Three special needs quickly come to my mind.
A vision to reach out beyond themselves
We could have done a better job if we had given the new church a vision to reach out. They of course saw how we reached out to them and were no doubt grateful. But sometimes that does not automatically translate down into their lives.
(See BFF' series on "The Flow")
Starting more churches than one
This would have been done more effectively if we early on instilled within them a burden for starting another new work or two. We would need to talk about the needs of others. We would need to show them how to set up 'missionary teams' for short projects. As always, we would need to provide the Biblical foundation for this work.
For example, we must provide answers to questions like, "Why should we go work somewhere else when the job is not yet done here?"
Purpose must go beyond oneself
Any church that lives for itself and its programs will die there. People's vision and passion for God and others are developed only when we have a vision beyond our own interests.
We cannot just serve our people. We need our people to be open to how God will use them in a greater way. Without this understanding of Christian living, we can establish a church, but it will be like a building without a roof. Our only hope is to have the new believers join up with us as we seek Him for what He wants for all of us. Then this will be their vision too.
Any final thoughts? Next page
Instilling Vision
