5kms for Christ! A STRATEGY FOR CHURCH PLANTING USING THE JESUS FILM

Transcription

1 ! A STRATEGY FOR CHURCH PLANTING USING THE JESUS FILM

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS: Introduction:...1 Overview:...1 The Keys...2 The Plan...3 The Organization...3 Step one is to CAST THE VISION to the mother church...3 Step two is to PREPARE THE PEOPLE with prayer...4 Step three is to TRAIN the people of the mother church....4 Step four is to SOW THE SEED Visit, Advertise...6 Step five is to GATHER THE HARVEST using the JESUS Film...7 Step six is to DISCIPLE the new believers....8 Step seven is to IDENTIFY potential leaders from within the group....8 Step eight is to COMMISSION the new potential leaders....9 Questions and Answers Conclusion NOTES:... 13

3 ! Introduction: Overview: The 5kms for Christ strategy is based upon the mother-daughter church planting strategy that is well known in Christian circles. A mother church is an established church with a desire to extend the Gospel to others. In Africa there are many established churches, and yet there are still very many people who have either not heard the Gospel or have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior. The mother church, led by their pastor, sees this need and responds to it positively. The other key ingredient in this strategy is the use of the JESUS Film. The JESUS Film is a powerful tool for extending the knowledge and message of the Gospel to people around the world. Because it is translated into many languages, most people in Africa can hear the film in their own language. Nothing sounds sweeter to the ears than to hear one s own language being spoken. When people hear Jesus speaking their own language they are moved to follow Him. Using the film and dedicated people from the mother church the Church of the Nazarene will make every effort to plant thousands of churches across this great continent. This strategy emphasizes planting churches within five kilometers from the mother church. There are several reasons for this, but the primary one is that the mother church can care for the new Christians more effectively when they are not a long distance from them. In Africa people can and will walk five kilometers when there is a need. Even if they have transportation people will be more likely to consistently go to the new area if it is nearby. Transportation is expensive in Africa, so the nearer the location the less expensive the transportation costs. Terry N. Barker Page 1 5/31/2006

4 The Keys This strategy primarily comes from the book From JESUS Film to Viable Church, produced by Jon and Margaret Scott, Filimão Chambo, Bonifácio Mirashi, and Levy Mahalambe. In that book the authors describe three strategies for planting churches. The mother daughter model is the one that is most effective. The strategy also incorporates the Each One Reach One strategy developed in South America by Bruno Radi and Louie Bustle, as published in New Solutions. The key features that are incorporated are: Each Christian lead someone to Christ each year; Each Church plant another church each year; Each Pastor train or mentor another pastor each year. Additionally, the concept of big brothers/sisters praying for people to come to Christ is incorporated. Three key thoughts have been developed from these concepts: It takes a Christian to disciple a new Christian It takes a Church to plant another Church It takes a Pastor to train/mentor another Pastor The object is to start new churches. When people are born again into the Kingdom of God they need nurturing and care. That care is found in the church. As new churches are established the mother church sends some of its laymen to nurture and care for the new Christians in the new church. This plan calls for two laymen to be commissioned by the mother church to be the short-term care givers to the new group until leaders can be identified from within the new group. One of the keys to this strategy is understanding that the mother-daughter strategy of church planting is the most effective method of establishing new congregations. This is primarily because the mother church invests in the new congregation. Where there is a vested interest there is commitment. Nurturing new Christians is critical to their maturing in Christ. Just as a newborn baby needs the love and care of a family, so a newborn Christian needs the love and care of a Christian family. This family is called a church. This is why it is critical that new churches be started, not just new Christians born. This is the work of the mother church. It takes disciples to make disciples. Another key is that the pastor of the mother church leads his congregation to see the vision of God to reach new people with the Gospel. More will be said about this later, but it is critical that the local pastor understands that the Great Commission is for him and his people. God will provide a vision or direction of outreach if the pastor will humble himself before Almighty God and seek His face. The mother church must send people to work in the new area. This is a key to the success of establishing new congregations. New Christians and churches are started and led by mature Christians and older congregations that have a heart for God. Laymen must be involved in Terry N. Barker Page 2 5/31/2006

