Divine Initiative
The most important question one must ask even long before going to a targeted place to plant church is, “Why church plant? Our answer to this question is imperative, for it will shape our philosophy, values, and attitude.
Biblically, the burden for planting of the church was born of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowered early believers to obey the Great Commission (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19). I remember the church of Thessalonica when Apostle Paul mentioned about receiving the Gospel with joy from the Holy Spirit and becoming witnesses to people everywhere. And the result of this spontaneous working of the Holy Spirit on the believers was the planting of new local churches (1 Thess. 1:6,8).
Therefore, the Holy Spirit revives the church both collectively and individually and put the burden for a lost world as their love for God and for one another increases. Yes, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that causes His servants to desire to plant a new church. It is a Divine Initiative, regardless whether it is an individual, a church, a mission organization or denomination that wants to plant a church.
This divine initiative demands us to keep in constant communication and submission to the Holy Spirit. I think we as church planters need to be aggressive in our efforts to be aligned with the Spirit. We must ensure that we are pursuing our spiritual lives as much as (if not more) than our pursuing the advancement of the plant.
As I continue to think and pray about the plant, I am overwhelmed by the size of this task. I have come to the realization that planting a church is not possible by my own strength or gifts. I desparately need the Spirit to guide me and go before me in the lives of those I will minister to.
Hi Mark!
You are right! Every church planter must always be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Though we do recognize the importance of training and preparation but we must always remember that church planting goes beyond ones’ abilities. It is God who is at work!