Head of Leadership Development, Frontiers
Author of Building Effective Church Planting Teams
Dr. J. D. Payne stresses the crucial need for possessing the personal and character qualities that were evident in the life and ministry of Barnabas. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to those who are dead serious about planting churches that are built on a solid biblical foundation and impacting their communities in the same manner in which the churches started by Barnabas and his team members impacted theirs.
Daniel R. Sanchez
Director, Scarborough Institute for Church Planting and Growth,
Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions,
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Having served as a church-planting missionary and trainer of church planters for over twenty years, I believe the greatest obstacles to effective church planting teams were, and today remain, unresolved team conflict and personal character issues of team members. Now there is a tool to help church planters be more proactive in effectively selecting suitable team members. If there is a priority need today in church planting, it is a need for the church planting team members first to be people of exemplary Christ-like character . . . Payne¢â‚¬â„¢s book addresses this issue in a clear and concise manner. This tool is a necessity for every church planter¢â‚¬â„¢s, mission agency¢â‚¬â„¢s, and church¢â‚¬â„¢s toolkit as they seek to develop and deploy effective church planting teams for the glory of God.
R. Bruce Carlton
Associate Professor of Missions, Boyce College
Author of Acts 29: Practical Training in Facilitating Church-Planting Movements Among the Neglected Harvest Fields
J. D. Payne offers sound biblical advice for building a strong church planting team. Often, in an attempt to build the perfect ¢â‚¬Å“Dream Team¢â‚¬ many church planters rush the process and end up shipwrecking the potential of a new church. Nothing can be more devastating to the birth of a new church than a spiritually dysfunctional team. Whether you are planting a new church or leading a church planting organization, The Barnabas Factors: Eight Essential Practices of Church Planting Team Members is a must-read!
Stephen Gray
National Missions Director for the General Association of General Baptists
Author of Planting Fast Growing Churches
