Good Friday, 2018.
I stood at the west doors of the nave of our small church plant observing the stillness and silence, as the candlelight flickered across the icon of Christ’s crucifixion, seeing the horrible gift for the first time since Lent began. Darkness enveloped all of our silent cries, pain, lament, and prayers. As I prayed, a member of our still growing church plant came and stood beside me. They whispered in the darkness: Fr. Justin, my sin put him there. And then they began to weep. I reached over to them, joining them in their tears. I whispered back: I know. So did mine. After an unbroken period of time as we wept together, I whispered again: Just wait. It doesn’t end this way. They already knew, but the darkness can dissipate our faith and hope.
After making pilgrimage the next night in our Easter Vigil service, from darkness to the glorious, resurrected light of Jesus, we feast. There is no lack in food, in libation, or in our knowledge of the true depth of God’s redemption through Jesus. I saw that same parishioner sitting at table during the feast, in the early morning hours of Easter Sunday. Their face was beaming. I made my way over to them and asked: How are you doing? Their response: I’ve never known something like this!
These are the stories I treasure up in my heart as a church planter. For this is the inbreaking of God’s glorious kingdom into people’s lives, not bygone or long ago, but in our midst as we partner with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the expansion of his Kingdom. I’m sure other church planters have many such stories for themselves. O, to hear the numerous and wonderful testimonies!
I, too, must echo my hearty thanks to Drew for such an insightful essay to begin our dialogue. Much could be unpacked and said to support his thoughtful contribution. However, I must confine myself to three areas that I believe need to be reiterated or expanded upon so that they get into our bones and not just our minds, as church planters and leaders of others who will begin or are already on the church planting pilgrimage.
Garden-Sanctuary
The Garden-Sanctuary is such a rich image for all church planters to grasp and hold close. I would encourage a furthering of this image, particularly in Genesis 1, as a temple enthronement liturgy (cf. John Walton), where Adam and Eve are placed as priest in the temple of God’s creation. (Let the reader understand, I am not speaking about the specificity of Adam’s priesthood, but the generality of Levitical calling. Much more could be said in another essay.) Drew has done an excellent job unpacking the work and multiplication taking place vocationally for Adam and Eve. As Drew rightly notes later on, the New Jerusalem is the temple itself – the entirety of the city is the temple, and within the city is the Edenic glorified garden. However, cities imply culture and cultivation. So, to whom is this job assigned? Yes, to be sure, God is the prima actor. Yet, our participation (with all the relevant caveats inserted here) is joining in this great kingdom endeavor, partnering with God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – in the cultivation and creation of the heavenly culture throughout all of creation.
Moreover, the eschatological intention is being birthed right now through the planting of new churches to be, in my estimation, colonies of heaven (cf. Ian Bradley). These nascent and growing colonies invite all of us to encounter the living God in thin places, where past, present, and future, earth and heaven, all join in glorious praise of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier God and King. To be sure, these are ethereal ideas, however, let us never forget the true work of the church planter – calling all people to proclaim their allegiance as citizens of this kingdom. It is from this labor that our participation aids (again all necessary caveats inserted here as I don’t have time) in tilling and cultivating the New Jerusalem, which will only come to ultimate fruition upon the second coming of our King.
When done Well
Throughout most of my younger life I played classical violin. It was my intention to become a classical violinist. The Lord, obviously, had other plans for my vocation. Nonetheless, what became apparent to me in this time period, as I led musically in worship, was that a person’s character was more important than their capability. It has been said by Drew and others in this discussion of the need to have a more robust discernment of church planters. Personally, I prefer the language of discernment to assessment, as the former, at least in my understanding, incorporates a more wholistic insight, comprising of competency, conviction, and character.
As I mentioned above, when leading musically in worship, I would much rather have a participant who was a person of mature faith and character, than a person who was spectacular musically but left much to be desired in the character department. For the capacity and technique of music can be taught. The character of the musician provides the aim of the music. Is it worship or is it performance? Is it a call to others to draw closer to the Lord or does my character lead me to seek the adoration only meant for God?
