a Biblical thought...
Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)
a Book thought...
We may be embarrassed about Christianity but we don't have to be embarrassed about Jesus. (p60 Kimball)
a Dave thought...
The following ten basic skill sets are the kind of skill sets and traits that church planters need to have in order to be effective in their church planting mission. They are based upon a study of scripture (see Ephesians 4 and Matthew 28), a major research project by Dr. Charles Ridley and Robert Logan and extensive conversations with Church planting leaders.
The Competencies they think are necessary are...
1. Visionary Leadership Skills
2. Starting-Gathering Skills
3. Communication Skills
4. Evangelistic Skills
5. Discipling Skills
6. Equipping Skills
7. Team Building Skills
8. Group and Leader Multiplication Skills
9. Knowledge of Church Planting
10. Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
On Friday Kylie and I did an assessment with two competent facilitators for 7 hours to discover how we fit when it comes to these competencies. In a week we will have a report given to us with our strongest areas and our work areas displayed, and a recommendation whether we are fit to plant a church. I am very much looking forward to the results and hope one day this door will open for us. I am a big believer in assessments but yes they do fail and in the end nothing beats determination, passion and God.
Just a thought.
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2 comments:
I guess alternatively you can just go out and try doing it, using the raw guidance over on, say, Steve Addison's blog, and see what happens? But then I wouldn't want to put trainers out of business! I sense you can probably have all the competencies but still not be able to plant? I take it the list assumes you are both mature and growing in faith? I'd also say if you haven't got very clear understandings of group emotional dynamics and church health, you are stuffed. You may plant, but you won't form healthy groups. My take on it anyway, but it 's a useful list and thanks for posting it! Warmest blessings on your endeavours. :0)
One wonders how many of the supposed skills the apostles had and whether Jesus picked them because he knew they had them and simply needed to be developed. One also wonders where the Holy Spirit comes into this list. It is the Spirit who connects us to the mission of the triune God. Through his presence in us we catch the divine infection, we participate in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit’s love for one another and mission of love to the world. Pentecost was about the Holy Spirit, who is on mission, sent by the Father and the Son, getting the apostles so that they could fulfill God’s mission through them. Pentecost was more about the apostles joining the Spirit than the Spirit joining them. We tend to reverse the order. Dave’s though raises the question what must we do to dispel our apathy and rekindle our passion for renewed mission involvement? In order to answer we issue calls to prayer and devise strategies to motivate ourselves and others – or we do tests to see what might be missing in us. Now good may come out of this but I think the approach is wrongheaded because it’s based on the faulty assumption that mission is primarily about what we do for God. May be the question ought to be ‘what’s hindering us from joining the mission in which the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are already engaged?’
WJE
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