Establishing a Missional Foundation

Charles Haddon Spurgeon by nklajn

About the Author -

Chris leads Life Church Southampton, which was planted in April 2007. He was formerly an elder at Winchester Family Church.

This Article

Friday, 27 March, 2009 - 12:45

This article draws on the words of the great preacher Charles Spurgeon to help us prepare to build churches where every member thinks and acts missionally.

‘What can one man do alone? What can he not do with an army of enthusiasts around him? Contemplate at the outset the possibility of having a church of soul winners. Do not succumb to the usual idea that we can only gather a few useful workers, and the rest of the community must inevitably be a dead weight: It may possibly so happen, but do not set out with that notion or it will be verified. The usual need not be the universal; better things are possible than anything yet attained; set your aim high and spare no effort to reach it. Labour to get a church alive for Jesus, every member energetic to the full, and the whole in incessant activity for the salvation of men.’
C. H. Spurgeon

In the UK, God has given us a vision to see churches planted and grown through salvation. This means that we need to build and sustain churches that have mission at their core. As churches that have broken out of the clergy/laity model, we talk a lot about every member ministry, but we don’t talk too much about every member mission.

Whilst our heads understand the shared responsibility of winning people for Christ, our actions sometimes indicate that we still harbour a belief that it is the leader’s or the evangelist’s job to win the lost. For too long church has been likened to a football match: you have 22 people running their legs off and becoming exhausted while being watched and cheered on by 22,000 people who could do with some exercise. I’ve even heard it said that evangelism is the only thing that both Christians and non-Christians hate!

Part of Life Church’s strategy for evangelism in the church planting context has been re-orientating our thinking so that we understand that evangelism is not solely for the employed church staff or the experts – it’s a mandate, an obligation, and a joy for all of us. Working towards building a church of soul winners is a church planter’s privilege.

To be truly fruitful, every member of a church plant needs to join the leaders in evangelism. If we just leave it to the leaders we’ll kill them! Certainly leaders are called to set the example and maybe even the pace, but they are not responsible for doing all the work.

Unless the church planting team takes individual responsibility for evangelism, understanding that they are no longer in the comfort of an established church, the plant will wither and die. The leader leads and the team follows. If leaders go it alone others will let them and they’ll end up isolated mavericks. If people follow wholeheartedly, with a shared sense of responsibility, so much more is achieved! The leader is strengthened and the church is equipped and fruitful. In effect, the cork has been removed from the bottle.

Unless every member is prepared for mission, the church may negate the opportunity to be an authentic body. I remember one church member approaching me with a need. ‘I have a neighbour who needs help with her garden – what is the church going to do?’ I politely pointed out that she was the church, and encouraged her to get her garden tools out!

The truth is, we are not all called to lead but we are all called to take part. My sincere belief is that we can see thousands saved from every walk of life if we build churches that have a healthy expectation that the leaders lead in mission and the whole church joins them.

In this way, the church plant team will develop into an ‘army of enthusiasts,’ and a ‘church of soul winners.’ When we went out onto the streets of Southampton a few weeks ago I wore a pair of combat trousers. It was intentional! I’m part of the army, a good soldier of Christ Jesus, as Paul encouraged Timothy to be.
There is, however, a difference between an army and an enthusiastic army. Though the need in the church plant for people to be personally active in mission is great, we are not to beat people into evangelism, but to build a passion to see souls won for the gospel that motivates us.

Within a church plant many will be multi-tasking. This is wonderful for a while as the thrill of building something fresh and new together motivates us to serve with fresh vigour. As the thrill of this fades, enthusiasm for mission focussed activity can wane. It is vital that the passion of the early days is passed onto those who subsequently join the plant. One great way of sustaining the enthusiasm is by rapidly training and recruiting fresh volunteers. 

I grew up in the 1970s when every Saturday afternoon a cowboy film would come on the TV. However bad the battles they faced were, you knew that everything would be fine once the cavalry turned up. In church plant life we can often rely on a few trusted volunteers to carry the majority of the work of mission, but we must not leave it with them. When we are actively looking to bring in some fresh enthusiasm, the pace picks up and the load is shared. Consequently, the pressure is off the one or two and the enthusiasm levels rise, as does the fruitfulness of the work.

Charles Spurgeon encouraged us to believe that better things are possible than anything yet attained. This gives us great hope!
Can you look at the church plant with faith and believe that even better things are possible? I have to believe that there is more to come than one or two people being saved or healed every now and then. I have to believe in the days of stadiums, of thousands coming to faith, of lives transformed, of a vibrant and relevant church that wields the gospel with authority. I have to believe in a better day to come!

Building church plants with a foundation in mission and a healthy expectation that we are all on a mission together will help us to step into the future with joy, courage, and fruitfulness. God has more in mind for the future of the town or city that you plant in than we currently see. So we can pray with faith, expecting more from God and more from the church. Looking forward and moving on is at the heart of the gospel after all.

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