2nd Part Creation to Cumination

First Third:
Express joy in Christ together
Vision 100
Questions:
How are you doing?
How did you obey last week’s teaching?
Who are you witnessing to?
Who has come to faith? Are they witnessing to those in their circle?
Who are you training to become a reproducing disciple? Are they training others?

Second Third:
DO stick to the story.
DON’T talk about politics; DON’T chase rabbit trails; DON’T focus on minor points in the passage.
DON’T talk about religion. DON’T dominate the conversation.
This is a true story from the Bible.
Genesis 2:15-18, 2:19-3:19
15The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”18Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” . . .

21So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He
said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'” 4But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.8And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10And he said, “I heard the sound ofyou in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12The man said,”The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above alllivestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 16To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” 17And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

This is a true story from the Bible.
Have someone read the story, and then another person tell it.
What does this story tell us about God?
About the man? About the woman? What is their life like at the end of chapter 2?
What does this story tell us about the serpent? About the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
What happens as a result of their eating the fruit of the tree?
What does this story tell us about the offspring of the woman?
Are there sins to avoid? Promises to claim? Examples to follow? Commands to obey?

Last Third:
Practice telling the story
What will you do differently this week because of this story?
Who will you witness to or share this story with next week?

First Story of Creation to Cumination

First Third:
Express joy in Christ together
Vision 100
Questions:
How are you doing?
How did you obey last week’s teaching?
Who are you witnessing to?
Who has come to faith? Are they witnessing to those in their circle?
Who are you training to become a reproducing disciple? Are they training others?

Second Third:
Pray briefly for God to open up His message to us.
DO stick to the story.
DON’T talk about politics; DON’T chase rabbit trails; DON’T focus on minor points in the passage.
DON’T talk about religion. DON’T dominate the conversation.
This is a true story from the Bible.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form and
void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.6And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.9And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together
he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants
yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.”
And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds,
and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights–the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night–and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds–livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.26Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over
every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of
God he created him; male and female he created them. 28And God blessed them. And God said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and
over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29And God said,
“Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with
seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the
heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given
every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it
was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
This is a true story from the Bible.

Have someone read the story, and then another person tell it.
What does this story tell us about God? What does He do? How does He do it?
What does this story tell us about creation? About man? What tasks are given to man?
Are there sins to avoid? Promises to claim? Examples to follow? Commands to obey?

Last Third:
Practice telling the story
What will you do differently this week because of this story?
Who will you witness to or share this story with next week?

The Sword Method

Teaching Bible Study Method

1. What do we learn about God?
2. Is there an example to follow?
3. Is there a command to obey?
4. What do we learn about man?

Does what we have learned fit the passages before and after? 

What do Elders do?

Most brief studies on biblical eldership immediately go to 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, and then compile the qualifications or qualities that are supposed to be true of those appointed as elders. What is more difficult to find are treatments from the New Testament concerning the function of elders, their role in the local church, and what ministries are they supposed to carry out. This short appendix includes two things that can be helpful to the pioneer church planter: a listing of the primary New Testament passages that deal with this question, and then the fourteen primary functions of elders as outlined in those passages.

PRIMARY ELDERSHIP PASSAGES
The terms for “elder”, “overseer” and “pastor/shepherd” (both as noun and verb) are used nearly interchangeably in the New Testament with regard to the role and ministry of elders. The key passages are: Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:1-16:4; 20:17-38; 21:17-26; Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesian 4:11ff; Philippians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:12; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 4:14; 5:17-20; 2 Timothy 2:2; Titus 1:5-11; Hebrews 13:17; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1-4.

14 PRIMARY MINISTRIES OF ELDERS
From a systematic look at those passages, fourteen vital functions of eldership emerge:

(1) Learn, grow, be well-connected to God and His Word. Elders themselves must hold fast to
sound teaching, which implies knowing it. To be taught.

(2) Watch out for their own spiritual well-being, for oneself and fellow-elders.

(3) In general labor for the sake of the believers’ spiritual growth and well-being (both as
individuals and as a body). Watch over their souls.

(4) Teach, instruct, exhort, warn. FEED.

(5) Generally watch out for anyone or anything that could divide or get believers off-track.
Special alertness is needed against false teachers/teaching. Refute those who contradict
sound teaching.

(6) Direct the affairs of the church (for the sake of these other objectives). Authority is clearly
implied in the various verses that speak of this. Problem-solve.

