Calvary Church Planting Network

I. Be sure YOU understand the following:

A. That the church is rooted in the character of God
B. That it His chosen entity in this time to represent Him on earth
C. That Jesus builds it, it is built on Him and the truth about who He is.
D. That it was created to be on a “mission from God.” It has a purpose
in the world AND it has a purpose in the life of its members

II. Because you’ll be planting it in a foreign country, keep the following principles
in mind:

A. You have a specific goal that is measurable–the “4 self” standard

1. Self-governing—-making decisions for themselves and leading
themselves, following their own leaders, not outsiders

2. Self-supporting—shoulder ALL of their own financial responsibilities

3. Self-propagating–devoted to winning souls and reproducing
themselves both locally and internationally–Global vision!!!

4. Self-theologizing—understanding, applying, and communicating
who God is and His truth in culturally appropriate ways.

**SPECIFICS on how to meet these goals:

A. Everything you do sets a precedent–don’t expose the people to or
set precedents that cannot be maintained without foreign resources.

B. Always be concerned about DEPENDENCY on outside resources.

1. There is no biblical model of a church being dependent on outside
resources for its day to day operation or leadership!

2. There is a biblical model for relief from outside, but that is only
under desperate circumstances brought on by nature.

C. They have the Holy Spirit too, bring at least a few of them in on your
decisions as soon as possible. Give them OWNERSHIP as close to
the day of inception as possible–this is crucial for the church’s
self-image….them seeing themselves as the church of Jesus Christ
in their own community.

1. If there is a need to change locations, let them decide
where to go.

2. Challenge them with the task of outreach in the community.
You must be an example and impart the passion to do so,
but let them choose the people you should target, the area
you should target, the method you should use. They know
their city and their people better than you! And, they will
take into account cultural considerations that you wouldn’t
ever think about.

III. Basics of actually doing it:

A. You must GO and share the gospel with the people

B. From the day they get saved, impart a “missions” mindset–
–Jesus calling disciples to Himself, but in the same sentence
imparting “mission” Matt. 4:19 Focus them outward and impart
God’s heart for the world from day one. NEVER let them focus on
their relationship with Him alone, always put it in context of “mission”
as God did with Abraham and Jesus did with the disciples.

C. Be willing to not only teach them publicly and house to house, but
concentrate on relationships, not numbers….just like Jesus.

D. Model interconnectedness in your relationship with them–using your
resources to be a blessing to others, but always in a wise, non-precedent
setting, non-dependency creating way.

E. Demonstrate the church is more than just an occasion for teaching–initiate
the 4 components of Acts 2:42 as soon as possible

F. Begin looking for potential leaders as soon as possible. These would be
people who really get into the word, come early to the services and stay
late, are demonstrating servanthood and other-focusedness, and have
changed significantly enough that those who know them best can see
they are different.

G. Learn the language: preferably before you start, if not, while you are
in the midst of ministry, which is difficult

H. Encourage them to write their own worship, not just translate our songs.

I. Let them know from day one that your goal is to turn the church over
to their own leadership as soon as possible and that you are confident
they can do it.