5 The Plan discipleship, encouragement, and leadership until leaders can be identified from within the new group. Just like a mother loves and cares for her child for a long time, so the mother church must commit to care for the new church for such time as it takes to see the new church become fully established. That reinforces the rationale that the location should be nearby. Two Laymen from the mother church go to the daughter church for a short-term mission. The mother church identifies, trains, and commissions two of its laymen to be short-term missionaries to the new group. [Other terms may be used such as layevangelists, group leaders, etc.] The mother church brings the two laymen before the congregation and lays hands upon, prays for, and commissions them to serve as leaders of the new group. The term is eighteen weeks. During that period the two laymen are constantly brought before the Lord in prayer in the mother church. Every time the church meets for a service there is a special time of prayer for the two laymen and the new believers in the new group. Eighteen weeks is a good length of time to determine if the new group will take root. The four leaflets, the Basic Bible Studies for new believers (eight lessons) and the Basic Bible Studies for the Spirit Filled Life (eight lessons) serve as the lesson material to be used by the two laymen during this eighteen week period. The two laymen teach the four leaflets on the two weekends of the JESUS Film showings and then meet weekly with the new group and teach one Basic Bible study lesson per week. During this period the two missionaries begin to identify leaders from within the group that have the potential to take over the leadership of the new group when the eighteen week period is completed. The Organization There are eight steps to fulfilling the plan. Step one is to CAST THE VISION to the mother church. This begins with the pastor of the church on his or her knees in prayer before God. A pastor cannot and must not produce a vision of outreach on his or her own. If he or she does it will surely fail. Only what comes from God will succeed. The local pastor must know that the Great Commission (Matt ; Mk ) is for him or her and for his or her congregation. There is no age or time limit on this commission. Furthermore, this commission is for all believers of all cultures, nationalities, and languages. As he or she spends time in the presence of God, seeking God s direction for the church, he or she will receive direction from the Lord. The Bible promises: Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (Jn ) Because the pastor already knows that there is a Terry N. Barker Page 3 5/31/2006

6 need for the church to be outward minded, he or she needs to seek specific direction from the Lord as to the location of the place of outreach. When God gives clear vision to the pastor, he or she must make that vision known to the people of the church. Most pastors will know that they must deal with the leaders of the church first. Gather them together and let them know that the Lord has given clear direction for the church s outreach. Then allow the leaders to help make known the vision to the church board and then to the congregation as a whole. The vision must be made very public and repeatedly mentioned from the pulpit as well as by the leaders of the church. One suggestion is to put up signs and banners advertising to the congregation that the church is reaching out to a new place. Each and every service the pastor must continue to let the people know the direction of God. When that is being done then it is time to move to the next step. Step two is to PREPARE THE PEOPLE with prayer. After the vision has been cast by the pastor and leaders of the church the pastor calls his people to pray. This is God s method of preparing his people for work. The pastor announces a time of prayer for the new outreach location and people. He or she not only calls the people to pray, he or she personally leads the prayer time. The prayer time should be a specific time e.g. Sundays at 3pm. and should be every week! The pastor doesn t say to the people meet for prayer at 3pm he or she says meet me here and join me as we pray for this new vision God has given us. There is a vast difference between a pastor who calls others to pray and one who calls others to join him or her in prayer! The prayer time should be the same time each week. It must be carried on from the time the vision is cast to the congregation until the new church is firmly and fully established! Every week, the new location and people are being prayed for. Here is where Christians pray for people on their big brother/big sister prayer lists. This is a specific time of prayer for the unsaved and for evangelism. The pastor must lead his or her people in this very important time. In addition to leading the specific prayer meeting the pastor must publicize the prayer meeting every service, continuing to invite more and more people to join. He or she should make it a matter of public prayer as well. Each time of pastoral prayer in the services of the church the congregation should hear the pastor praying for the unsaved. In this way he or she will keep the vision and the concern before the congregation on a week by week basis. Cast the vision, lead in prayer every service because we know that people remember things the more they hear it, and they sense the importance of a thing the more it is repeated! Step three is to TRAIN the people of the mother church. After the prayer time is well begun, three to four weeks of consistent prayer times, the pastor should call his or her people to times of training. The training must also be consistent. It is Terry N. Barker Page 4 5/31/2006

