Church Planting by the Book

Church Planting by the Book delves into church planting in the first-century church and how such Scripture can be applied to modern church plants. With its focus on the churches of Acts 2, Church Planting provides readers with a scriptural example of healthy churches and provides unique insight for modern church planters.

Elbert Smith is a seasoned trainer of church planters. In Church Planting by the Book, he traces the New Testament storyline in order to provide biblical guidelines and insights for church planting. One thing that distinguishes Smith's approach from some other approaches is that he shows at every point along the way the way in which Scripture forms the starting point, trajectory, and parameters of church planting practice. Recommended for church planters, potential church planters, pastors, and students. --Bruce Ashford, PhD: Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Southeastern Baptists Theological Seminary

What if you could grab a cup of coffee and sit down with a missiologist, who has trained thousands of frontline workers who have been sent to every conceivable strategic focus on the planet, and have him walk through the essential elements of church planting? Over the past decade, Elbert Smith has provided a missiological foundation for every global worker sent out by the International Mission Board. Instead of emphasizing one methodology over another, Elbert elevates Scripture as the standard and normative for both faith and practice. In his book, Church Planting by the Book, Elbert explores the common threads of the work of God in and through the early church in order to understand better the ways of God for church planting today. So grab yourself a cup of coffee, I'm sure Elbert has his, and allow him to walk you through the nine church plants in the Book of Acts! --John Charping, PhD: Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, an Associate Cluster Leader for the East Indonesia & Beyond Cluster, International Mission Board, SBC

I have finished Smith's manuscript enjoyed reading it...It is an excellent treatment of the missionary experience in Acts -- very accurate and very helpful. I would certainly commend it as a Biblical introduction to practicing mission. --John Polhill, PhD: Senior Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Author of The New American Commentary, Acts, 1992.