As I said in the previous article, the beginning and growth of the church has 5 steps: 1-Dream, vision. 2-Building the team. 3-The beginning of the church. 4-The growth of the church. 5- Its multiplication.
Seven Steps to Discovering Vision! Let's take a look today at how to discover your vision for your new church or ministry.
Let me say it from the beginning: Make sure that this is your calling and that there are no other things on your mind. I have known Christ for 30 years, this year I have been serving for 29 years, since May 1995. I have seen a lot, tried a lot, heard a lot, since 1996 I have been to VUSH meetings and conferences. And I've seen plenty of wrong reasons for starting a church.
Here are some…
a-They start a new church, when they don't like the authority. You like your head and your ideas better. I can't follow someone. Pride and arrogance are not good grounds for starting a new church.
b- They start a new church, because you want to do things the way you want, control. This pastor is not doing anything where I am, I know better how to do things.
c- They start a new church, because they are all doing church and they are no better than me. New churches are trending now, it's cool to start a new church. The next third has become an online ministry. It's being done by so-and-so who doesn't know how to say two words, don't start it, I'm so good that I am. You can be very good, but you need your own calling, not the calling of others.
e- They start a new church because it comes out of poverty, one said: I see that some pastors have wealth, they have cars, houses, good conditions. They were "pabuksa" before, now they have become bosa. I will also start a church.
f- They start a new church out of anger, I will build a better church than him, let him see how good I am, he didn't appreciate me, he will look at it when I take it back. Well, you made it, what will you do next, if you didn't make it, if the church you are comparing closes, what will you do next?
If you are not clear about the call, the urge to start a new church, do not rush, make sure it is your personal call.
Let's move on to the next step.
Why start a new church?
Once you have a clear vision, start answering other questions: Where will you start, area, neighborhood, city, village. What is the vision, values, team...?
Start with this question first: What is my motive?
Do you have a heart for the lost? Does your heart ache for them? Have you said or thought this thing, I want everyone to know the Christ that I know?!
Do you care about the lost? Or will you start it for prestige, to be someone, to benefit...
In some cities it is easy to gather a handful of Christians together, but is anyone winning who knows Christ? Jesus was with the lost, he cared about them, he did for them, he did not gather the religious, those who said they knew God. If you do not have a heart for the lost, it will gradually be revealed that you did not care for them and it will come out where your mind was, time will tell.
Vision from God. I have a clear vision from God that is specific only to me, unlike other churches. Ore, is it necessary to make a church similar to that other church?
Ask yourself: Why do I need my church, who will it serve? Can you sum up the vision in a few words? How do you imagine your church? If you don't have a clear picture of what it will be like, it probably isn't from God. Because He would give him a vision, a dream, a concept of what he wants from you.
For example, I dream of a church for the new generation, for families, for students, for young people, for the neighborhood, for families in need, for young people at work, for the unemployed, for immigrants returning to Albania, for Albanians abroad, for online, for those who are in key jobs in society...
When you like a church model, you want to copy it, but your model should be unique, have its own colors, like no one else has. No two churches are alike in one place. Choose a place where there is no one if the pattern is the same. As Paul said, I did not plant on someone else's foundation. But sometimes we grab those fruits that are easy, it doesn't stop us from climbing the tree, asking God for days, weeks, months: What is unique for me, what do you have for me? Ask God for a very specific dream.
Target, who is the group you will aim to reach, age group, who you relate to most easily. There are some who relate easily to everyone, but this does not come naturally to everyone. An idea, the audience that listens to you and appreciates what you are saying is 10 years younger than you. But find the group you will reach. Because based on them you will do evangelization, the shape of the church, if they are couples, think of a good space for children. If they are students, the events seem more youthful.... make profiles, fill in words, do homework.
The profiles I made for the new church, 14 years ago, were called Arbëri and Arbana and I filled it with details by meeting and asking many young people of their age: Where do they spend their time, what do they like, what are they aiming for, what do they think about life, future, God, music, church...
The average age for the target group in those years was 25 years old.
We had an organization that told us, "we have 200 food packages, we heard you are starting a new church, we respect you and Ada and they want to help you with the new church project." We said, do Arbëri and Arbana want this? Do they feel appreciated if we give them a food parcel? No! Arberi and Arbana will not take them. Then we did something different, we had a Jazz evening from a Super band. Boost the team, invite a friend, there's a free drink. And Jazzin members shared their testimony after every 3 songs. It was a great event. WHY, because the target determines what kind of evangelism you will do. Put on the hook, what the "fish eats" because we are fishers of people. The fish in the lake of my village, falls only with mixed wheat, the wheat is left all night in warm water, feeds the pond with it and puts wheat on the hook. The fish in this lake does not fall with worms, insects, no, it wants wheat.
Know well the age group, the target you will reach!
