live school ... plants churches!

06_aChurch planting is one of the highest values of the Live School. Because we believe that planting churches is the only way to see sustainable growth of the Body of Christ around the world, the School's curriculum was specifically designed to train missionaries how to plant churches among unreached people groups.

The Live School was also designed to be run in a local church under the oversight of its pastor. This gives the local church the opportunity to train its own members who are then sent to unreached towns or villages where they believe a church should be established. The new churches thus become extensions of the churches that plant them.

The Live School defines a church as a group of believers, meeting regularly, "devoted to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42).

The leader might be dedicated to that body of believers alone or oversee several. In most cases, these local churches build a meeting place, usually from indigenous materials.

06_bThe Live School also adheres to the principles of what a church should be as taught by Donald A. McGavran, considered the 'father' of the Church Growth movement:

  • Self-propagating - reproducing itself by making disciples, establishing cell groups, training and raising up leaders, and releasing ministries.
    (We would add planting other churches where there are none.)
  • Self-governing - identifying, raising up and training leaders from its midst that can lead the church in its endeavors in the Kingdom.
  • Self-supporting - supporting itself in order to remain healthy.

No churches planted by Live School students belong to the Live School or WMC. In fact, Live Schools do not have any churches.

They always work alongside the national church, of various denominations, which then have oversight of the new churches




Real life examples

Malawi - The Nkopola Live School that Pastor Peter Likakwa started on the western shores of Lake Malawi has had 3 groups of students go through its training, one of eight students and two of seven.

Over a period of 18 months, the first two groups of students planted 7 churches during their outreach phases among a predominantly Muslim people group on the other side of the lake. The third class is working in the same area at the time of this writing, as graduates now pastor the churches they planted under the oversight of Pastor Likakwa.