Heaps on church planting
Church planting
Graham Heaps looks at Acts 15.36-16.40
In this brief article on the vital subject of church planting, I am drawing principles from Acts 16.
An approach that is more practical, and that gives insights into the ways of reaching our materialistic and apathetic society, would be very valuable, but is beyond my competence.
More than that, I want to stress that God’s work needs to be done in God’s way, in dependence upon him. Church planting is not like starting a successful business — though it does need to be undertaken with vision, strategy, planning and organisation. The wisdom we need to succeed in it can only be drawn from Scripture. Acts 16 gives us great help in two areas.
1. What we need if we are to attempt to plant a church (Acts 15.36-16.10).
* A good team of leaders
This is the New Testament pattern. Paul and Barnabas are sent out (Acts 13.2ff), leaving behind adequate leaders at Antioch. And they take a young trainee with them in John Mark. Even after the pain of the bust up with Barnabas over Mark (15.36ff), Paul still chooses an equal to work with him (in Silas), and is happy to blood inexperienced Timothy, who is commended by his church, into the work.
Quality leadership is vital in church planting — a mixture of maturity and youth. Church planting in the New Testament is largely, though not exclusively, about planting leaders.
* Commitment, nerve and resilience
Acts 15/16 shows us that there are always seemingly good reasons to think that the time is not ripe for a church planting initiative. Paul could have held fire after the break with Barnabas, fearful of the impact of that sad occurrence on the church at Antioch. He could also have reasoned that the mushrooming of the existing churches (16.5) made his presence vital for them as they sought to help the many new converts. Yet, instead, he launched out again in a church-planting mission (16.6ff).
Unless we have a real commitment to this work we will always find good reasons for putting it off! Supporting existing believers and congregations is vital, but must not be allowed permanently to prevent pushing on with new ventures.
* The Lord’s direction (with regard to the where and when of a new plant)
How did Paul, Silas and company know where to preach the gospel? Acts 16.6-10 shows us that the Spirit made it plain by preventing them preaching in some districts (!) and directing them to Macedonia. We need that guidance, faced as we often are by a wide range of competing priorities. We must look to him all the time, as we seek to discuss possibilities, push doors and try to establish works elsewhere.
2. How we are to go about planting a new church (Acts 16.11-40).
* Look for what the Lord is already doing
When Paul and friends arrive in Philippi they cannot follow their usual pattern of beginning in the synagogue, because there isn’t one. Instead, using their imagination, they find a group of God-fearing women meeting by the river. They seek to begin with those who have some knowledge of, and concern about, the Living God. And they follow that path whenever it seems opportune, though talking to others also, as God enables.
We can do the same. Before we begin to attempt to plant a church, we need to ask if God is already at work. We are unwise to compete with another Word-centred, gospel church, just because it may not be Reformed and baptistic. But in ploughing virgin territory we can still ask if the Lord has done, or is doing, a work here. We need to keep an eye out for existing believers, or interested souls, or people with some background in the things of God, and consider if it is wise to begin our outreach with them.
* Preach the Lord, for conversions
Paul clearly aims at conversion (vv.13-15 and 29-32), and he sets an example to direct us. We must speak to those who will listen, and are prepared to ask serious questions, whoever they are. Paul is prepared to concentrate on a group of women, a slave-girl, a group of prisoners and a jailor and his family. They do not seem the kind of material from which one can build a stable church, but he is content to work with those whom God brings across his path. He speaks in tiny, seemingly informal meetings and to family groups and individuals, always seeking to bring people to Christ. This is the stuff of church planting.
* Let the ambition to plant a church (by winning souls) govern all your actions and decisions.
Evangelistic church-planting situations throw up all manner of difficult matters (see 16.3, 16.18 and 16.37 for examples). All Paul’s answers were determined by what was most likely to promote his gospel work. Timothy was circumcised to make him acceptable to Jews whom they were seeking to reach. The slave girl was left alone until Paul knew that her cries were beginning to hinder his mission, for he knew that delivering her must bring an ugly backlash. He delayed protesting his treatment by the authorities so he could witness in the prison, and only protested briefly to put the authorities on the back foot, in the hope that they might be loth to pressurise the new church after he left.