(7) Be examples to the other believers.

(8) Equip the believers for “the work of service”.

(9) Since this “work of service” quite evidently includes evangelism and apostolic expansion,
and since elders are overall responsible for directing the affairs of the local church, they are
also responsible to ensure that evangelism and church planting thrive from the local body,
including possibly sending out some further a field.

(10) Represent the church and its interests with others.

(11) Commission and launch new ministries; lay on hands (or decline to).

(12) Pray for the sick.

(13) General pastoral care. Help the weak. [However, it is clear that elders do not have a
monopoly on pastoral work.]

(14) Generally be “God’s steward” (representative) inside the church, and perhaps outside as
well.

N.B. Obviously most individual elders will not be able to fulfill all of these ministries. Rather all
these areas are to be covered by the “team” or group of elders.

Most Critical Issue in Church Planting

by JD Payne

Reality #1

Hello.  I’m J. D., and I’m a pastor in your community.

Really? Where is your church?

Oh? Um. Our church has not started yet…

Reality #2

Hello. I’m J. D., and this is my family.  We’re with a new church in town.

Really? Where is your church?

Oh? Um. Our church has not started yet, but we will soon…

I thought you said you were with a new church.

Reality #3

Hey J. D.! I loved your web site, announcing the new church in our city, and your Grand Opening!

Yeah! I’m excited. The church is going to start on February 29!

And what will you be selling at your Grand Opening? The new Target store just had a Grand Opening last week.

Biblical Reality

In the New Testament…

we don’t read about wandering pastors without a flock to shepherd.

we don’t read about apostolic teams announcing they are with a new church.

we don’t read about anyone declaring a local church’s existence before she is birthed from the harvest fields.

The most critical issue facing North American church planters is an ecclesiological identity crisis.

What is the local church?  Where does she come from?

Who is a church planter?  Who is a pastor?  What do they do?

The way to overcome the identity crisis is to return to the Book that provides our definitions.  But, be warned.  Once you start down that path, culturally preferred definitions, tribal expectations, personal comforts, and organizational infrastructure will push back with a great force.

Two Steps Few Leaders Take

by JD Payne

We’re no longer going to believe that if God wants the heathen saved, then He’ll do it without us.  We’re going to use means.

We’re no longer going to work only along the coastlines; we’re moving to the interiors of these countries.

We’re no longer going to build mission stations; we’re going to focus on indigenous (later, contextualized) church planting.

We’re no longer going to think of the nations as geo-political states; we’re going to recognize that they are ethno-linguistic groups–unreached peoples (and even unengaged).

It takes a wise, bold, Kingdom Ethic-guided, Spirit-filled, leader to question the present reality and ask if there is a more excellent way allowed by the Word.  This is wise stewardship.  This is a major step toward Kingdom innovation.  Few leaders take the step to think differently about their realities.  Culture, tradition, and systems are powerful forces.  To think differently is unthinkable.

A second major step involves not just thinking about the unthinkable, but actually acting upon such thoughts.  Even fewer leaders are willing to walk this path.  Too much is at stake; stability is often king.  However, those that do are the ones convinced He “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20, ESV).

Few leaders take these steps.  But, five to ten years after they do, we’re often thankful they did.

Five to ten years from now (Lord willing), will others be thankful you took the two steps that few leaders take?

 

Leadership in Church Planting

It is very important once you have a small group of believers that you find those that show leadership qualities. Elders and Deacons need to be established as soon as possible so that it is easier for you to leave and they aren’t dependent on you for everything. The new believers need to be taught in a way that they can learn how to grow spiritually on their own and follow national leaders around them.

Here is an article on the importance of Leadership in Church Planting Movements:

Early in my missionary career, I investigated an emerging Church Planting Movement in West Africa. By the time I was able to interview one of the missionaries at the heart of the movement, the movement itself had already collapsed.

“What happened?” I asked.

“A lack of leadership,” he replied. “I was training new leaders as quickly as I could, but the more the movement grew, the farther behind I fell. When I finally went on furlough, the training came to a halt. When I returned to the field, there were only a few churches and leaders still active.”

Because leaders are so indispensable to Church Planting Movements, leadership development that cannot keep up with the movement’s exponential growth is certain to lead to its collapse.