7 suggested that the training be held at the same time every week. The pastor must train the laymen in thee key areas: Personal Evangelism Altar ministry Leading discipleship meetings Personal evangelism methods should be taught so that the laymen of the mother church learn how to lead someone to Christ. Any of several methods can be taught such as, The Roman Road, The Four Spiritual Laws, Evangelism Explosion, EvangeCube, or others. As long as there are some methods taught and the laymen learn how to lead people to Christ. Altar ministry must be taught as well. Laymen need to know how to lead people in the sinner s prayer. It is a sad fact that many laymen in our churches do not know how to do this simple thing. They also need to know how to act and how to organize during an altar call. The pastor must train people to become follow-up trainers. He or she will teach his or her people how to use the four leaflets that have been developed for follow-up by the authors of From JESUS Film to Viable Church. Also, they need to be taught how to use the Basic Bible Studies and the Basic Bible Studies for the Sanctified Life. These are the primary follow-up tools that will be used to establish the new church. It is imperative that the pastor continue to let people know that training is available and encourage his or her people to join in the training. This means publicity. Keep the vision, the prayer preparation and the training in front of the mother congregation at every opportunity and certainly every service. It is during the prayer and training sessions that the pastor will begin to identify people who have a real burden for the new place. At an appropriate time the pastor approaches two laymen asking them to be the lead follow-up ministers at the new place. They will be shortterm missionaries or lay-evangelists given the task of leading the new congregation in follow-up discipleship sessions. The term of service is eighteen weeks. This includes the two weekends of the JESUS Film ministry (teaching the four leaflets) and sixteen weeks of follow-up ministry. Remember that this location is nearby so travel is not a major factor for the two follow-up leaders. When two laymen accept the task of becoming follow-up leaders, the pastor should prepare a special ceremony whereby the two laymen are brought in front of the entire congregation. The congregation will lay hands on them and pray for them, and commission them to be short-term missionaries [other terms may be used such as lay-evangelists, group leaders, etc.] to the new place. The church commits to continue to pray for their missionaries and the new group each and every regular service of the church as well as the special prayer times that are continuing. Terry N. Barker Page 5 5/31/2006

8 There is an important Biblical principle at work here. Jesus sent his workers out two by two. The Lord appointed seventy two others and sent them out two by two ahead of him (Luke 10.1 NIV) There is encouragement when we work for the Lord as a team. Even when things go wrong, or no one shows up at our meetings, we are certain that the Lord will meet with us. "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Matt 18:20 (NKJV) There is also wisdom as two people work together to disciple new believers. That is the job of these two lay persons, to disciple new believers. When more mature Christians work together they can give more insights and wisdom to the new believers. Step four is to SOW THE SEED Visit, Advertise. This is the time when the mother church moves into the new area and begins to make new relationships with people and strengthen old relationships they might have with some people in the area. The pastor is the leader who takes his people to the new area. However, he or she does not do the majority of the work of building relationships, that is the work of the laymen of the church. The pastor must take the groups that have been involved in prayer, those who have been involved in training classes, and anyone from the mother church who is interested in working in the new area. The youth group from the mother church is also a good group to bring to the new area. Because of their studies and other activities their network of acquaintance is large. Young people are open to meeting new people and trust their peers more easily. If a young person walks past the location where the JESUS Film is being shown, they are more likely to stay and watch if there are others of their peers showing approval for their interest. History tells us that 60% of the JESUS Film viewers are under the age of 16 years. A good reason to involve the youth group! This must be coordinated with the JESUS Film team who will be coming to show the film in the new place. A time must be set to coincide with the mother church s outreach efforts in the new area. Handbills should be printed that announces that the JESUS Film and the Church of the Nazarene are coming to start a church in the area. The date, time and location should be listed on the handbill. It is not until all of the first four steps have been done that the JESUS Film team comes to the new place to do mass evangelism. If a mother church has been busy with the steps listed above there will be excitement in the church. There will be energy, movement and anticipation of what God wants to do through them. It is clear that when a church stops focusing on itself and begins focusing on the needs of the lost people around them there is both spiritual and physical growth among the congregation. At this stage they will be ready to do the work of discipleship and follow-up. Terry N. Barker Page 6 5/31/2006