Making wise decisions on such issues is difficult indeed, but it is easier if our minds are dominated by the desire to do everything to further the work of the Lord in building his church(es).
* Expect testing opposition
We are bound to attract the devil’s hostility as we seek to rescue men and women from his clutches, and establish Christ’s kingdom on his territory. Sometimes that opposition will be subtle (v.16ff), but often it will be brutal (v.19ff). It will require great grace to bear persecution with joy (v.25). It will require great courage to press on with the work after vicious attacks. All involved in church planting must be ready for painful opposition, but so must all who are going to live for the Lord (2 Timothy 3.12)!
* Trust the Lord for converts
It is the Lord who opens hearts (v.14) and who steps into the lives of the disinterested to awaken them (vv.25-30). We pride ourselves on believing that. Yet do we know when he moves in converting power, and do we expect him to act? Here we learn that the blessing of converting power is related to spiritual growth in believers (16.3), ardent and direct witness (16.13ff), self-denying compassion (16.18) and joyfulness in suffering (16.25ff — yes, it is true that the jailor sleeps through the witness of joyful suffering, but God sees it, and rewards it in a way that retains the glory for himself!). We must pray, work, look for and accept (16.15 and 16.33) conversions!
Conclusion
Acts 16 reminds us wonderfully of the truth that church planting works, because Christ is determined to build his church. Accordingly, we must be ready to embrace the idea of planting new churches, for the glory of the Lord. Such work needs both vision and hard graft. It will bring difficult questions, real pain and much anxiety. Yet we can look for fruitfulness and success in the work, but only as the Lord deigns to bless our feeble efforts. We must be bold and determined, and not let present or imagined difficulties keep us back from endeavouring for Christ.
Graham Heaps
© Evangelicals Now - September 2007
Graham Heaps looks at Acts 15.36-16.40
In this brief article on the vital subject of church planting, I am drawing principles from Acts 16.
An approach that is more practical, and that gives insights into the ways of reaching our materialistic and apathetic society, would be very valuable, but is beyond my competence.
More than that, I want to stress that God’s work needs to be done in God’s way, in dependence upon him. Church planting is not like starting a successful business — though it does need to be undertaken with vision, strategy, planning and organisation. The wisdom we need to succeed in it can only be drawn from Scripture. Acts 16 gives us great help in two areas.
1. What we need if we are to attempt to plant a church (Acts 15.36-16.10).
* A good team of leaders
This is the New Testament pattern. Paul and Barnabas are sent out (Acts 13.2ff), leaving behind adequate leaders at Antioch. And they take a young trainee with them in John Mark. Even after the pain of the bust up with Barnabas over Mark (15.36ff), Paul still chooses an equal to work with him (in Silas), and is happy to blood inexperienced Timothy, who is commended by his church, into the work.
Quality leadership is vital in church planting — a mixture of maturity and youth. Church planting in the New Testament is largely, though not exclusively, about planting leaders.
* Commitment, nerve and resilience
Acts 15/16 shows us that there are always seemingly good reasons to think that the time is not ripe for a church planting initiative. Paul could have held fire after the break with Barnabas, fearful of the impact of that sad occurrence on the church at Antioch. He could also have reasoned that the mushrooming of the existing churches (16.5) made his presence vital for them as they sought to help the many new converts. Yet, instead, he launched out again in a church-planting mission (16.6ff).
Unless we have a real commitment to this work we will always find good reasons for putting it off! Supporting existing believers and congregations is vital, but must not be allowed permanently to prevent pushing on with new ventures.