There is not one, single, model for leadership development in Church Planting Movements. But there are some basic elements within these movements that make every leadership training effort much more likely to succeed. These elements include:

• Small, more easily-led house churches,
• Shared participatory leadership,
• Self-feeding from the Bible.

When these core elements are in place, leadership becomes bite-si zed and manageable, producing a growing number of new leaders for the movement. Once those conditions are met, all kinds of leadership training can accelerate growth. Here are a few that I’ve come across:

• Shadow pastoring – in which a missionary or movement overseer meets privately to offer on-the-job training for emerging church pastors to help answer the questions they face on a weekly basis.
• Shared leadership – in many CPMs, churches share leadership to make the task more manageable and to instill mutual accountability and support within the leadership team.
• Intensive training programs – Cambodia’s movement grew out of transitory “RLTPs” or “Rural Leadership Training Programs.” These mobile training programs would take training to the villages where new churches were emerging. Intensive training would last for a few days and then return a few months later with new lessons.
• Training chains – one India movement cascaded leadership training from a leader to about 20 trainers who then trained a dozen pastors each with the result that 240 church leaders received training on a weekly basis.
• Peer learning – in parts of China, churches would meet on alternating days so that church leaders could attend other churches to learn from their peers.
• Training weekends – movement overseers, typically non-missionary local leaders, in India and China sometimes scheduled monthly or bi-monthly meetings with all of the key house church leaders for a day or a weekend to hear their challenges and offer them just-in-time training.
• Annual training conferences – in India’s Karnataka and Bhojpuri movements, missionaries sponsored annual events for the training of emerging leaders and church planters.
• Pastor Study Bibles – missionaries have supplemented other leadership development efforts by importing Pastor Study Bibles that are practically seminaries-in-a-book.
• Distance-based training – along with traditional radio and postal correspondence courses, the Internet has increased options for distance-based leadership training particularly in the restricted-access world.

Perhaps you’re getting the idea. Church Planting Movements require an ever-growing number of leaders, and there are many ways to meet this challenge.

The best CPM leaders are those who have manageable sized tasks (i.e. house churches as opposed to mega-churches), mutually accountable co-laborers (as opposed to stand alone leaders), and self-feeding capabilities (as opposed to dependency on outsiders for answers).

The best way to raise-up these leaders is to include these ingredients into the nature of the movement itself through:

• Small, more easily-led house churches,
• Shared participatory leadership structures,
• Self-feeding from the Bible.

With these core ingredients in the recipe of the movement, all the other training resources we can provide become icing on the cake. Without these core elements, though, the movement, like a poorly-made cake, will likely collapse.

Note: this article is from http://churchplantingmovements.com/index.php/vert5parts/vertleadership/62-leadership-in-church-planting-movements

Phase 6: Training Leaders

Goal: Last steps so that the fellowship is a healthy church through leadership development and installation.
When: Leadership development is now the main work of the team. Team expects to conclude its role in the appointment of plurality of biblically qualified elders in as short a time as possible. Any elder appointing after that is the responsibility of existing elders (in what ever decision-making model they choose).

1. Older believers have baptized new believers.

2. Older believers are discipling new believers.

3. Older women teach newer women Titus 2 skills.

4. Older, more mature men trained to take leadership of community gatherings.

5. Believers take responsibility for biblical instruction.

6. Older believers preside at the Lord’s table.

7. Initial leaders emerging and functioning as shepherds.

8. Growth in godliness in their homes sets pace for others.

9. Gifts encouraged and developed for edification. Peacemaking skills exercised by the community.

10. Forbearing and forgiving one another.

11. Confronting, exhorting, reproving erring members.

12. Restorative church discipline understood.

13. Character developed in context of marriage.

14. Team leadership concepts taught, implemented.

15. Discerning the will of the Lord by leaders and community taught and practiced.

16. Leaders’ place in conflict and peacemaking in the community taught, practiced (peacemaking, Phase 6).

17. Emerging elders recognized (provisional leadership).

18. Mature women recognized in ministry.

19. Conflicts about leadership appointment dealt with.

20. Leaders begin shepherding and church discipline.

21. Leaders looking for new men to develop as leaders.

22. Leaders begin discipling new leaders. (See discipling, Phase 4 and above, this phase).

23. Church planter often absent from community meetings; leaders lead. 24. Church planter often absent from leadership meetings.

25. Elders formally ordained.