The character of the planter gives us much insight into their sustainability in the work of church planting. Discernment (assessment) seeks to get to the heart (pun intended) of the planter or planting couple. This cannot be hurried. We need to pray to the Lord of the harvest, as Jesus reminds us, that He will send workers. Yet these workers must be people character first. Followed by conviction and competency. Competency can be taught. Character must be formed.
Though maybe not in all corners of church planting, I hear in many a professionalism language being utilized to aid in training of church planters. We speak of entrepreneurial ideas, of systems thinking, of strategies, and of programs. We should be careful not to discard these whole cloth. There is much to be learned by the church through these ideas. However, the vocational ordained ministry is not a professional endeavor, it is an apprenticeship to Christ and his Church. We should return to the older language, not simply because it is old but rather that it incapsulates this posture of learning, of things like curacy (a word used in my own Anglican tradition). For the work set before us cannot be completed through a professionalization of ministry, rather we must return to an apprenticeship, a posture of discipleship. This will take time. It will grate against the immediate gratification culture all of us swim in.
Yet, to recover the slow patient ferment of the Church (cf. Alan Kreider) in birthing, not only new colonies, but leaders for those colonies who will in turn birth new colonies and leaders for them, we must be willing to lay ourselves down and submit to godly authority in this process. Drew’s reference to Bonhoeffer is both timely and accurate. Yes, we must come and die. There is no other way but through the cross of Christ. Wesley’s letter to Alexander Mather on August 6, 1777 is another example of our willingness to lash ourselves to the cross of Christ, relevant to this discussion: Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen, such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven upon earth. These are the ones who bear the character and conviction to birth new colonies of heaven in our midst.
Church planting is not just about others
Lastly, while this may overlap with the formation component mentioned above, I feel compelled to return to this point. Church planting is not just about others who have yet to come to faith or join the membership of the local church plant. It is this, to be sure. However, Church planting is also about the planter, and if married, about them as couple. Church planting is about you. The Lord in his providence has called you into a specific formation arena – church planting. Just as for some he calls them to Holy Matrimony. To others within Holy Matrimony, parenthood. To others, seasonal and lifelong celibacy. All of these are tooling the Lord will utilize to help form the image and likeness of Jesus in us. This cannot be understated!
My experience in church planting has been that we tend to emphasize the joys rather than the sorrows. The positives over the negatives. Truly, we should celebrate the lost who is found, the recommitted, the repentant sinner now back on the path. Still, we should also be attuned to the valleys and the struggles all church planters face. These, too, are part of our formation. All of these, both joy and sorrow, are formational in us. Their purpose is to form more deeply, than we might ever imagine, the image and likeness of our crucified and resurrected King. I know in my own pilgrimage on the Way each station, signpost, and layby to be a place of great opportunity to be formed more into Jesus’ image and likeness. Do not despise the journey, for by it you will be forever changed.
To those who are considering or currently are church planting, this is part of the work. Jesus desires not only the salvation of souls, but your continued sanctification as well.
Do not be hasty seems to be a recurrent theme in our discussion. Do not be hasty to lay hands (1Tim. 5:22). Do not be hasty to birth these new colonies. Do not be hasty. This is not meant to dissuade those called, rather it should be an encouragement to pause and take a breath. The Lord is not impressed by size or numbers. Those are not metrics that bear great weight in the economy of God. Rather our Lord is impressed by the hearts of those turned to Him, those who continue the ministry given in the very beginning to cultivate and multiply. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (Heb. 4:14)
To my dialogue partners, some of whom I have met in person and to the others I have not, thank you for your thoughtful and encouraging meditations. They have spurred my own thinking. If I have mischaracterized any thoughts of others, I would seek your grace and pardon. For all of us have a desire, demonstrated through our dialogue contributions to see the New Jerusalem come, filled with citizens of every tongue, tribe, and nation gathered around the throne of our resurrected King. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Eph. 3:20-21