9 Step five is to GATHER THE HARVEST using the JESUS Film. At the designated time the JESUS Film team will come to the new outreach to show the JESUS Film and do mass evangelism. It is important that the team show up at the same time advertised by the mother church. This plan calls for the JESUS Film team to show the film on two consecutive weekends. The schedule is as follows: First Weekend: o Friday night show JESUS Film First pause (stop) at the Resurrection scene to give an invitation to accept Jesus Christ as personal savior. An altar call and prayer time is included here. Second pause (stop) at the ascension scene to give an announcement. The announcement should include 1) We are the Church of the Nazarene; 2) We will return here tomorrow night; 3) Anyone who has accepted Jesus as your savior tonight is invited to come tomorrow one hour before the JESUS Film showing; 4) We will give something to those who come early and teach you more about Jesus. o Saturday 1 hour before film 1 st leaflet follow-up o Saturday night show JESUS Film First pause (stop) 1) Invitation (see above) Second pause (stop) 2) Announcement (see above, except that the meeting time will be the next morning as agreed upon by the two short-term missionaries ) o Sunday designate a time 2 nd leaflet follow-up Second Weekend: At the same time and place the SECOND WEEKEND the JESUS Film team comes to show the film! o Friday night show JESUS Film First pause (stop) 1) Invitation (see above) Second pause (stop) 2) Announcement (see above) o Saturday 1 hour before film 3 rd leaflet follow-up o Saturday night show JESUS Film First pause (stop) 1) Invitation (see above) Second pause (stop) 2) Announcement (see above) o Sunday designate a time 4 th leaflet follow-up The rationale for this showing schedule is simple. Most people in Africa, particularly in urban settings, are available on Friday through Sunday. This includes the JESUS Film teams, the members of the mother church, and the people we hope to evangelize. In rural areas there is more flexibility with the schedule. However, the basic plan of four showings intermingled with discipleship is still valid. Essentially, we do not show the JESUS Film without conducting a follow-up session. It is clear from the schedule above that we show the film, Terry N. Barker Page 7 5/31/2006

