Date: Jun 30, 2003 [ 8: 22: 22]
Subject: Summary - Sending Church
© 2003 BCP Harry Shelton Cole
Subject: Summary - Sending Church
SUMMARY OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH PLANTING LIST
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Moderated and edited by Pastor Harry Shelton Cole
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Introduction:
We received some excellent posts to this question though there were few. I
believe in the multitude of counselors there is safety and that we should
always count the cost before doing anything. Too many churches and church
planters today go off half cocked and really, they may have a call but they
are not prepared for what lies ahead. Prayer, Planning, Preparation and
Perseverance will make the difference in your church planting efforts.
Forget one of these steps and be assured you are in for difficulties.
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Baptist Church Planters List - Question of the Week
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What are the "key" responsibilities that a sending church should implement
in support of the church planter? What are some things that a supporting
(but not sending church) can do to assist the church planter?
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I really appreciate the preachers we have on this list. Pastor Marc
Leverett is relatively new to the list but not new to church planting. In
his response to the Question of the Week he reveals a heart of concern for
biblical mandates and proactive advise. Thanks Marc.
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To me the sending church offers a sense of IDENTITY and CREDIBILITY to
the new work. Beside the financial aspect, which is often shared with
several other churches which desire to help with the new church plant, the
"mother" church is the one responsible for: giving birth, swaddling,
nursing, clothing, training and teaching how to walk and talk. The goal is
to bring the daughter church to a point of maturity.
planting.>>>>>>>
When we started the church here in Mobile, our sending church was 500 miles
away. Even so the pastor made several trips and some of the members of our
parent church came just to get in on the excitement. This gave us a real
sense of belonging that the green recruits we had gathered benefitted from
greatly.
Even now after being a fully organized and independent work for over ten
years the people of that church still pray for us and when I go there to
visit they recognize me and make a fuss! We may be all grown up and on
our own but we are still loved by our sending church.
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Pastor Kirk DiVietro is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Franklin, MA,
the president of the MA BBF, and a professor at BBCE. On top of all this he
is a preacher with a heart for home missions and is himself a veteran church
planter. His responses to questions of the week are most welcomed and
coveted. Thanks Brother Kirk
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>>What are the "key" responsibilities that a sending church should implement
>>in support of the church planter? What are some things that a supporting
>>(but not sending church) can do to assist the church planter?
I was 23 years old when I started the church in NJ. My pastor took 2 hours
every Monday morning to sit with me to discuss the nuts and bolts of the
ministry. It was almost an internship but it wasn't. I had to pastor the
church. He provided a sounding board. He made me think things through
before I moved. Several times he kept me from disaster.
I try to give the same support to both my assistants and the men I have sent
out from this church to plant churches.
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Bill Britt is a missionary to Zambia, Africa, and we support him but I am
more interested in the experience he has had in establishing two churches in
the United State in upstate New York. He responds to this question with
contemporary but sound and biblical advise. Thanks for your contribution Bill.
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>>What are the "key" responsibilities that a sending church should implement
>>in support of the church planter? What are some things that a supporting
>>(but not sending church) can do to assist the church planter?
I have had the privilege of having two wonderful sending churches. I think
the thing they both had in common, is that they were involved. I never felt
like I was alone. They assisted me with support, prayer, letters, and even
visits. They supported me in every way possible. I saw guys trying to start
works without this kind of support, and they had some really hard times. I
guess you could say that when they sent me out, they also went with me.
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Dr. Marvin McKenzie is a church planter in the Northwest and has experience
as a sending church for church planting as well. As he points out in his
post, answers are never set in stone but the Bible is. As we plant
churches, methods may vary but some things never change. Thanks to Dr.
McKenzie and his detailed answer to the question of the week.
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> What are the "key" responsibilities that a sending church should
>implement in support of the church planter? What are some things that a
>supporting (but not sending church) can do to assist the church planter?
I take church planting seriously but do not feel like we have arrived at any
real answers other than just "doing it." I was hoping to keep quiet on this
one and learn from some others.
The number one responsibility of the sending church is to be a sending church.
I was ingrained as a younger believer that a church could not be a
Scriptural church unless it supported missions. One of the very first
things I did when we came to Astoria was to take on a missionary.
I believe we need to ingrain in our up coming pastors that a church isn't
really a church unless it is planting churches. That isn't as easy to do
early on in the ministry as supporting a missionary is, but it is a goal we
ought to pray for and plan for from the very beginning.
Number two, the sending church needs to train church planters. We now have
two types of preachers sent out of our church in church planting. One type
has been trained elsewhere. They are already set in their ways, they know
what they want to accomplish. To be honest, I simply "let them go" and try
to give them as much moral support and encouragement (as well as financial
help) as we can.
The other type are those that we have trained ourselves. (We have one out
planting a church right now, and two more in training.) These men come to
me for goal planning. They bounce ideas off of me. They ask my counsel.
They allow me to be their preacher. The ones who have been trained in
another school have their "pastor" somewhere else. He is who they go to for
counsel more than I, and I am ok with that. I do believe, however, that the
right way is for the sending church to be pastored by the church plant's
pastor's pastor (wow, that was a mouthful!)
Number three, the sending church can provide exposure for it church
planters. I try to keep the names of these men before our congregation for
prayer. I make a big deal about who they are and what they are doing for
God to our church. I also take them to preachers's meetings, introduce them
to guest preachers we have in church, and make other pastors aware of them
and their church planting desires. And then, whenever, we have a missionary
or guest preacher to our church, I try to arrange for them to speak at our
church plants too.
Number four to me is the financial responsibility. While money is needed
for ministry, I think it is best to let the church planter learn that God
provides that, not the Fellowship, nor the sending church.
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