Video Transcript: What does The Church We Are Going To Establish Look Like

We're going to continue our discussion of church planting. And when we think  about church planting, we need to look at where we really want to go. And in this curriculum with multiplication network, we have been looking at various aspects  of church planting. We have been looking at why plant healthy churches, we've  been looking at who should plant churches? We're going to focus now on what  does the church we are going to establish look like? And again, we'll come  around soon to talk about what steps should we take the planted church? What  does the church we are going to establish, going to look like? What does that  going to look like? And it's excellent to look forward and see, where's the  Northstar? Where do we want to go with our church planting efforts? You know,  as we think about it, we're going to be very much interested to describe some of  the essential characteristics of a healthy church, the goal of church planting was special attention to the kinds of leadership needed. But now we're going to look  at first what are the four vital questions. And then the five functions of a healthy  church. As we look forward, let's now focus on some of those things. So what  we're going to do is right away, start with the end in mind. What are we shooting  for? Here are questions that we're going to be asking. toward what end? Are we  working is basically the same question, but just put a little bit differently. What  does the church we desire to establish look like? And what are the key  ingredients necessary to have a healthy and growing church? So these  questions are very similar. But all of them get us thinking about the end result  that we're looking for, we're going to do all this effort, we want to basically get  the healthy characteristics together and see what that will take to get there. So  what are the five vital elements of a healthy church? Well, one is vision. One is  leadership. One is the body mobilized, and also resources. And those things  now in a local test in context, make a healthy church. So vision, leadership,  body mobilize resources, and this local context to take all of this that we're  talking about in place and in the local place. These are the ingredients, the  elements that make a healthy church. So when you're a church planter, you  have to start with a clear vision. I remember when I left Seminary in 1987, the  first thing we did when we thought about planting a new church is to delineate a  clear vision. Without a clear vision, people do not know what you want. If it's not  clear what you want, that it's what you're called to plant, people have a hard  time knowing if they want to follow along. So the first thing is to articulate a clear vision throughout this whole church planting class. Many of these elements we  talk in this multiplication training at the 30,000 view will be we will go deeper and deeper. But just for now, just think about this a clear vision. Having vision means looking toward the future, to see what God wants to do through you to achieve  His redeeming purposes. The church sees clearly what God wants it to be in do. So the body of Christ will serve to establish this new creation in the community.  So as we think about clear vision, it's really what do you see? And then as you  develop leaders, what do you see together that you will give to a community? So

it means reflecting. So what does God want the church you are planting to be  and to do with your church, plants, leadership, those that maybe are with you  now, write a vision statement that summarizes what God is calling you to be and do as a church. Use this to stay focused in your ministry. In other words, you're  going to use this vision statement to have a matrix by which you make key  leadership decisions. So once you have that vision, and throughout this class,  we're going to continue to talk about Vision, when you actually do plant this  church, the next thing you need to do is to empower leadership. So empowering leadership becomes very important. Aubrey Malphurs describes leadership in  the following way. Christian leaders are people committed to God, who know  where they are going vision, who have followers influence. Having chosen a  person to serve as a church planter, we need to consider certain steps in  developing his or her leadership. So the church is served by people who  understand its vision, can communicate it clearly to the congregation, and can  organize the body to make it a reality. Notice, it's now finding those who follow  the vision, who what you want is what they want. And what they want is what  you want. That's a powerful force. In planting a church. It's very similar to how  the apostle Paul did it when in II Timothy 2:2, you'll see this passage talks about  entrust what the leaders heard Paul talk about to reliable people. And these  reliable people are going to be the planters of the future. For Paul was  developing the leadership in each local church, it was critical for its permanence, because Paul was not going to just be there. The church is to be passed on to  the next Christian leader, and new churches established. And those to passed  on to more leaders. This is what he did, as seen in II Timothy 2:2, he gave the  leaders space, he put them in charge of the work, he committed to preparing  them, like Christian leaders is committing preparing you for leadership. This  training is about you doing very well. I just saw a statistic that 62% of pastors in  the world have no formal training. And maybe that's you, but you are here  getting that formal training. And the last thing he did is he trusted them. So  empowering leadership is, is identifying leaders, putting them in charge training  them, preparing them, and trusting them. Now, when we talk about empowering  leadership, we need to really talk about two dangers. Both the church planters  and the leaders need to make sure that they don't fall into these two traps these  two dangers. The first one is the Messiah syndrome. This is this problem is the  antithesis of what Paul did. While the apostle style is the motor for producing  leaders, the Messiah syndrome puts a halt to leadership multiplication, its  symptoms are clear and easy to identify, they are following. One is the thinking  that I am indispensable. You know, Moses, and in Exodus 18, he thought he was indispensable and Jethro came over there and straightened him out. That was  his father in law. There are so many times as a church planter, and I remember  planting churches, they wake up and I just felt so indispensable. And I found that when I went into those into indispensable patterns, what happened is people 

