Left: Stephen Manhanga preaching at Crossroads Community Church.I was thinking about church planting, as my husband Stephen and I have just planted a church 4 months ago in Kezi, Zimbabwe, when I came across an article on Church Planting and felt very encouraged. Many articles have been written on Church planting but this particular one inspired me immensely. Part of the article says…..
“In the book of Acts we see many different people, for a variety of reasons, using their different gifts to plant churches.
A Variety of Reasons: Amazingly, God seems to use a variety of reasons for people to move to plant churches. In Acts 11:9 we see that the believers, who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen, were used to plant a church in Antioch. In Acts 13:1 – 3 we see the church leaders in Antioch praying, and strategically sending out Paul and Barnabas to plant churches. Acts 16:6 – 10 shows Paul going to Macedonia as a result of a vision. We should not feel that Acts 13 and 16 was more ‘spiritual’ than Acts 11 – God will use many reasons, such as job moves, education, retirement, illness etc. as well as prophetic words and dreams to get us on the move.
A Variety of Gifts: Should only Apostles start churches? Again in Acts we see that churches were often started with people with different types of gifts. In Samaria, we see the church started by Phillip the healing evangelist, preaching about Christ and healing many people. In Philippi, Lydia used her gift of hospitality to host the new church plant. Antioch was planted by a group of unnamed people who shared the Gospel. In Corinth, Paul stayed with Aquila and Priscilla who used their gift of tent making to provide for them. In Achaia, Apollos used his teaching gift to encourage the new church plant. There is a need for a church to build upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
A Variety of Methods: In Jerusalem we see Peter speaking to a vast crowd, like one of the open air meetings Wesley and Whitfield spoke at. In Samaria, mighty miracles were used to get a crowd such as the Jeffries brothers saw in the 20’s and 30’s. In Athens and Corinth, Paul reasoned in the synagogue. In Philippi, Paul went down to the river where a few God-fearers gathered to pray. In Malta, Paul was shipwrecked and while giving a helping hand was bitten by a snake – and lived! In Antioch, people were just sharing the gospel with whoever they met. There seems to be no set way which God uses to gather a group of people to form a church, and we should be open to Him using a variety of methods which will give us the opportunity to be involved.”
“In the book of Acts we see many different people, for a variety of reasons, using their different gifts to plant churches.
A Variety of Reasons: Amazingly, God seems to use a variety of reasons for people to move to plant churches. In Acts 11:9 we see that the believers, who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen, were used to plant a church in Antioch. In Acts 13:1 – 3 we see the church leaders in Antioch praying, and strategically sending out Paul and Barnabas to plant churches. Acts 16:6 – 10 shows Paul going to Macedonia as a result of a vision. We should not feel that Acts 13 and 16 was more ‘spiritual’ than Acts 11 – God will use many reasons, such as job moves, education, retirement, illness etc. as well as prophetic words and dreams to get us on the move.
A Variety of Gifts: Should only Apostles start churches? Again in Acts we see that churches were often started with people with different types of gifts. In Samaria, we see the church started by Phillip the healing evangelist, preaching about Christ and healing many people. In Philippi, Lydia used her gift of hospitality to host the new church plant. Antioch was planted by a group of unnamed people who shared the Gospel. In Corinth, Paul stayed with Aquila and Priscilla who used their gift of tent making to provide for them. In Achaia, Apollos used his teaching gift to encourage the new church plant. There is a need for a church to build upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
A Variety of Methods: In Jerusalem we see Peter speaking to a vast crowd, like one of the open air meetings Wesley and Whitfield spoke at. In Samaria, mighty miracles were used to get a crowd such as the Jeffries brothers saw in the 20’s and 30’s. In Athens and Corinth, Paul reasoned in the synagogue. In Philippi, Paul went down to the river where a few God-fearers gathered to pray. In Malta, Paul was shipwrecked and while giving a helping hand was bitten by a snake – and lived! In Antioch, people were just sharing the gospel with whoever they met. There seems to be no set way which God uses to gather a group of people to form a church, and we should be open to Him using a variety of methods which will give us the opportunity to be involved.”
Left: A recent service in progress.....
Amazing. From prophetic words spoken at River of Life Eastlea church, Harare, Zimbabwe to more prophetic words spoken at the annual Brighton conference held in Brighton, U.K, in July 2007, here we are in Kezi, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe, having planted a church called Crossroads Community Church. God is a God of diversity and creativity.
Amazing. From prophetic words spoken at River of Life Eastlea church, Harare, Zimbabwe to more prophetic words spoken at the annual Brighton conference held in Brighton, U.K, in July 2007, here we are in Kezi, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe, having planted a church called Crossroads Community Church. God is a God of diversity and creativity.
Written by Molly Manhanga
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