Mobilizing church planters

Had a great lunch at a Greek restaurant here in Orlando as we walked around a lake with white cranes and some kind of Egrets (thanks Luke). We spent our time with Larry Kirk, Senior Pastor of Christ Community in Daytona Beach. He and his associate pastor bought us lunch as we chatted about A29 and a little triperspectivalism (I just love saying it).

They were great guys. Very gospel-centered and Larry has faithfully been preaching and leading this church for the last 22 years. It was really sweet hearing what they’ve been through and are doing in Daytona. Please keep them in your prayers as they seek to transform the city with the Gospel.

We stopped in the “Mobilizing Church Planters” session which was taught by Dr. Steve Ogne with Church Resources Ministries. Again, his notes are quite helpful when considering how to raise up catalytic men to lead a movement to change a city.

Steve gives a few suggestions for finding and igniting a multiplication movement. What are we looking for when we think of a lighting rod of a man who knows how to charge and take a hill?

1-The leader should engage the culture intentionally not accidentally.
2-The leader can be someone who is effective at disciple-making and can start and multiply a group.
3-The leader may be a pioneer church planter who starts and pastor a new congregation.
4-The leader needs to have a proven track record of being catalytic in his context.
5-The leader may come from an environment where he is the pastor of a parent church who sponsors new churches to begin.
6-The leader may be a coach who empowers and equips church planters.
7-The leader may be a mentor who raises up disciple-making leaders, church planters and missionaries to start and multiply churches.
8-This leader should be an intercessor who prays for others regularly.

Some qualities that an attractive church planting movement possesses:

1-Reputation- We need to know what our reputation is to the city and other churches. What are our distinctives? How would we clarify our theology? How do we articulate our ministry style?
2-Vision- Do you have an attractive vision for church multiplication? Does your movement have empowering visionary leadership?
3-Compassion for lost people- How do you emphasize outreach, compassion, ministry and evangelism?
4-Care- To what degree are you able to provide personal care for church planters and their families?
5-Diversity- How are you prepared to reach the diversity of the harvest and therefore attract a diversity of church planters?
6-Character- What is the quality and character of your leaders, pastors and people?
7-Coaching- What kinds of ongoing coaching, training and resources can you provide to the church planting team?
8-Resources- Do you have reasonable financial resources and benefits to attract the planters your need?
9-Success- Do you have a track record of successful ministry and church planting?

These are all questions we must as ourselves as a church planting movement. Though this might seem as if it is a Junior or Senior year class, this should be part of our DNA as freshmans! Setting up your plans for multiplication before you launch would be one of the things we would do different at Kaleo. I trust in God’s timing, so I realize I was not ready for this then, but I wasn’t even thinking about or praying about these things when we launched. It is good to think forward and dream big dreams for God even if you’re a little acorn that aspires to be a mighty oak!