Part 3
7. SERVANT One of the major problems in Christian ministry is "position seeking". Even Jesus encountered this in His ministry. Mark 10:35-45 "Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him."Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." 36"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. 37They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." 38"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" 39"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared." 41When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (NIV) Servanthood is the highest position in a church. A pastor can soulishly run his church by lording it over the people. 1 Peter 5:2-4 "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (NIV) 8. HARD WORKER
A church planter must be an anointed person but I have discovered that anointing does not make up for laziness. Anointing kicks in when hard work is done. But you can also not substitute anointing with hard work. They go hand in hand. It is very easy to be lazy in the ministry but believe me, it eventually shows. 9. INTEGRITY
People will follow leaders with integrity. If a church planter wants the community to accept him and respect him, it will be because of the integrity he displayed in the planting of the church and how he leads his church. If you solicit other members away from their churches it will tarnish your integrity. Why could they point no finger at Jesus and find him guilty of anything? It was His integrity. 10. HUMILITY
A church planter must have the attitude of Jesus. (Philippians 2:5-11) Jesus humbled himself. Unless we humble ourselves God has to use measures to work humility into our characters. That can become very painful and sometimes very embarrassing. Rather humble yourself than to be humbled by God.
Pitfalls to Avoid
PITFALLS TO AVOID
Sometimes we stumble upon pitfalls, which depending various factors, could immobilise us temporarily or permanently. It is important to be aware and alert of the pitfalls along the road that we may avoid them. A few of these are: THE CHURCH PLANTER TAKES PRAYER AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE TOO LIGHTLY If prayer is taken too lightly it will result in a lot of decisions made according to human reasoning and delete the possibility of miracles and divine provisions. Remember God always pays for His vision. If the church planter ignores spiritual warfare he will sit with a church full of strongholds and he becomes an open target for the enemy. You have to bring divine weapons into the battle. THE CHURCH PLANTER ATTEMPTS TO PLANT A CHURCH THAT REACHES EVERYONE RATHER THAN A SPECIFIC TARGET.
Your church cannot reach everyone, regardless of culture, social structures and community. Wealthy people won't come to a church that is full of very poor people. We can get very spiritual about it and say it is pride, but the fact remains that "birds of a feather flock together." For people to have close relationships they have to have a lot in common. It is called "homogeneous units." Target a certain community of people that feel comfortable with each other and that could share a lot in common. LAUNCHES THE CHURCH PREMATURELY When the church planter gets impatient and takes shortcuts in planting the church it could be fatal in the end. God works in seasons and times. Don't ignore that! CHURCH IS A SUNDAY EVENT If the church planter creates an ethos of church on Sunday, his church will live their commitment to "one day a week Christianity." It is then a matter of going to church instead of being the church – going to listen to a sermon instead of being a sermon. FEAR OF TALKING ABOUT MONEY WITH PEOPLE UNTIL IT IS URGENT.
Yes, Christians have been exploited by ministers pleading for money. But, we cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater. There are many scripture verses that encourage the believer to give. There are promises that can only become real when we give. Tithing and giving is as part of the Christian experience as prayer! We need to tell the people this, not to get money out of them, but so that they can be blessed!
APPOINTING PEOPLE TO LEADERSHIP TOO EARLY.
Paul says that a leader should not be a recent convert lest he becomes proud. (1 Timothy 3:6). It is much easier to appoint someone than to get rid of him. Don't appoint someone because he has a prominent position in society. Don't appoint someone because of his financial ability. DOING THE RIGHT THING AT THE WRONG TIME
Don't implement things until everyone understands why and will follow you. A good leader will take his people with him. FAIL TO REMIND THE CHURCH THAT THEY WILL MULTIPLY FROM THERE. Vision must be kept fresh before people otherwise they are prone to forget. Vision must be based, as I said, on value. Right from the beginning, the people must understand that multiplication is a non-negotiable value from God's Word. Plan your church accordingly. There are other pitfalls that you will discover as you start planting churches. But if you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and are attentive to His voice, you will not be tripped by them.
"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the
waters cover the sea."
(Isaiah 11:9)