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The Church Plant Leader. Church planting is a Spirit-led Endeavor. “Church planting is a Spirit-led endeavor” Around the table: ( 5 min) List three top reasons why. Spirit prompted e-mail from Mark Fox offering Marriage Workshop Exact fit from Ministry Match for new plant
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The Church Plant Leader • Church planting is a Spirit-led Endeavor
“Church planting is a Spirit-led endeavor” • Around the table: ( 5 min) • List three top reasons why. • Spirit prompted e-mail from Mark Fox offering Marriage Workshop • Exact fit from Ministry Match for new plant • Church planters identified by divine appts • Raul’s rental property rate: $2.10 • After much prayer lowered to .$ .80
Around the room: (5 minutes) • List: Top Ten Spiritual Attitudes & Behaviors the Spirit looks for in those He work with.
What characteristics would expect an effective church planter to have? • Around the table: List 10 character traits & prioritize the top three. (5 min.)
1. Planter’s Characteristics • VisionaryCourageousSelf-Starter • Resilient Strong Prayer LifeEmotionally Healthy • AdaptableRisk TakerOptimistic • Servant’s HeartTeam Player Focused • NontraditionalInspirationalHealthy Family • Strong People SkillsLikes a Challenge • People MagnetStrategic Thinker • Challenges Status QuoGood Self-Esteem • Supportive SpouseStrong Leader
In pairs: How well do these characteristics match your strengths? (2 Min.)
Are You A Church Planter? • Test yourself for free using MBTI • Planter Profile/type ENTJ & ENTP • http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp
Wired For Success • Top two reasons Church Plants fail: • Wrong Planter • Mismatched Core Team
Wired For Success • “Assessment is arguably one of the most important church-planting developments during the past 20 years. For those seeking to facilitate a church-planting movement, it would be foolish to ignore some type of formalized church-planter assessment process.” Ed Stetzer
Assessment • Divine Design: • Gift & Personality Mix • Passion: Age, City, Culture (Apostle Paul’s was Gentiles) • Divine Direction--God’s direction comes out of His gifting for us. • Development--How can we leverage our employment of our gifts for the kingdom. • 65/35 principle
Church Planting is Spiritual Warfare • “When I came to Buffalo, New York, to plant my first church, eight of us began with great enthusiasm. Now, 20 years later, only one of our churches remains. Four pastors are out of the ministry; three are out of their marriage and faith.” Ed Stetzer
“Church planting is spiritual warfare.” • True or False? • What are the top 5 spiritual behaviors that should be seen in a planter’s life/ministry? Around the table. (5 Min)
2. Strong Intercessory Prayer • Acts 12:1-19 Peter in prison • Exodus 17:10 Moses, Aaron, Hur • 2 Chronicles 14 Asa • 2 Chronicles 20 Jehoshaphat • Esther 4:16 Esther • Genesis 18 Abraham: Sodom & Gomorrah • What difference did prayer make? (5 Min)
3. A Team Player • “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” I Corinthians 3:6-7 • God provided apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers...for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry. • “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’” • 1 Corinthians 12:21
4. Reflects A Kingdom Attitude • If the Church is a Body when should the church start behaving as a body? Around the room • What behaviors or attitude best reflect the Kingdom of Heaven in the body of Christ? • List five behaviors/attitudes and then prioritize them. (5 Min.) • When the whole church is working in united effort to win the lost it “causes growth” & unity. Ephesians 4:16
$$ The Currency Of Heaven • Definition: “The spiritual behavior, attitude, and character the Holy Spirit looks for in those He will bless.” • Holy Spirit leads us to obedience: • John 14:15,16 • Acts 5:32 • Ezekiel 36:22-33
"Character is power. The silent witness of a true, unselfish, godly life carries an almost irresistible influence. By revealing in our own life the character of Christ we co-operate with Him in the work of saving souls. It is only by revealing in our life His character that we can co-operate with Him. And the wider the sphere of our influence, the more good we may do. When those who profess to serve God follow Christ's example, practicing the principles of the law in their daily life; when every act bears witness that they love God supremely and their neighbor as themselves, then will the church have power to move the world." • God's Amazing Grace, 231
5. Promotes Unity • Unity pervaded the Early Church--Acts 2:42-47 • “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3 • “Union is strength; division is weakness. When those who believe present truth are united, they exert a telling influence. Satan well understands this. Never was he more determined than now to make of none effect the truth of God by causing bitterness and dissension among the Lord’s people.” • – 5T 236.2
“Only as they were united with Christ could the disciples hope to have the accompanying power of the Holy Spirit and the co-operation of angels of heaven. With the help of these divine agencies they would present before the world a united front and would be victorious in the conflict they were compelled to wage unceasingly against the powers of darkness. As they should continue to labor unitedly, heavenly messengers would go before them, opening the way; hearts would be prepared for the reception of truth, and many would be won to Christ. So long as they remained united, the church would go forth “fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.” Song of Solomon 6:10. – AA 90
Reason To Criticize? • “Were the members of the church consecrated to God, were they in the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace, were they organized for the purpose of imparting to others an influence of good, the church would be indeed the light of the world. Should the individual members seek to represent Christ to the world in character and life, thousands would be attracted to the Saviour, who now have reason to criticize the words and works of those who profess the name of Christ.” Ye Shall Receive Power, 347
6. Keeps Divine Appointments • Definition: A divine appointment is a providential meeting orchestrated by the Holy Spirit for the clear intent to bring two people together. • Compare: • Acts 16:1-15 (Paul, Silas, & Lidya) • Acts 8:26-40 (Ethiopian & Philip) • Acts 10 (Cornelius & Peter) • What can we learn about divine appointments? In pairs or triads: (10 min) • Identify 3 key insights (write them down)
7. Multiplies Leaders • 2 Timothy 2:2 “the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” • “Experienced workers today do a noble work when, instead of trying to carry all the burdens themselves, they train younger workers and place burdens on their shoulders. AA 368 • How could you benefit by having more leaders?
8. Seizes Opportunity • Often we wait for Great Opportunities to come while daily Small Opportunities parade by. • God blesses us according to our faithfulness in the small things. • Growth is a matter of faithfulness.
Matthew 9:17 New Wine, New Skins: New lives demand new ways • Your life is perfectly designed to get you the results you are getting today. If you want different results tomorrow, you have to be different tomorrow. 9. Lifelong Learners
10. Supercharged With Passion • “Their hearts were surcharged with a benevolence so full, so deep, so far-reaching, that it impelled them to go to the ends of the earth, testifying to the power of Christ. They were filled with an intense longing to carry forward the work He had begun. They realized the greatness of their debt to heaven and the responsibility of their work. Strengthened by the endowment of the Holy Spirit, they went forth filled with zeal to extend the triumphs of the cross. The Spirit animated them and spoke through them. The peace of Christ shone from their faces. They had consecrated their lives to Him for service, and their very features bore evidence to the surrender they had made.” – AA 46.
Walter Allred • 713-824-1444 • wdallred@hotmail.com