Vision of the Possible- Chapter 5
Overview
This chapter outlines the basic church planting phases that a church planting team will go through. These are general guidelines and not a recipe book for how to plant a church. They will guide you in an effort to leave behind an indigenous reproducing church.
Comments
I think the church planting phases listed in this chapter are especially useful for new teams which makes up practically everyone on our team. A more experienced missionary who has planted several churches, for example, may have a better feel of how things can move and what can be done. A new missionary hitting the field should find these steps useful as I do. This task is not easy and often times we get stuck in thinking of the great things we want to do but we are not clear about the small steps, that often take lots of time(many years), before we can see the great thing happen. I agree with Sinclair that this cannot be seen as a cookbook of mandatory “to do” steps on how to plant a church but rather a guideline to see where we are in the process of planting an indigenous church. Using it as a tool or measuring stick to guage where we are and what is ahead is useful for me rather then just having a fuzzy,unclear idea of where I stand and where I am going next.
One other point that is noteworthy is his statement that it is common for works to go backward in the phase process due to persecution or problems amongst the believers and we may see the whole group fall apart. We pray this won’t happen but we need to be prepared for it and maybe not be all that surprised and instead regroup and move forward again.
He also points out on the FAQs (p.68) that evangelism is one phase we cannot leave behind. We must model for the new believers/church that evangelism is key and must be part of our DNA. How will they have a heart to start a new church in a nearby village if they do not see evangelism and reaching the lost as important. It is everything!! I see many of the churches in our area stuck in this phase. They do not have a heart to reach others and are content with the group of 20-30 people they have. If they do have a heart, they have no idea how to do it and in most cases(not all) do not see church leadership leading the way. It is very sad to see how stuck most of the churches are and it has made an impression on me to do what I can to avoid the same in our ministry.
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I think the “Pioneer Church Planting Phases” bring more clarity to the process of church planting. I like the suggested activities…they seem practical. This is the first time I’ve seen these “Phases.” It is helpful to view the ministry here in our area through the framework of these phases. It gives me a better sense of direction. There were a few quotes that I felt were thought provoking and my thoughts follow:
• “Language learners must not wait for perfect language proficiency before bearing witness of Christ.” I agree. I must learn the indigenous language well. It is the key to the ministry here. Sinclair notes that language learning and evangelism are ongoing processes throughout all stages. In reference to evangelism, a preacher once said, “A seed in the barn never brings in the harvest.”
• “Most worthwhile achievements are a result of many little things done in a single direction.” Reminds me of the race between the turtle and the hare. Without the goal in view, I’ll get off track. Persistence…diligence…do the little things…focus on the goal. A favorite preacher said, “Work like it all depends on you…pray like it all depends on God.”
• “There are millions of dollars being spent on good projects in our country, but one wonders how many of them are really distractions from the real task which we use to make ourselves feel useful because the real task is so hard and sometimes goes so slowly.” If I choose inefficient means to get to church planting…I will waste time and effort. For example…I was recently asked to give a large sum of money to help our village buy property for a school. The school director told me I would be highly esteemed in the community if I gave. Will this really help me in my effort to plant churches?… I think not. It will probably just portray me as a limitless source of money for our village, thus leading to further requests for financial help. I have also been tempted to help fix our village’s water project. Will it help me plant churches?…I think not. I will be most likely be called upon every time my improvements need repair or fixing…or worse yet, would again be seen as limitless $$$$money man. I am looking for ways to show “love” to our community….but in a manner that doesn’t portray me as limitless source of money and that doesn’t distract me from the purpose of church planting. I think teaching an English class may be a good way to show we care. Small scale things seem to be best right now. Finding a way to show we care is difficult in a village setting, because there are lots of unhealthy opportunities that arise that could distract from our overall purpose of planting churches.
• “It is said that there are three ways to waste our years: Do nothing. Do the wrong thing. Or do so many things that none o them have sustained impact.” There’s no time to waste. Let’s go plant churches!!!!
Great comments Steve. One of the struggles we all face is how to respond to the overwhelming need that surrounds us. A few things come to mind. We do not have limitless resources, we have been given a very specific task, let’s do that task.
I have often said (and it has been sometimes misinterpreted) that we should do as little as possible to start movements of people coming to Christ. That doesn’t me be lazy and sit on the playstation all day. It means that we should not get distracted by the things that will not get us to our task.
Again, great comments!
Great feedback on the comments. In regards to the money issue, I agree, in the villages, we are seen with dollar bills on our foreheads and it is a constant challenge and distraction. I also was approached about rounding up some money from the “hermanos” up in the states to help with a land purchase for a school. Out of curiosity, I probed at the moment needed which was around $20,000 U.S. dollars. Again, just call up a few people and get the word out up North and you should be able to get this money together. Needless to say, I did not pursue this for more then a minute but it is an example of how they see us in their world view.
I personally have tried to do as little as I can in the community as far as good well gestures or helps, as I know it will lead to more expectency and dependency in how I can help out next. Staying on the task of learning language, recording stories, evangelizing, discipling, managing my family, homeschooling, etc.. is a God sized task. Satan wants to steer us of course whether it be with our time or how the community views the local gringo. As Donny said, we were sent to do a job, plant churches, and whatever we do that sidesteps us in this endevour is not worth it.
All that being said, what I wrote is much easier to type onto this blog then live out in real village life but it is good to dialogue like this and try to stay focused.