10 then we conduct follow-up meetings. There is certainly no reason that the film cannot be shown more times, but follow-up must be conducted each and every time the film is shown. The JESUS Film is NOT what plants a church. It takes a church to plant another church. The JESUS Film is there to assist in the birth of the new church. Step six is to DISCIPLE the new believers. Discipleship has already begun! As the JESUS Film has been shown the two laymen from the mother church have been teaching the four leaflets at the follow-up times. They are the short-term missionaries or lay-evangelists given the task of leading the new congregation in follow-up discipleship sessions, and that begins at the JESUS Film showings. The term of service is eighteen weeks, which include the two weekends of the JESUS Film showings and one Basic Bible Study per week afterwards for sixteen weeks. The materials the two laymen are to use are the four leaflets and the Basic Bible Studies for New Believers and Basic Bible Studies for the Spirit Filled Life. These materials are readily available and reproducible at a very low cost. It is expected of the mother church to be in forefront of planting the new church and discipling the new believers. The mother church should, therefore, provide the follow-up materials. That is the primary reason that the materials must be inexpensive, available and reproducible. This gives the mother church additional ownership in the process of planting a church. The leaflets can be reproduced in the quantities needed for very little cost and should be provided to as many as return at the proposed follow-up times. While it would be ideal for each new believer to have a copy of the Basic Bible Studies it may not be practical. It is, therefore, possible that the two laymen be the only ones to have copies of the Basic Bible Studies and use them as teaching guides for leading the follow-up sessions with the new believers. If the mother church can afford multiple copies of the Basic Bible Studies then by all means they should provide them for the new believers. Step seven is to IDENTIFY potential leaders from within the group. This is the work of the two laymen from the mother church. While leading the discipleship sessions they should be aware of anyone who seems particularly keen to learn and is capable of reading and teaching. There is no limit to the number of potential leaders in the new group. When the two laymen from the mother church have identified potential leaders they should begin teaching them how to lead the new group. This would include allowing the potential leaders to join them in preparation of their lessons, teaching them to lead in prayer, and allowing them to lead short sections of the lessons. Terry N. Barker Page 8 5/31/2006

11 When it seems clear that the identified people truly have the potential to lead, the two laymen should contact their pastor and ask him to meet the new potential leaders. This may be done in any way that seems appropriate. It is important that the potential leaders understand that the pastor will be the one to mentor and train them to become the leaders of their group. Step eight is to COMMISSION the new potential leaders. When the pastor has been introduced to the new potential leaders he or she should make a special effort to meet with them regularly. During these regular meetings the pastor should continue to evaluate the new people to determine if they have the ability to lead. Such things as their commitment to Christ, their ability to speak in front of a group, their ability to teach, their ability to read, and their ability to be trained or mentored should be considered. If it is determined that the new people have the potential to lead then the pastor should begin to train and mentor the new leaders. Remember, these are potential leaders. They will probably not have the ability to lead already. They must be trained how to lead. Their attitude will be the primary factor as to whether they can lead or not. The pastor should teach them the same things that he has taught everyone in the training classes: 1) personal evangelism; 2) prayer ministry; 3) how to lead a discipleship group. Through this process the pastor must evaluate who is the best candidate for leading the new group and should groom that person(s) to become the leader. As the time comes for the two laymen to return to the mother church a transition must take place. The new potential leaders should become the leaders of the new group. It would be a good idea if the pastor of the mother church comes to a group meeting to make the transition. He or she should let the group know that the new leader(s) will continue to be mentored and trained to lead the group. They should be assured that the material the new leaders will teach will come from the pastor and will be sound doctrinal teaching. There should be a ceremony of change over to the new leadership. One of three things will then happen. One, the Lord will call the new leaders into the ministry. They will enroll in the course of study in their area or make plans to attend the Nazarene educational facility for their area. A second possibility is that the new leaders will continue to be trained as small group leaders and continue to lead the group until a change is required, or the group becomes an organized church with a pastor. A third possibility is that that the leaders fall away from leadership. In which case, the pastor must be ready to put a new leader in charge of the group. Terry N. Barker Page 9 5/31/2006

12 Questions and Answers There have been several questions brought up as this concept ahs been taught across the Africa Region. Here are some of them and responses to them. Q. One of the questions that is often asked as the Church of the Nazarene seeks to plant many new churches is, where will we get pastors for all these churches? A. The answer is simple, they will come from those who become Christians through our evangelistic efforts. There are many whom the Lord will call if we present the Gospel to them and give them the opportunity to become a Christian. But the Lord will not call those who have not been saved. Paul put it succinctly in Romans 10; 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" Romans 10:14-15 (NKJV) Our job is to tell them the good news. God s job is to call them to ministry. Q. What about the areas where we don t have any churches? Shouldn t we go there? A. While it is true that all people are important, it is also true that we should not extend ourselves beyond the point which we can support and nurture the new believers. It is worse to help someone be born and abandon them than it is for us to wait to bring them the Gospel (Luke ). Additionally, as we grow, in urban areas in particular, we gather resources that will allow us to reach further and further. If we have fifty churches in an urban area then the church (the district) has a greater support base from which to extend the work into a rural area. Furthermore, there is a certain amount of authority that comes from being a church with a major presence in a large urban area. For example, if I come from Lagos to the rural village and announce that we are the Church of the Nazarene from the city of Lagos were we have fifty churches, I instantly have credibility and authority because everyone in Nigeria knows the city of Lagos. The inverse, however, is not true. If I come from the rural village to the great city of Lagos, and announce that we have three churches in this village and we have come to start the Church of the Nazarene in Lagos, we will be unknown, unrecognized and without authority. Terry N. Barker Page 10 5/31/2006

