What defines a Church Planting Movement (CPM) and what indicates healthy CPM activity?

• A. A single church quickly expanding.
• B. Slow growth with new buildings.
• C. Missionaries traveling widely without local leadership development.
• D. Rapid, multi-generational spread from a few initial gatherings.

Answer: (D)

Healthy Church Planting Movement activity is rapid, multi-generational church multiplication that begins from a few gatherings and is led by locally trained believers. The hallmark is reproduced churches spawning new churches quickly, forming several generations of growth, all under indigenous leadership rather than relying on outside missionaries dictating the pace or method.

This is different from a single church simply growing fast, which only shows one center of influence and misses the replication pattern CPM seeks. It also isn’t about building programs or enlarging facilities, which can occur without true church multiplication. And it isn’t about wide travel by missionaries without developing local leaders, which undermines sustainability and the ability to continue multiplying after outsiders move on. D captures the essence: rapid, shared growth across generations that originates from a small starting point and is sustained by local leadership.