How long does this take?

People keep asking me 'when?'

I keep asking the same question.
I think the answer is: longer than I want it to. . .
and WAY longer than Joe thinks it should.

I like that there's a process for assessing and coaching church planters - I don't like that it necessarily involves administrative work which takes time.

I just finished filling out a 12 page application, which I will turn in today. And then I will wait, hopefully not toooo long, before the district church plant coordinator sets up an assessment interview. I think that's supposed to be a 3-hour deal, with Joe and I answering behavioral questions to determine if we are 'ready' to plant a church. There are supposed to be 3 people, all pastors, on the assessment team - just getting that scheduled is going to take time!


So I got this "Timeline for church planting"
It is graphically cool - but doesn't actually have any actual increments of time on it.
http://reachmore.foursquare.org/articles/10,1.html


So, is this going to take 6 months? - 2 years? 40? We hope to have our assessment interview in February, go to Church Planters Intensive in March or April, start meeting soon after and 'go public' in August or September.
We may be crazy, however.

Don't pray that we'll have patience, please! But you can pray with us for God's timing.

Vision for a church about-to-be formed

What will this church look like?

I have a pretty clear sense of vision for what would be important and different about a church that I would lead. I've made lists and diagrams and written mission and values statements - even drawn pictures of what I want my church to be like.

Except that ultimately, it is Jesus who leads the church, and it is His, not mine.
The Holy Spirit reminded me of this as I was reading 1 Cor 2 this morning. I have work to do, as a visionary leader and pastor and church planter - and my work matters to God and to His Kingdom. I am responsible to do my part well, and to work as a team with Joe and other people God will call to this church. But it is God's vision, God's church, and God causes life and growth and fruit, not me.

Keeping that in focus, it is time to really clarify and cast the vision for Streams of Grace. I am ready to share the picture I have with people. It's time to bring the dreams out of the secret places of my heart and mind, out into the real world - and that is scary and exciting. It is time to see what else God will reveal, what He will clarify, what He will change.

The process for this is going to be in conversation with other people. I am not going to come down off the mountain with the plans for the tabernacle all drawn up - although that would be cool! God is telling me He will reveal things in community, as we go, and from a variety of people.

This is a much messier and less controlled way of developing vision and values, and it takes more time. But if we are going to be a church that truly values relationships and conversation and creativity (and that IS part of the vision) then we have to BE that way, from the beginning.

So we begin, this week, a series of envisioning gatherings - food and prayer and conversation with friends about what God wants His church to be. We aren't recruiting and we aren't fund raising, we are sharing and listening

and praying praying praying!