Greetings all,
This month Geneva Planter Russ Grinter provides us with a detailed insight into the lessons learned while attempting to establish a church planting church in the country Victrian centre of Bendigo.
Gathering their supporters from amongst students, Russ and Aimee made it a priority from the beginning to know who would be in their core team of 10-20 and who would not, and how each member would particularly serve in the Core Team. Reforming Church, a Presbyterian church in the south-east side of their great city, is the community they've established and doing so has taught them some valuable lessons.
Here are nine quick insights Russ is more than happy to share…
– Ed.
Lessons we have learned
- If you're planting by the Mother-Daughter model, work hard at communication and relationships beyond the Session and Presbytery to guard against unhealthy planter-grief
- Get Growth Groups started as soon as possible, at the same time as planting. We lost some momentum with this, and the training stables for future leaders. Growth Groups ought to see themselves as planting-groups, and be trained na dreary to grow and plant new groups.
What’s unique about planting in a regional city?
- Regional city church-planting is smaller and slower work than a dynamic and populace-moving capital city. Keep reminding the team that the harvest actually is plentiful and who their neighbours are.
- Regional cities are the capitals and cultural connectors for thousands of people in country Victoria. If 'towns are like islands’ (Bruce Bennett), then you have people’s attention in all their work, rest and play in a defined area.
- Regional cities often have universities in them that shape students choices of whom they live for and where they live for the rest of their life. They are the places where future training of planters is best done for the rest of a regional Presbytery.
- Ongoing relationships are integral to healthy planting.
How is this a strategic church plant for the Presbytery?
- We looked at the map of the North West, and still do, and I think our first plant is most strategically placed in south-east Bendigo. It’s the best place to plant for the sake of other plants.
- If we, under God, see a team is trained and sent to plant again then our Presbytery would benefit by teams being sent from our church-plant to regional cities and towns like Echuca (where there is no Presbyterian Church) and to revitalise works at Swan Hill and Mildura.
- These plans couldn’t happen in as strong a way, with the Presbytery resourcing such future planting, without first planting in Bendigo in the way we have done. It will mean that the Presbytery is strengthened as a church-planting body with it’s own planters-school having been developed by way of the plant at South-East Bendigo (Reforming Church).
– Russ Grinter
You can find out more about Russ, Aimee and Reforming Church – even get in touch with them! – by visiting their Geneva Push profile page.
