Posts Tagged: vision

church planting / vision — No Comments
28
Jul 09

uncertainty brings weakness

As Christians, we quote 2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV a lot when it comes to being weak:

    That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

However, when it comes to church planting there are definitely times when being weak does not make one strong. I’ve been going through a time of weakness that has been rooted in uncertainty.

I think as church planters--or just human beings--we tend to question ourselves a lot. When in a leadership position though, uncertainty can be the death of a project. When the one leading the project begins to question things which in-turn cause uncertainty amongst those involved, there is no chance for success.

In preparation for being a church planter I studied vision--a lot! What I wasn’t prepared for was what happens when I become the reason the vision isn’t strongly embraced by those within the church. The more I was casting the vision, the more question marks were coming up. I started trying to conform to the circumstances rather than the original vision. I was sweating the details of the here-and-now and losing sight of the God that is driving all of this.

Uncertainty brings weakness. The kind of weakness that doesn’t belong in the equation. I must now become strength as Christ is strong and mighty within me. I must not get bogged down with the details right now as they are distracting. I must find a way through prayer and action to get back to the original vision I feel God put in my heart for our city and to make it known to others through my service to his people. We will always question our decisions and second-guess ourselves. However, if we are questioning the vision God gives us, we must work to resolve those questions or the uncertainty that follows will kill the dream. The uncertainty that others will have around us will cause us to lose hope.

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Bible / church planting / God / leadership / ministry / vision — 4 Comments
5
Dec 08

Vision: Make it plain on tablets

Vision is something that is so critical in the life of a church planter. Without it, things will fizzle out and chaos will ensue. However, is just having a vision from God the only thing it takes to plant a church? As important as getting the vision is having the ability to cast that vision. This is the struggle many within the ministry have. They get a vision, but they just can’t get other people to get behind it and be sold out to it like they are.

It’s easy to think that if God gives someone a vision to lead his church in a city, that God will also send people to them that will have a heart for the same vision. Sounds easy enough, but it just never works out that way. Sure, people will come together and new ministries will form, but ultimately it takes someone that can explain the vision and keep the direction of the new ministry moving in conjunction with the vision.

I’ve read several books on vision and vision casting and sat in on many seminars about it. However, through it all, the one thing I look back to when I need to reinforce vision within me is Habakkuk 2:2. Just as Prophets in the Old Testament were given a revelation from God for his people, I think we as church planters are given a revelation to connect people far from him in ways that are relevant and meaningful. The revelation will be for a certain people, in a certain city/community, and for a certain time. The revelation is the vision.

    Then the LORD replied:
    “Write down the revelation
    and make it plain on tablets
    so that a herald may run with it.

Above is the NIV translation of Habakkuk 2:2. As the most-popular Bible translation of today, this is how we generally see it. The Hebrew word for revelation really means vision. Habbakuk is being instructed by God to write the vision down and make it plain on tablets. Unfortunately, just doing a surface scan of this verse doesn’t give it the impact it should have upon us. The focus isn’t so much on the vision in this verse. Instead, it is on what is done with the vision that matters here. For that, let me give a clearer understanding by referencing the Amplified Bible translation of Hab 2:2:

    And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by.

Is it starting to get a little clearer now? Habakkuk not only must write the vision down, but that vision must be written plainly on tablets so that everyone passing by may be able to read it and easily and quickly understand what it means.

It’s not just getting the vision, but it’s being able to make that vision so real and so plain that others can understand it and be impacted by it as if God gave it to them directly.

Whether it’s church planting or youth ministry or small group function or outreach event, if you feel God has expressed a vision for a ministry to you, can you take and write it out on a paper napkin and share it with others at the table in such a way that they get it and want to get behind it? Remember, the vision isn’t for us, it is for others and we are just the agents to share the vision with others and to see it carried out in God’s intended way. We are just the messengers as we in ministry already know Christ. Instead, we have been appointed to find a way for others to come to know Christ.

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church planting / Dave (personal) / life / ministry / multi-cultural / multi-cultural church / prayer — 11 Comments
13
Nov 08

When all roads seem to lead to the same place, but…

I have to admit that I’ve been out of my element for quite awhile. I’m bewildered, frustrated, contemplative, hesitant, timid, uncertain, rebellious, and several other adjectives that aren’t generally used to describe me. What’s been causing this you may ask? Well, if you’ve followed this blog lately you’ll know that I am struggling with my role in ministry and what lies ahead for me. For the first time in my 4 year journey as a church planter in training I am questioning whether this is what God is intending for me. Specifically, my heart for church planting is there and my passion lies in seeing God transform the lives of those that were deemed to be unchangable. It’s other factors in my home life that have caused me to question this as I truly believe my wife and I were called as a team to plant together. That God would connect her gifts with my gifts (which are quite different) for the glory of God.

However, as I pray--sometimes fasting and praying--and waiting on God’s voice, I find that there is no response. I feel distant from God. Thus I am not acting within my comfort zone as I feel like I’ve lost the assurance I was working under previously. I do not want to go ahead of God or act in such a way that I am not seeking his will and following the path he has directed me to. Hence, the timidness, confusion, etc.