started repelling away from me. It was as if, well, he doesn't need me. Because  I, because he gives off the impression that he's indispensable. People notice  that. So as you're empowering leadership as a church planter, you don't want to  give the idea that you're indispensable. The same as when you recruit leaders.  You don't want to have them have this expectation that they're indispensable. I  am the leader here and I can't be changed and this is who I am and the whole  church would fall apart. Those type of attitudes are not empowering. The reality  is bleeding the needs of others always have priority over my needs. In other  words, we are always looking for that team that God is calling, and we are  dispensable. And we want to make the church that way right from the start. In a  lot of ways a phrase that I have used in my own self talk is make myself so  dispensable that if I died in a car accident, the church would continue have it as  my goal from day one it to work myself that is served myself out of a job. How  do we confront this syndrome? Well acknowledged the problem. The fact of the  matter is, is anybody has this problem every church planter, to some extent has  this problem. fact this is one of the things if you really want to help people, you a little bit have the Messiah syndrome. Now, in the good side of that is that you  want to be like Christ, he brought salvation to the whole world, we want to bring  his salvation to the whole world, we just have to acknowledge that with that  desire to love others, possibly could come something that goes out of balance.  Step two is assume the attitude of a learner, always be willing to be self aware  that you might be that person. And finally seek God's work in us. In other words,  in the end of the day, it is God who builds His church. So let's get out of the way  of what God is doing. Another danger is that doing all planter but train in the  valley story illustrates the risks that exist when a church planter takes ownership of all leadership areas and exercises direct control over everything that happens in the new church plant. Four characteristics of the biblical leadership. And let's  really take this to heart. And Dr. David Ramirez identifies these four key New  Testament images. One of them is leader as apostle Romans 1 is just a great  passage, look that over yourself it's in we see how really, it's sent to people. And places where the gospel hasn't been introduced before Romans 15 is one of the prime passages too about I Paul talking, I plant churches where Christ where  the gospel is not known. Also, another characteristic of biblical leadership is the  leader as servant, we read about that Mark 10, if you want to be great, you must be the least leader as visionary Ephesians 1. Where, we see what God is doing  in a community what God wants to do his riches, that the gospel for those who  do not know him how he has a plan for the whole world. And also leader as  empowerer, and equipper in Ephesians 4, we read how some are called to this,  and some are called to that apostles and teachers. In other words, the whole  package is given to this world by God. And the Gospel brings everything about  us and our leadership team, to the calling in a beautiful calling and proclaiming  the gospel and building the church. So let's talk about the next element of a new

