Most believers agree that church-planting
is of critic importance for the Church
if we hope to exist in the next generation.
The problem is that most people seem
to think that church-planting is for
SOMEONE ELSE to do.
The reality is that God has called
all believers to be involved in some
way in strengthening and growing the
Church, and church-planting is one
way that happens.
Have you ever imagined yourself as
a church-planter? Read through the
seven steps of the ACT strategy below
and
you may just find yourself saying, "That
sounds like something I could do!"
STEP #1
... just being a foreigner attracts people.
The challenge can be in sorting out which contacts have a deeper interest in spiritual dialogue.
In more resistant communities, church planters must seek to build relational bridges. Relational bridges are formed through discovering points of contact with non-believers outside of religious activities. Examples include sports and hobbies, clubs, civic organizations, retreat, and more.
Prayer with and for non=believers is critical in this stage of planting a church. Believers collect names in a contact book and prayerfully plan their activities to facilitate encounters with these people. Relationships are key. Years of experience in church planting have revealed this important principle: the effectiveness of any evangelistic method is in direct proportion to its personal (relational) context. |
STEP #2
... have no understanding of biblical truth, often we begin in Genesis.
This effectively lays a foundation for understanding the New Testament. Among those with an historic knowledge of Christianity, the focus is on correcting misconceptions.
A guiding principle is that evangelism is a process. Multiple encounters with truth, energized by the Holy Spirit, provide opportunities for seed truths to take hold in the hearts ("spiritual soil") of non-believers.
Perhaps the strongest witness to the truth of the Gospel occurs as non-believers experience firsthand a vital community of believers. The combination of prayer, Bible study, and community is a powerful apologetic to those whom God is calling to himself.
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STEP #3
... to learn how to honor Jesus in their own culture.
Since the world's cultures vary greatly, the methods of discipleship must also vary greatly.
But while cultures vary, the process by which a convert becomes a disciple is essentially the same in all cultures: by cultivating an intimate walk with Christ through spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, worship, Bible study, fellowship, and witnessing.
Accountability groups can be key in the maturing process of new believers.
Such groups are not only a strong environment to promote spiritual growth,
they also provide what is often the new believer's first real experience
of spiritual community, effectively laying the building blocks from
which a church emerges.
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| STEP #4
... unity, diversity, and mutual dependency?
What an accurate illustration of our relationship to one another!
The New Testament frequently uses the powerful imagery of the human body to explain profound truths about CHrist's body, the Church. Spiritual communities are formed as men, women, and children learn to relate to one another just as the diverse parts of a human body relate to each other. In this fourth stage, or Corporate Worship stage of church planting, the exercise of spiritual gifts is paramount. By learning to serve one another, the members start functioning as a body, the Body of Christ. Spiritual communities typically gather in homes or other informal locations for worship, prayer, and Bible study. During this phase of development, church planters avoid public leadership roles since their goal is that leadership develop from within the group.
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STEP #5
... some will demonstrate a genuine passion and ability to help others do the same.
These men and women form the core of emerging leaders.
Leadership training must encompass the whole person: character, knowledge, and skill. Wise church planters understand the need to balance all three.
Some activities will stress character development, while others will focus on increasing the disciple's knowledge of Scripture.
Ministry skills are continually honed through the developing leader's active involvement in evangelism, discipleship, and spiritual community (see Steps 1-4).
Formal schooling is usually reserved for those leaders destined to occupy specialized ministries.
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STEP #6
... believers are themselves transformed into the temple and
priesthood of God, their sacrifices being the joyful offerings of praise
and good works.
This truth has profound implications on the way we worship God together as the Body of Christ.
Imagine a group of men and women who are growing as disciples and serving one another. When such believers come together, they don't need to be primed to worship; worship for them is a spontaneous and natural overflow of their lifestyles of worship!
Worship is the deepest expression of the soul, speaking the language of the heart. It expresses itself as naturally through one language and culture as another.
It is the church planter's responsibility to mentor emerging leaders through the process of developing worship experiences that are meaningful in the culture of the emerging church.
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STEP #7
... to give life the opportunity to flourish.
Eventually, however, church life should take on "form" or organization. At this stage the real question is how much organization is required.
The guiding rule concerning how much organization is needed is this: a church should be organized only enough to allow it to continue a healthy pattern of growth and development.
Frequently, it is during this stage that a new church defines its membership, officially names its leaders, establishes its rules, and assumes its responsibility as a member of a larger group of churches.
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