It is much more important to be doing mission than to be talking about it.
-Leads a life group in his neighborhood.
God is calling you and me to be agents of God’s mission in this world.
- Begin with radical reliance-permission giving system not reliant on money- there will never be enough money for you to have
- When people get dependent on funding it stops people from planting
- People are given permission but not often paid to plant churches
- Movements are not birthed through money
- There is not correlation between funding and success after 4 years in ministry. – Do not let finances be the determining factor.
- In times of great movemental advance churches are “born pregnant”
We have kind of convinced ourselves that we need more than we have to plant a church. The answer is typically 25% larger than what they currently are.
We all have something “new” and “unique” that needs to be carried on into church planting.
- Bless the community- say Peace to this household- Luke 10:5- love others and leave the response to God.
Jeremiah 29:4-7
Love the community more than the people who live there! You have to be part of a community to love a community. Bless by it by engaging it as much as you can. “Unpack your bags”.
- Build relationships and settle in- Luke 10:7
If you are going to plant a church you need to be rooted in the community you are going to plant.
“eating and drinking whatever they give you”- the how of church planting is in many ways determined by the who, when, and where of culture.
Plant a church that reaches the people you know and love- “contextualize”
Live with them, love them, and die to your expectations of them.
Many church planters fall in love with a model- too many plant churches in their heads and not in their communities. Recognize that God calls you to a place. You can pastor a church and not be a people person, but you cannot start a church without laying down your life for the people.
The farther away the church is from the church planter’s wife’s home the more likely the church planter will quit.
One of the greatest challenges is to live on mission where you are.
- We need to serve people- Luke 10:9- heal the sick where they are (Luke 4:18 serve and save)
Churches should be engaged in serving the hurting
Gospel demonstration and proclamation- show the love of Christ as we share the love of Christ.
- Announce the kingdom- and tell them the kingdom of God is near.
The kingdom of God has come near- repent. The full proclamation of the gospel message.
Plant with an intentional desire to reach lost people in the community. Your job is not to go in and rearrange sheep.
Most church planting is mostly not converts but the ones that had more converts than others is because it had that in its DNA.
Church planting is a hot thing but evangelistic church planting is not.
Plant a church and 4 years from now and there are three categories 1/3 will fail, 1/3 will struggle, 1/3 will be vibrant congregations self-sustaining.
Practical ideas to love the community:
20 step process- engaging a community
The most important place to raise up leaders is within the harvest. Has pastoral apprentice team, wouldn’t be adverse hiring from outside when appropriate. The best place to learn is in ministry in the trenches.
Moving people from passive to active- teaching them their identity in Christ, this is not going to happen in a large group setting
Reflections 