How did God shape you? Am I the right person to plant this church? Look at how God has shaped you, what are your spiritual gifts, skills, passion, personality, experiences (what have you done in the past, where have you been successful) because you have gifts that no one has, but do they go with church planting? The church needs special gifts such as: leader (starts new things), preacher (knows Scripture and knows how to preach), pastor (takes care of people).
Do you have experience in new beginnings? Did you start anything from scratch when you were in high school... if you don't have the guts to start something new, you're in trouble. You can be part of the team but not the person who starts it. If you have no experience at all with starting new things and you are going to start the church anyway, make sure that you are approaching others in the team with those skills, who know how to start new things.
When I was little in the village I wanted to make new fences, new roads to go to the waterfall, new gate designs, ideas on how to divide the animal shed because we had 4 sheep, 5 goats, 2 donkeys, 2 cows, kids, lamb in a shed.
I started a new church in the most difficult village, new projects in the villages. I tried to start a Jesus movie church in conjunction with Campus Crusade (it was a total failure). I tried a paid survey, I paid $100, emailed 150k email addresses and 1200 responded. I still try new things all the time. The church I am leading now was an innovation, I started the online church 8 years ago, (5 years before the pandemic), a program with VIP interviews, services, camps, workshops, Jonathan centers, Night to shine, etc...
Do you have a church that is starting, supporting, a network? Do you have the support of a church to support you, a network, some friends. Like marriage, marriage goes better when husband and wife love each other, marriage goes easier that way. They cover your shoulders when you need it, give you some money at the beginning, cook for you sometimes. But when you start a church and no one supports you, take it as a sign: Be careful, there may be risks, don't start it for any wrong reason, search your heart. There is a saying: "Where God plants a church, the devil plants a church." When you start a new ministry, a new church, conquer new territories and enter into spiritual warfare, you need support both in prayer and emotional support.
If it happened that you were badly separated from the mother church, wait, don't start right away, fix your heart once. 60-80% of new churches in the world start from church divisions, a few start sent from the mother church or from Bible school students. If this is your case, make sure that your heart is in order, calm, you have forgiven, as much as it depends on you, live in peace with everyone4.
If you start by not apologizing, you will embitter the team and others. There are churches in Tirana that every 3-4 years groups leave and they start new churches. Some walk, some close. But in any case, never talk bad about your former pastors because they are setting a model for your team, how they should treat you, respectfully or gossiping behind your back.
Is this your only calling? If it's your calling, you can't stay without doing that thing, you're not comfortable without starting it. It is your call, if you do not feel fulfilled like Esther, God called her for such a time.
When I tried the Jesus movie to start a church, summer 2007, it was a complete failure. Then I wanted to partner with an existing church. At that time I doubted the call, maybe I'm not for this job, maybe I didn't listen to God well. But in that other church I did not find myself. I was not comfortable, God has called me to start a new church and not to sit in another church.
Because when you encounter difficulties, how did I say when you encounter? No, not bluntly, you will encounter difficulties. Church worship is like an extreme sport, adrenaline at its peak. God opens some doors that you didn't think existed. Then, your closest friend, the one you trusted the most, betrays you. One of the main donors says, no. Challenges with health, family, strange accidents. You are in a spiritual war. BUT, what keeps you going is your CALL.
You return to the calling that God has given you. The one who brought me this far will help me even more. You will have moments when you will be alone, nobody understands you. It's you and your computer, that's it. Calling keeps you connected to God.
A good example is one who: Can't do anything better than this. If you can do a job, another thing better than this, don't start the church but do that other thing. Like the Romans, when they went to conquer new territories, they went by ship and then burned the ships. There is no turning back. When you encounter difficulties, you will have doubts: If only I had started a business, if I had started such and such a job, if I had fled to Germany, if I had you, if I were. If you know how to do something else better, go do that thing.
Because when you + God + your calling are together, you have the passion inside you, you don't need anyone to inspire. You wake up at the dot of the morning full of joy. This is the thing of my life, I don't know anything else!
One last thing: The methods always change, the message never changes. There are people who confuse them. Think that if you change the methods, they think you are changing the message.
What you read is 20% of the preparation for the new church. Read the other articles.
I'm willing to sit down with you and your team because there's a lot of other stuff going on: Fundraising. When it's time to register with the state as a foundation, what about the details of team building, what to do at team meetings. (friendship, message, strategy), how to do some events before the church starts. How to make a super Grand Opening so that the entire target area knows that something has started there. How to influence the community, what would be the right ministry outside the church for you, how will you influence, transform the community where you are? (For us it is the service for Down syndrome, why this and not another?). Social media, where to start, how to use it, how to grow it etc etc...
I really hope that you are stirring and what you are reading is more like opening an appetite to prepare for what God has put in your heart.
Be hungry to read, to prepare as best as possible for what He has called you to.