13 Q. What do we do about buildings? Should we be responsible for the new group finding a meeting place? A. There is an African proverb that goes like this: Any group of Africans who gather together will find a place of shade. In a rural area the application is clear enough, but in urban areas a place of shade may be in a cousin s friend s garage; or an employer s business; or in a new believer s home. There are places to meet. The thing to remember is that the church is not the building or meeting place, the church is the group of believers who meet together regularly. The JESUS Film team is not responsible for a meeting place for the new church, nor is the mother church responsible for a meeting place. The new group will take ownership of their church as they provide their own meeting place. Q. Its seems that the pastor is doing a lot of work in this strategy. How does he or she avoid burnout? A. There are several factors that influence an answer to this question. 1) It is important that both the pastor and the people of the church understand the Biblical model of the church. In 1 Corinthians chapter twelve (also Romans 12), Paul describes the church as a body, and explains that the body has many parts. Each part is important and different. Each part has a job and no one part can do everything. In the church we have at times mistakenly thought and taught that the pastor should do everything in the church because he is paid to do it. This is NOT biblical. The pastor has his part to play just like every other person has their part to play, and all the parts are important. So every member of the church should be involved in the ministry of the church. That will help the pastor not to burnout. 2) Ephesians chapter 4 teaches that the pastors and teachers are to prepare God s people for works of service so that a) the body of Christ will be built up; b) we may reach unity; c) we may receive knowledge of the Son of God; d) we may become mature in Christ. The church will never become mature until all the people accept the work that the Lord has gifted them and called them to do. When the people of the church begin to do that, the load of ministry is distributed as the Scripture teaches. The key to this plan is that the pastor receives the vision from the Lord, trains the laymen, and the laymen do the work of planting the church. The pastor should stick to that which the Bible tells us is his or her job so that he or she may avoid burnout! 3) A pastor, or any church member for that matter, should not do more than the Lord expects of them. If the plan is too aggressive and keeping the church from functioning then the plan must be reevaluated. The Lord will only give us what we CAN bear with His help, not what we can not bear. Terry N. Barker Page 11 5/31/2006

14 Conclusion Who then has become involved? The pastor and the laymen of the mother church, the JESUS Film team, and as the church becomes established, the district, have all become involved in the process. Each One Reach One has become a reality. The mother church, its pastor and people have become involved in the Great Commission! It is a known fact that as a pastor spends time in prayer seeking God s direction for his or her church he or she will grow in Christ. A church that spends time in prayer for the lost and trains to reach the lost will grasp the full sense of the Gospel and excitement and dynamic energy will be present in the church. Therefore, as a church makes a concerted effort to become a mother church, that church will grow spiritually and often numerically, not to mention the overall health of the church will be better. Churches that focus upwardly and outwardly are ALWAYS healthier than those focused on themselves. Using this method, what begins as an initiative and strategy can quickly become a movement because the existing churches become healthy by fulfilling the biblical mandate to go and make disciples! Terry N. Barker Page 12 5/31/2006

15 NOTES: Terry N. Barker Page 13 5/31/2006

16 A STRATEGY FOR CHURCH PLANTING USING THE JESUS FILM P.O. Box 44 Tel Florida, 1710 Fax South Africa