Lessons from a sending church
LCA Church Planting Mentor and Mission Facilitator Dean Eaton has been mentoring our congregation at Woden Valley in the ACT for the past 18 months. During this time we have had five adult baptisms and learnt a number of new attitudes towards mission.
The first lesson is that God is already at work in the world. We don’t have to make it happen, God is doing mission ahead of us. Our task is to watch out for what he is doing, and to get ready to be involved.
The second is to realise the harvest is plentiful. In the past we assumed no-one was interested in Christianity. Now we realise many want to know more, but God was not ready to give them to us to introduce to Christ or to look after as new Christians.
The third is that we need to get ready for the harvest. In the past we thought we were ready, but we weren’t. We are learning what it means to disciple new Christians and how to do one-on-one Bible discussions with new Christians.
The fourth thing we have learnt is not to rush the work of the Spirit. In the past we demanded anyone new come along to church from day one. We have learnt coming to church can take a long time for some inquirers. We have realised we need to slowly and patiently introduce them to our worship.
The fifth is what to change. In the past we thought most everything had to be changed so new inquirers would feel at home. Now we realise this is impossible: to the not-yet believer or new Christian everything in the church is strange. You have to spend a lot of time explaining everything in a way new people will understand.
The sixth is that we thought church planting was always about sending someone to a new locality. Now we have learnt it is first about starting new communities locally. If these new communities grow too fast, then we may need to consider starting congregations in new localities.
What is happening at Woden?
At least 100 people have heard the Renew Mission Life five-week sermon series and another 50 have done the Renew Love. Life. Communities eight-week Bible studies on evangelism. Six people have been identified as evangelists and we have commissioned them to launch two new mission communities. Many other people are meeting one-on-one weekly, talking and sharing around the Bible, as well as attending a small-group Bible study. This experience gets them ready to meet one-on-one with new Christians God will bring us to take care of. We are doing our best to look after these new Christians. We meet with and read the Scriptures with them regularly as they learn to follow Christ.
We are learning what it means to disciple new Christians…
Contact Local Mission
a: 197 Archer Street
North Adelaide SA 5006
e: Executive Officer Tania Nelson at
tania.nelson@lca.org.au or
Church Planting Mentor and Mission Facilitator Dean Eaton at
dean.eaton@lca.org.au
p: 08 8267 7300
For more information, go to www.lca.org.au/renew
Pastor Robert Bartholomaeus shepherds the flock at Immanuel Lutheran Church Woden Valley in the ACT.