church. And that's a mobilized body. So we're identifying leaders, but now  getting some of those walls out of the way like the Messiah syndrome, and so  forth. Now, what we want to do is we want to mobilize the body, church  members who work together using their gifts responsibly in the congregation  and in the community. And if we check out the scripture from I Peter 4:10-11, we  see the intensity of the apostle Peter in his desire to mobilize the body of Christ.  So here are five practical steps, prepare your conquer your leadership, to  mobilize the entire congregation, that should always be your goal. Everyone has a piece of the puzzle here. So teach, maybe in your early small groups about  spiritual gifts or have just a Saturday or a one day little talk about gifts and there  are some amazing tests. Some of them you can find online to help you identify  the spiritual gifts of a local body and teach how they are to be stewards of the  talents God gave them. Identify the gifts and areas of interest of each believer in the congregation, put each member to work in a ministry or area of service. And  number five, keep an eye on how the different areas of church life are going and make necessary adjustments. Jacqueline Heasley writes, use your ministry to  build people, not build not people to build your ministry that is use your ministry  to build people, not people to build your ministry. So just think about creating  stages for people. That's the phrase that I always used in my church planting in  a replant of a church is how many stages can I make for people to be on using  their gifts, called by God, part of the team how do we mobilize the body for  church planting? Now one of the questions that come up is finance. How do I  Finance, this church plant. You know the definition the church challenged its  members to be good stewards of their possessions, their resources, their time,  talents, treasures. It uses these materials and financial gifts to accomplish the  work of the Kingdom, in the church and in its community. Of course, we read in  Proverbs 3:9-10, Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your  crops, then your barns will be filled to overflowing in your vats will brim with new  wine. You know, when I were to talk further in this class about some of those  financial areas, but this is all part of mobilizing the body. When one feels called  by God to plant a new congregation one of the questions that arises, how will I  fund the birth and development of this new church? These are two important  concepts. And they really are in the Scripture too. And that first one we read in,  really chapter four of Philippians 4:6-7 is about trusting God. Do you trust God,  God? You know, I once heard a church planter tell me, Look, God made the  cattle on 1000 hills, and he can slay a couple for His Kingdom. In other words,  the fact of the matter is, he's made all the resources of the world, he's in charge  of this world. Trust God, God will give you what you need in the way you need it. Contentment, just be content, God's promises, divine provisions to cover all our  needs. Maybe not necessarily our wants or our personal tastes. So how I  finance this church plant, trust God, he will help you. You are a bi-vocational  church planter, possibly, you're here, maybe you're bi-vocational. l think about 

the freedom that that brings to you. You don't need to worry as much about the  finances of the church at first, in this church plant. Later on, we're going to talk  about how I bi-vocational leader can transition to a vocational leader, and be  paid by the church. But for now, just trust that the Lord will bring you all you  need in this church planting. Some people ask, do you have ideas on how to  finance a new church? Sure, well, maybe there's a mother church that you're  planting this church out of and they're willing to do some help. Maybe you're part of a denomination or mission organization. Now about that, I feel like many of  you are not going to have that happen for you. And one of the pitfalls of looking  for a denomination, there's many times the denomination has all these  requirements, you might as well just had a bi-vocational job. But many of you  have a very amazing and good relationship with the denomination and that  could be a great option for you. Another is a special support group. Supporters  from investors, friends, relatives, support from a sale of property, we see that in  Barnabas in the book of Acts. So he sold a piece of property for the increase of  the early church support from a secondary salary in a household maybe your  spouse works, and can help support you as the church planter. And of course  support from bi-vocational ministry Bible. In one of my churches I planted I  planted it bi-vocationally. And I tell you, I really enjoyed that, because I could  give all my attention to doing what's necessary with some of the first resources.  Now eventually, I was paid part time at that church. And I still had actually  Christian leaders Institute. So I was building Christian leaders Institute and  planting a church. I did my last two churches, my two callings were both bi vocational and they were great advantages to that. The bottom line is it brings  up that next key element and that's the connection between the text and the  context between what we're doing in the local area. A healthy church takes into  account its context, the geographic location, social economic factors, cultural  factors, while the message of the good news does not change, the methods for  sharing it do. So what you preach, what music styles you pick, all of those  issues, relate to who you are in the context where you are called. And in this  church planting class, we are going to even go into this deeper and deeper. So  as we think about what the new church is going to look like, we see these basic,  basic principles, these basic issues, these basic elements, and as we continue  our discussions, we're gonna go deeper and deeper into what the church planter is called to do to plant a new church