Successful church planting is supported church planting

By Brian Gingles Published February 2008

In a New Testament parable we are exhorted to count the cost of a tower before we begin to build it (Luke 14 : 2). At first this can sound like common sense rather than faith but – on reflection – it is, of course, divine wisdom.
The blueprint for the tower may be inspiring, others around you may be exhorting you to “Go for it!” but someone has to pay the price: and it is seldom the exhorters who do so. BFOC is a church-planting network, so its support mechanisms’ for pioneers must be rigorous and effective.
In this article I want to look briefly at a subject I broached with Yinka and Keith at Camp last year (2007). It is my burden and conviction that church-planting pioneers – who are prepared to pay the price to “build the tower” – should be supported all the way. I speak out of biblical conviction and from experience: a lot fewer church plants succeed if the key people and phases go unsupported. I have watched a large city church in Belfast; with abundant resources consistently fail to plant successful churches – to reproduce itself. I have also witnessed, first hand, a few ordinary people achieve the apparently impossible – with a lot of help from God and support at key times from His people.
How and when do you need help to plant a successful church? The first stage is when you first receive your call from God. At that point you need someone you can trust, preferably a Barnabas National Team member, to sit and pray with you (and your wife, if you are married) – talking through the calling and its implications. Then, you and your family must be free – without any pressure – to decide the if? when? where? and how? Only those who will pay the price can make the final decision. Thirdly, having begun to plant, much help is needed at the sowing stage: prayer, finance and a team of evangelists as a minimum. Fourthly, on-going mentoring is needed from someone who has done this before. This means that you need not suffer the pain of avoidable mistakes. Fifthly, very quickly, the church-planting pioneers will need personal support. Too many pioneers in the past have been left “out on a limb”. One of my key motivations for joining Barnabas was to support leaders, too many of whom I had seen needlessly become casualties over the years. Leadership can be lonely at the best of times but pioneering leadership can be destructively lonely. As the church-planter juggles the demands of family, church and job he and his family can suffer – without loving support and help. Sixthly, the church will need pastoral advice and teaching support – especially if these are not the giftings of the key pioneer.
In practical terms this means: an approachable National Team Leader, with time to pray, advise and care; a central financial “pot” that this leader can draw upon; a Church-Planting Evangelistic Team – which can move into that area for 1-3 months; an experienced church-planter to act as mentor; pastoral support for the key leaders of the church plant; a Church-Planting Pastoral and Teaching Team – who will support the church through its first year.
Between Stages 2-3 above – between the call and the sending – there needs to be a period of training. I have known Christians who could be parachuted into a strange town with a Bible and, if you went back in a year, you would find a thriving church. Such people are extremely rare. With God nothing is impossible but most of us need training and support! I remember, for example taking my first wedding, and my first funeral!
I am committed to support church-planting pioneers. Within BFOC this support now needs to be planned and every nation mobilised, so that each precious pioneer can succeed.

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The Future of Barnabas

By Brian Gingles Published March 2008

The future of BFOC utterly depends upon God: his grace, calling, guiding, equipping and resourcing. As the instruments of God’s will we all have responsibilities to be good stewards of the divine vision and call that he has entrusted to us – this is especially true of all those with authority in BFOC.
Last Saturday I outlined our need to combine the best principles of Pioneering and Maintenance Leadership, as expressed by Paul in Romans 15:15-22 and 2 Corinthians 10:1-2, 13-18. It is crucial that we retain the flexibility, faith and boldness of the Pioneer but combine these with the good stewardship of the Maintainer. At the end of the talk I mentioned some points that are key to the future well-being of Barnabas. I want to elaborate a little on these as we think ahead strategically.
Retain Core Values
We must remain true to the vision God has given us. The values associated with this vision include:
• valuing the gifts deposited in individuals by Christ
• leadership by teams rather than individuals
• covenant relationships
• love for Christ and one another
• embracing every divine opportunity
• supporting one another etc

Combine Pioneering and Maintenance Strengths
Leadership by teams other than the Apostolic Team will increase so that we remain a structured organism, not a mere organisation: this will involve the growth of the relevance and authority of Regional, National and International Teams. Each team will require a clear remit and improved communications. Youth and Children’s works, and International developments, need to be communicated, supported and celebrated. Church-planting needs to be planned and supported. The general effectiveness and range of communication needs to be improved. Resources need to follow divine priorities revealed through prayer – not just be given to whoever shouts loudest!
Sustained Growth
Suffice to say we have been good at pioneering but weak at maintenance. We need to keep the “edge” of the former whilst embracing the discipline of the latter. In faith, we need to plan effectively for growth (e.g. future leaders need to be trained now, in anticipation of future need and opportunities).
Training
The need for training, in all the nations, will grow. Training needs to take place before opportunities are provided.
High Standards
Amateurishness is not a virtue: it is a form of ignorance or laziness.
Relationships
Barnabas values include the core precept that projects are no substitute for fellowship. This will require great care and diligence.
God Is All In All
I am not interested in a movement that exalts a man (or men) as too many have in the past. Whilst embracing God’s new lessons let us cling to that which he has already taught us.