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This paper was written as a final assignment in Linus LeFever's class, New
Testament Church Planting. WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT CHURCH PLANTING THIS YEAR
by
Virginia H. Lane During my undergraduate studies many years ago at a denominational college, the classes I enjoyed most had to do with ministering to a congregation. This CBC class on New Testament Church Planting was near and dear to my heart. Not only did we discuss some of the mechanics to organizing a church but we discussed actual situations and problems one would encounter in dealing with the church members. Other classes supported the ideas given in this class. You asked what I learned about church planting. While I could make a long list, I'm going to discuss three areas that spoke to my heart. If I neglect to put anything in quotation marks, I apologize. Teamwork: Jesus developed a team with John as his number 2 man along with James and Peter as the core group. They and the other 9 disciples made up Christ's original band of merry men, including one Christ knew was a backstabber and thief. The numbers later expanded to 70 and 120. By His example we see that we also should have a team to work under and with us. Each team should consist of a leader (someone's name needs to be on the line) and several team members. Among the whole team, there should be a blending affect so that the strengths of one offset the weaknesses of another. A Lone Ranger pastor can end up being authoritarian; he also does not have anyone to help guide him when questions arise. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto and Silver. A pastor needs to be accountable to someone; it was suggested that we find a mentor to whom we could submit. A mentor could be someone with an apostolic gifting or in many cases, the denominational authority structure. Frankly, a primary reason why Mark and I came to this school was to find an appropriate authority to speak into our lives and to whom we could be submitted. Churches can only grow so large when only one person is doing all the work. Some say a pastor can only successfully pastor 50 people; others say one can pastor 112 people. In many cases 10% of the people take up 90% of a pastor's time. If he has a staff/team, they can minister to the 10% and he can use his time wisely to build up and equip the 90% of the congregation which is usually ignored because they do not have major problems. A team can also help a pastor or the teaching pastor know his audience. The Apostle Mark wrote to the Gentile Christians in Rome. They needed to hear about miracles as they endured trials. Therefore, Mark wrote about the miracles of Jesus. If the pastor has a relationship with his congregation, he will know their hearts and not be insecure in his role or his authority. "Insecurity is what causes us to be upset with people. Pastors are protective of their pulpits because they are insecure." A pastor should remember that the body has many members and that all members of the body are ministers whose talents should be used. Unity: Unity and relationship is most important. As said above, a congregation needs to be unified. To realize that we are all part of one body. We should not let little things separate us from each other. Strife is caused by self-centeredness. God is the supreme example of Love. I Corinthians 13 is known as the Love Chapter. It is recommended that in every situation, a person could go through this book and ask if one has responded to the situation in alignment with this teaching. Showing love and friendship is what will speak to people more than having the Word preached at them. Because we have dedicated ourselves to Christ and ministry, Satan is going to attack us because he doesn't want us to have a future ministry. He will use anything to separate us from God. Unfortunately, there are many hurting people in ministry. Satan's attacks only make the situation worse. These ministers need to be "fixed" before they can effectively minister to others. While well intentioned and zealous, these people would tend to burn out or not be able to minister effectively because of their own issues. A team and mentor would be helpful to a hurting pastor. The book of Acts is an orderly account of the early church. Luke gives examples of how a church can be planted and run but showing how the early saints ran their gatherings. The Pauline Epistles additionally give information on conducting a service and dealing with problems within the body. We can learn several things from the Biblical examples of unity and love. and learn several things: a. We have to be witnesses to show the world what Christianity is like. b. Consistency in the ministry is important. c. Sir yourselves up and get into unity. d. The best witness is that people need to see a change in you. Paul had a dramatic change from killing people to preaching to them. e. Don't build on another man's foundation. Preparation Time: As students who are preparing to go into the ministry, we should consider preparation time as effectively used time. It is suggested that as preparation for missions (this could also apply for ministry) that we take a good marriage class. A pastor's conference (such as Andrew's in October) would be time well spent. It should be remembered that "God will not ask you for what you don't have, but he will ask what you do have." We (through Jesus) have the tools. Everyone can read and ask a question. Then put it in the hands of God. Many churches don't plan ahead, looking to the future. It is good to have a plan. If one wishes to implement an idea in the future, one should mold discussions and ideas in the present with that goal in mind. We are told not to forsake assembling ourselves together. That means everyone from the Pastor on down. Sometimes we feel the need to pray and spend time with God. But I agree from experience that "the day you don't go to church to stay home to pray is the day you'll miss something good at church." In Jan Knurr's P&W class, it was mentioned that the church pastor is a vital part of Praise and Worship. If he is happily participating in and standing behind all aspects of the church, the congregation will see this and be inspired to do likewise. Andrew told us that we should take advantage of opportunities to do different kinds of ministry. This will help one clarify one's calling. We are told to be prepared for anything during ministry. In Kay's class, she discussed the people that come to a ministry to get help. But they really don't want to change. As you (Linus) said, "They want to be fixed on their own terms." As further clarification, it was said "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." A minister needs to set boundaries. Andrew says that all ministers need to have a day off in which to revitalize themselves through spending time with the Lord and their families. A full-time minister could spend all his time ministering to his flock. This is one reason why it is important to have a team that can do a task if the pastor doesn't want to or cannot do it. Linus says an associate pastor's job description is to do everything and anything that the senior pastor doesn't want to do. One of the jobs that should be taken seriously is Discipleship Evangelism. It should be done three times a week as 1) visitation for new people to the church. 2) a Bible Study, and 3) visitation for people who attend the Bible Study for additional fellowship. As part of the preparatory experience, we should spend time studying the Bible and applying it to our lives. One of the reasons why I came to CBC was to learn how to apply scripture to our daily walk. I believe that I have achieved understanding on how to do this even though my actions don't always complete the thought. Conclusion: There are many things to consider when planting a church. In this paper, I have not discussed the mechanics of planting a church. While those are important because one must have an organized plan...I believe that the key is a passion for church planting on the heart level. This can be aided by mental and spiritual preparation, unity and relationship among the participants, and the organization of a team that has the same goal and vision. |
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