Emerging leaders will reproduce what they see, not what they are taught. If they are sent to seminary to learn about church life, they will emulate their professors, not their pastors and elders back home. They will want to teach in classrooms, not plant or pastor local churches. Is it not ironical that we teach courses on pastoring? Should not shepherding God’s people be learned through on the job training rather than reading about it in a textbook? By being mentored by a pastor rather than a professor?
We can and should select and equip future church planters in the local church itself. Every local church can establish a farm team system for spotting potential leaders and giving them opportunity to discover and develop their gifts and callings for spiritual leadership. This approach to leadership development is more focused on developing a person’s spiritual gifts than increasing their knowledge. It is formational more than informational. The assumption behind this approach is that leadership is more about calling, character and competence than it is about information. There is a place for learning the Bible, but that does not imply one has to go to seminary or be taught by PhDs to rightly divide the word of truth.
By following the steps below you will create a seamless flow between who you are as a church and what you want to reproduce elsewhere. The rule of thumb is to do here what you want to do there.
Below I have outlined a clear pathway for developing future church planters in the local church. This pathway starts with pastors and elders defining what kind of churches they want to reproduce, and then stepping back from there and creating a pathway to achieve that goal.
Step 1: Define what church is
Define and communicate a simple set of beliefs about church. Define what it is, how it grows and its calling and purpose. Keep it very simple. Church planters need to know what you expect of them if they are going to plant a church. Tell stories that illustrate your vision of church. Teach the model of church and the approach to church planting you believe in. One caution: don’t try to grow a church planting movement by adopting leaders who have not grown up under your leadership. Eventually there will be a clash of values and vision. If people from outside your community join you, they should be immersed in doing church the way God has led you to do it before they are sent to reproduce it elsewhere. (Matthew 18:20)
Step 2: Do church in small groups
Do church in small groups. Every leader should be in a small group that does church together. Potential leaders should be in a cell group or small group, leading small groups and helping start new groups. Leaders are gatherers, so give them an opportunity to gather people. Coach them how to do that. Organize your church in such a way that people are encouraged to actually do church together, not watch it happen from the platform. Set up a voluntary structure that encourages people to gather together with friends and acquaintances to worship God, minister to each other and reach out to those who don’t know Jesus. (Acts 2:42-47)
Step 3: Disciple potential church planters
Disciple potential church planters. Invite potential leaders to join you for 7-8 weeks of studying the book of Acts together. Ask them to answer three questions from their reading and discussion: what did the early disciples do to build the church (practices), what were the values that motivated them, and how did they handle opposition? (Mark 3:14) You and other leaders in the church should spend 1 hour a week or 1 hour every two weeks intentionally discipling emerging leaders. Focus on encouraging them to spend time daily with Jesus, to disciple others faithfully, and to share Jesus with others. Talk about issues of personal holiness. Develop meaningful relationships of mentoring that encourages the gifts of those you meet with. (2 Timothy 2:2)
Step 4: Tell the story
Tell the story. Share your church planting journey and ask others to tell their story. Story telling is the language of the heart. It provides a sense of history and destiny. It builds faith. It paints a picture of what you are dreaming about for the future.
Step 5: Do outreach together
Do outreach together. Take your leaders on short term outreaches and ministry trips to other countries. Be an example of someone who witnesses and shares Jesus everywhere you go. Instill in them the values of boldness and prayer for making Jesus known to others. Send teams to the neighborhood, city or nation where you want to plant new churches. Keep sending teams to the target area until a long term church planting team is ready to go there. Send short term teams every year from your church to the new church plants to encourage them, help them reach more people and recruit more workers. (Acts 20:20)
Step 6: Pray with your leaders
Pray with your leaders and potential leaders. Prayer stirs passion in people’s hearts. Put time and energy into leading interesting, participatory, faith building times of intercession and prayer. Early morning prayer meetings with staff and non-staff leaders builds unity and allows people to share burdens and vision for new initiatives to reach the lost and support church planters on the field. Praying together communicates the priority you put on church planting and your commitment to stand by those you send out to plant churches.
Step 7: Meet regularly with cell group leaders
Meet regularly with cell group leaders to share vision, teach skills and give direction. You cannot restate the vision for church planting and multiplication too much. Give the reasons why you do what you do. Illustrate with lots of stories to build faith.
Step 8: Provide training opportunities
Provide training opportunities to study the word, learn how to lead participatory Bible studies, etc. Take people through he word in New Testament and Old Testament survey courses. Teach them how to study the Bible and how to teach it to others. If your church does not have the manpower to do this, work with other local churches who do.
Step 9: Form prayer teams for church planters
Form prayer teams around potential church planters. Once a new church planter steps forward and has the blessing of the church leadership, ask them to form a prayer team to support them in their new venture. Get church members praying for the new church plants to create ownership and excitement.
Step 10: Visit your church planters often
Visit your church planters often, especially in the early stages of the church plant. Coach them and help them solve problems. Provide on-going pastoral care for new church planters, even from a distance. Gather your church planters every year or two years to encourage them and mentor them. Debrief them thoroughly when they come back for visits. Make sure they know how much you value their sacrifice and efforts. Ask them to sow back into the church to encourage the church planting culture you are creating.
All Nations
For more resources relating to church planting visit Floyd's homepage: www.floydandsally.org/
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