I was praying and meditating and something has been getting my attention this week. It seems that everyone God is connecting me to in ministry lately seems to be Asian-American. I’ve engaged in conversation and debate with several new friends in Asian-American ministry and without exception they all feel that there is a need to develop such ministry in the future, but I have been fighting that trend believing that God wanted me to reach out to all people, regardless of ethnicity or color, and help unite them in Christ. Now, I am questioning that…a lot! Why would God connect me with these people? Is it to keep me convicted in the vision I believe he gave me, or is it his way of speaking to me and answering my prayers for direction through these discussions?

All roads seems to be leading me to explore what my role could be in an Asian-American ministry could be, yet I hesitate and resist. Then, another incident compounded this. My senior pastor tells me last night in our bible study that he saw a comment from Dave Gibbons on my Facebook profile and that he went to seminary with, and served alongside in a church with him. Pastor Gibbons has been getting a lot of attention with what God has been doing through Newsong church and was someone that many had mentioned to me as somebody to look at as an example of multi-cultural ministry within the context of being Asian-American.

So, when all roads seem to lead to the same place, but I still feel I want to resist going in that direction, I need to stop and pause, give praise to God, and start looking into this for real and as a possible way that God is speaking to me through others. Unfortunately, I can’t jump into this belieiving it is the direction I’ve been waiting for, but I pray that this will be an important aspect of the discernment process and that this will cause some things to begin to take shape in my marriage to help us be more unified. Please pray for me in this time of listening and discernment, and please pray for my wife and I to come together and experience ministry in harmony and in love and in ways that God can use us to help see other lives transformed by the power of his gospel.

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church planting — 2 Comments
29
Aug 08

Jasonisms for church planting

Found what seems to be a huge blessing via twitter today. I’m now following @jasonsalamun and linked through to his blog about an awesome ministry: projectchurch.net. Just as Tony Morgan posts about Perryisms, I’m totally digging on some Jasonisms. Jason Salamun posted a list titled “101 Nuggets for Church Planters” and it’s very awesome! All 101 are necessary, but here are some that really made me say “Ah ha! Someone else gets church planting!” or “Wow! I definitely need to work on this!” I’ll let you decide which is which for me :)

    2. If you are called, you have permission.

    4. Don’t just plant a church; start a movement.

    6. Don’t make the church your idol.  It’s easier than you think.

    14. There’s a lot of wisdom in the words of dead guys.

    22. Don’t talk about church all the time to your wife.  Pace yourself.

    26. You should be able to explain the vision on the back of a napkin.

    29. You’ll get criticized for things you never even said or implied. Get used to it.

    40. Start a church where it’s okay to be a dude.

    66. Typical is boring.

    74. Be intentional.

    77. Prepare- but understand that you’ll never been prepared enough.

    79. Stand up for the ones who can’t stand up at all.

    80. Time alone with a notebook, a pen, and a Bible often lead to something special.

    81. Authentic people are led by authentic leaders.

    87. It will be messy.

    88. When was the last time you went to a bar or sat in the smoking section of a restaurant?

    92. Repeat after me, “I heart simplicity.”

    100. Church all boils down to relationships.

Rock on Jason! Praise God for putting the desire to be passionate for the Lord and minister to people and open enough to help other ministers stay on-track and to share in your victories!

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church / church planting / church relevance / Dave (personal) / evangelism/outreach / leadership / Living Stone Comm. Church / ministry / people / vision — No Comments
10
Aug 08

patience

Taking on the leadership at my home church for a season as a final learning step before being sent to plant a missional church has been very challenging. I came with so many ideas, yet many of them don’t seem to relate to the immediate congregation. Trying to take a group of people that are accustomed to maybe one missions trip per year and no other real form of group outreach and try to instill a passion for sacrificing our time and resources to go make a difference in our local community has been slow in connecting with them. It’s not their fault, but at times I wonder if it is mine.

Am I being prepared for the future move to a new ministry that will start off as missional in its dna, or am I being asked to lead the current group of people that God has put me before while meeting them where they are at? It’s tough sometimes, but I’m trying to move a little slower and exhibit patience while trying not to be discouraged.

Note to self: Gotta quit giving attention to Satan’s voice during my idle times!

I believe with all my heart that we are called to be the church, rather than just simply go to church. We are to bring Christ to the world and show others how he is the same yesterday, today and forever. We are the body and therefore we need to go out and be active in the community or we will sit around and get fat and lazy.

Lord, cause me to continually seek the wisdom and patience that you require me to have in order to lead your people in your timing and not my own. Continue to call me to be an example (through my actions) and not just a voice. Keep reminding me that it is for your glory and not my agenda that I have been called into service for. You grow the kingdom, I don’t. Search my heart and know that it is my desire to be obedient to your will and to be in service to the kingdom of heaven as long as you ask me, it is my honor and I am not worthy, but you are and that is where I will put my faith.

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