Leading Your Church in Church Planting: 5 Steps for Vision Casting for Multiplication 3

In this fifth post of my series to pastors on leading in church planting, I want to share with you about casting a vision for church multiplication.  You may want to check out my article, “The Art of Vision Casting for Church Multiplication” for some additional assistance.

By now, I assume that you have a good theological and missiological foundation for church planting.  If not, let me encourage you to check out my book Discovering Church Planting as well as many of my posts on this blog (just search for “church planting”).

If you are just joining in on this series, you can read the previous posts here:

Part 4: Avoiding the Nestea Plunge

Part 3: Some Resources to Get You Started

Part 2: 7 Reasons for Leading Your Church in Church Planting

Part 1: The Other Wing of the Airplane

The writer of Proverbs notes, “The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out” (Prov 20:5, ESV).  While the vision for leading your church in church planting may be within you, it also needs to be within your people.  Casting, or drawing out that vision, so that your people will own it, requires great understanding.

Casting the vision for church multiplication is the ability to paint both prayerfully and patiently a picture of: 1) what the Spirit has shown to be a multiplicative growth possibility with churches both historically and in contemporary societies; and 2) what the Spirit can do working through your church to plant multiplying churches.  This picture must be painted with enough detail that your church will be attracted to the vision and motivated to minister to carry out that vision.  Also, the picture must be broad enough to allow for the flexibility and creativity of the Spirit to work as He desires through the gifts, talents, personalities, and abilities of His people.

Vision casting for multiplication is about revealing the possibilities.  It enables church members to “see” where they can fit into such a work.  It causes people to say, “Yes, by God’s grace, I can see our church (and myself) involved in church planting.”

Steps Involved in the Process

The following five steps are to assist you in your context when it comes to casting a vision for church multiplication.

Pray

Assuming you have a vision to cast, pray for God’s leadership in the process.  Pray that He would be glorified in the process.  Pray that there would be no ungodly conflict related to the vision.  Pray for spiritual protection for both you and your church.  Pray for wisdom in communicating and leading in this area of ministry.

You must also pray that you will have patience with your people.  Just as the Lord was gracious to provide you with much time to think about and discuss church planting with others, you must also extend such grace to your church as they hear about this matter for the first time.  If it took you months or even years to get on the church planting bus, then it is unfair for you to expect your people to hop on in a matter of minutes.

Understand What “Communicates” with Your People

If you have a vision for something as important as church multiplication, then it must be communicated effectively to your church.  You must know your people and how they receive and process information.  Clear communication is extremely important here.  A failure to contextualize your vision will hinder the vision from becoming a reality.

Know the Possibilities

You must educate yourself and your church about the possibilities of church multiplication.  Teach them what the Spirit has done with churches in the past, as well as the present.  Always, begin with the Scriptures.  Ask the question: “What was required of the believers to be used by the Spirit in the disciple-making movement that resulted in the planting of churches across the world?”  Even if you do not agree with all of their theologies, take a brief look at the church planting labors of the early Moravians, Methodists, Baptists, and Pentecostals.  And even look outside of your country for examples of the Spirit’s work as well.

Recognize and Overcome the Barriers

A good portion of your time is likely to be spent in understanding and overcoming the barriers that prevent your church from being involved in church multiplication.  What theological, missiological, cultural, structural, and/or denominational barriers exist that must be overcome?  Again, I will direct you to my article on vision casting where I address some of these.

Communicate the Vision Redundantly

Rick Warren recommends restating the vision every twenty-six days (The Purpose-Driven Church, 111).  Begin with your leaders.  Keep the vision before them.  Work to keep the vision before the people.  Make the vision part of your sermons, lessons, classes, announcements, blog posts, tweets, newsletters, etc.  Keep reminding the people of the biblical and theological foundation for why your church needs to be involved in church planting.  Keep reminding them of the missiological reasons as well (see post two of this series.)

The process of vision casting is more art than science.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get out your pencils, paint brushes, and pens and draw out that purpose found in your heart.