We are pleased to announce that our resource for new church development, Starting New Churches: A Discernment Process, has been revised and updated.
I know the principal authors and have skimmed the resource this morning and believe that if you are involved in planting a church, this study would be a good study for your team.
The authors write:
Each of the 16 gatherings suggests a Bible study and an extended time of prayer. We encourage you to engage this process slowly. Resist the temptation to rush through the Bible studies and prayerful reflection. New church development is not the implementation of successful models and techniques; it is the faithful discernment of God’s leading and the faithful implementation of God’s mission. Wrestle with the scriptures, listen, and fall on your knees in humility.
Church planters and those who are attracted to beginning new churches are often “doers.” We can’t wait to get started, bring in the kingdom, make it happen and happen now. Remember Jesus told his “doers” to go back to Jerusalem, pray and wait until God’s right time. We hope that all of you fellow “doers” will resist the temptation to start doing and will take the time to discuss, listen, discern, and wait for God’s right time. We have countless stories of teams who were delayed in their plans and the finding of the right leadership took longer than expected, yet in hindsight those delays led the team to the “perfect timing.”
You can see the preview here or click on the link to download the whole thing:
StartingNewChurches2.0
Read more: Presbyterians (PCUSA) release a new church development Bible study