Date: Jun 30, 2003 [ 8: 17: 18]
Subject: Summary - If I could do it all over ...
© 2003 BCP Harry Shelton Cole
Subject: Summary - If I could do it all over ...
SUMMARY OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH PLANTING LIST
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Moderated and edited by Pastor Harry Shelton Cole
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Introduction: This summary is most insightful. In the area of church
planting and pastoring there is always things you must learn the hard way.
Without making any judgments on the posts that were returned to the list on
this question, I place them now in your computers for your edification and
education. Some are brief and very much to the point and some are longer
and are clearly presented but all are worth taking a look at.
P.S. Some of you may be on other lists that wrangle and debate and quicken
the heart beat of preachers and missionaries. I am glad that we have a list
that can challenge and exhort without debate. I enjoy my other lists and I
enjoy debate but you guys are a blessing to me on this list and have proven,
despite all thoughts to the contrary, that independent Baptist's can work
together.
is because you replied to this question and I thank you for that. If you
want to subscribe to the BCP list let me know via E-mail>>>
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Baptist Church Planters List - Question of the Week
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If you have ever been involved in a Baptist Church Plant, finish the
following statement
If I could do it all over again I would spend less time
______________, and more time ______________________.
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If I could do it all over again I would spend less time worrying and
fretting, and more time trusting God and enjoying life.
This is what I am trying to do now and it sure is more productive!
Pastor Marc F. Leverett Mobile, Al.
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If I could do it all over again I would spend less time
worrying, and more time praying and planning.
Brother Gaudette
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If I had it to do over again, I would spend less time trying to do the work
of the ministry myself and more time trusting the Lord to use me to teach my
people to become more involved in the ministry.
Dr. Gib Wood
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<Editors Note: One of my personal favorites :)>>
If I could do it all over again I would spend less time on the whiners, and
more time on the listeners.
Pastor Jeff Ables, Knob Noster, MO
Calvary Baptist Church
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If I had it to do all over again, I would spend less time "door knocking"
and more time in prayer.
I believe there are many good methods around. The only way to start a church
is to try everything you can think of. ( As long as it is ethical and
Biblical.) If it works, keep doing it until it stops working. If it doesn't
work, try something else. Having said that, I still believe the only way to
"meet" the community and really get the word out that you are around is door
knocking.
The problem is that when you show up in town, especially if it is your first
start, we tend to want to put our methods to work so badly that we run full
bore. What I have learned is that while I may want to be "out there
working," I can accomplish twice as much, with half the effort, if I spend
much time in prayer. Giving up some door knocking time for example, to
spend in serious prayer is not a loss of door knocking time. After all, it
is prayer that empowers our witness and leads us to where we could be the
most effective on any given day. If we do not spend adequate time in
prayer, we will then be truly wasting time and effort.
Pastor Jeff Merrick, Walla Walla, WA
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We ARE doing it all over again! And this is what we are doing different
this time:
We are not worrying about how everyone else does it. We are not worrying
about everyone else telling us what they think we ought to be doing and how
they think we ought to be doing it. We are not worrying about the
possibility of losing support because we are not producing the quantity of
results that others think we should be producing. We are doing what we feel
comfortable with (we have peace from God that we are doing it the way He
wants US to do it). We are doing what works for us (I am different from
everyone else and God uses me in a different way). We are following God and
not man.
I am not trying to sound pious. I don't discount wise counsel that others
can give me. This is just our experience. We started a church and spent 4
1/2 years of our lives trying to do it someone else's way - the way they
told us we ought to do it, doing what worked for them, trying to copy their
"success". It didn't work and we had to close the church. Now we are doing
our best to follow God and He has led us to start two new churches - an
English one (about 1 1/2 yrs old) and a Spanish one (about 8 months old) -
and things are a whole lot better now. We are not necessarily seeing the
results WE would like to see, but these are God's churches and we are
letting Him build them as He sees fit.
Max Loya, Costa Rica
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<Editors Note: Another personal favorite>>>
I would have spent less time with the unfaithful, and more time with those
who were faithful.
I wanted people to come to church so I spent a lot of time chasing them
down. This resulted in having a crowd on Sunday and it even grew in
numbers. This ended up going around in circles though, and a very weak
church. When I spent more time teaching and strengthening my faithful
people, it gave me Christians that produced fruit. I was able to sleep
better, I then really loved the work of church planting, and we were able to
accomplish something for the Lord." Commit thou unto faithful men". I still
find myself making this same mistake from time to time.
Bill Britt, Zambia
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If I could do it all over again I would spend less time trying to motivate
the fringe people, and more time looking for new prospects.
Pastor Todd Cooke, Kenosha WI
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be does this only apply to a foreign field?>>>>>
"If I could do it all over again, I would spend less time alone starting a
church and more time starting one with a team of missionaries."
Hope this helps you. Since being in Korea, we have started 6 churches.
Five of them are still going. In the near future, we will be hopefully
working with a team of missionaries to get the next set of churches started
together.
Charlie Ross in Songtan, Korea
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If I could do it all over again I would spend less time trying to follow the
traditional vision of church programs and formal church services and more
time building relationships with unsaved people in an informal setting in
small groups.
Sam Gill, Brazil
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END
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