* The Lord’s direction (with regard to the where and when of a new plant)
How did Paul, Silas and company know where to preach the gospel? Acts 16.6-10 shows us that the Spirit made it plain by preventing them preaching in some districts (!) and directing them to Macedonia. We need that guidance, faced as we often are by a wide range of competing priorities. We must look to him all the time, as we seek to discuss possibilities, push doors and try to establish works elsewhere.
2. How we are to go about planting a new church (Acts 16.11-40).
* Look for what the Lord is already doing
When Paul and friends arrive in Philippi they cannot follow their usual pattern of beginning in the synagogue, because there isn’t one. Instead, using their imagination, they find a group of God-fearing women meeting by the river. They seek to begin with those who have some knowledge of, and concern about, the Living God. And they follow that path whenever it seems opportune, though talking to others also, as God enables.
We can do the same. Before we begin to attempt to plant a church, we need to ask if God is already at work. We are unwise to compete with another Word-centred, gospel church, just because it may not be Reformed and baptistic. But in ploughing virgin territory we can still ask if the Lord has done, or is doing, a work here. We need to keep an eye out for existing believers, or interested souls, or people with some background in the things of God, and consider if it is wise to begin our outreach with them.
* Preach the Lord, for conversions
Paul clearly aims at conversion (vv.13-15 and 29-32), and he sets an example to direct us. We must speak to those who will listen, and are prepared to ask serious questions, whoever they are. Paul is prepared to concentrate on a group of women, a slave-girl, a group of prisoners and a jailor and his family. They do not seem the kind of material from which one can build a stable church, but he is content to work with those whom God brings across his path. He speaks in tiny, seemingly informal meetings and to family groups and individuals, always seeking to bring people to Christ. This is the stuff of church planting.
* Let the ambition to plant a church (by winning souls) govern all your actions and decisions.
Evangelistic church-planting situations throw up all manner of difficult matters (see 16.3, 16.18 and 16.37 for examples). All Paul’s answers were determined by what was most likely to promote his gospel work. Timothy was circumcised to make him acceptable to Jews whom they were seeking to reach. The slave girl was left alone until Paul knew that her cries were beginning to hinder his mission, for he knew that delivering her must bring an ugly backlash. He delayed protesting his treatment by the authorities so he could witness in the prison, and only protested briefly to put the authorities on the back foot, in the hope that they might be loth to pressurise the new church after he left.
Making wise decisions on such issues is difficult indeed, but it is easier if our minds are dominated by the desire to do everything to further the work of the Lord in building his church(es).
* Expect testing opposition
We are bound to attract the devil’s hostility as we seek to rescue men and women from his clutches, and establish Christ’s kingdom on his territory. Sometimes that opposition will be subtle (v.16ff), but often it will be brutal (v.19ff). It will require great grace to bear persecution with joy (v.25). It will require great courage to press on with the work after vicious attacks. All involved in church planting must be ready for painful opposition, but so must all who are going to live for the Lord (2 Timothy 3.12)!
* Trust the Lord for converts
It is the Lord who opens hearts (v.14) and who steps into the lives of the disinterested to awaken them (vv.25-30). We pride ourselves on believing that. Yet do we know when he moves in converting power, and do we expect him to act? Here we learn that the blessing of converting power is related to spiritual growth in believers (16.3), ardent and direct witness (16.13ff), self-denying compassion (16.18) and joyfulness in suffering (16.25ff — yes, it is true that the jailor sleeps through the witness of joyful suffering, but God sees it, and rewards it in a way that retains the glory for himself!). We must pray, work, look for and accept (16.15 and 16.33) conversions!
Conclusion
Acts 16 reminds us wonderfully of the truth that church planting works, because Christ is determined to build his church. Accordingly, we must be ready to embrace the idea of planting new churches, for the glory of the Lord. Such work needs both vision and hard graft. It will bring difficult questions, real pain and much anxiety. Yet we can look for fruitfulness and success in the work, but only as the Lord deigns to bless our feeble efforts. We must be bold and determined, and not let present or imagined difficulties keep us back from endeavouring for Christ.
Graham Heaps
© Evangelicals Now - September 2007
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