Countdown to Launch

A countdown to launch is a terrible metaphor for our present situation in church planting. A countdown assumes you know the exact start time of an event. I can honestly say that we really don't know when the Lord will allow our church-planting vision to take shape here in Puerto Rico. However, as the saying goes, "if you don't have a target, you'll never hit it." So recognizing that "the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps" (Prov. 16:9), we are currently in the process of building a core (or launch) team. Our target is to be meeting with a core team this fall and launching Table Church in the spring. More to come on that next time.

Ed Stetzer wrote a helpful little booklet called "Building Your Core Team: Models and Best Practices" (which is a free ebook if you're interested). In it he writes, "I think the most difficult stage is when it’s just a planter and maybe the planter’s family. I’ve seen this in my extensive research on church growth and size dynamics as well as my experiences planting churches." Well, thanks for the encouragement Ed.

What we are doing in this "most difficult stage" is seeking to build a core team. Through prayer, relational connection and evangelism we are asking the Lord to connect us with the right people for this part of the church planting journey. Here's the ways a core team can be built (as adapted from Stetzer's booklet).

1. A core team built with people from our partnering churches

2. A core team built with people from other local churches here to help us launch

3. A core team built on relationships with friends and family

4. A core team built from the harvest

5. A core team built from developing young Christians

6. A mix of the above

We have not yet had any takers from anyone wanting to join us here in Puerto Rico, so at this point our main focus is on groups 2, 4, and 5. I'll add another group to Stetzer's list which is unique to our situation here in Puerto Rico. There are some mature Christian families that live here already and don't have a local church because for whatever reason, they haven't plugged in yet. In pretty much every case, a mature Christian is by definition going to be involved in a local church, but here in Puerto Rico there are reasons why some might not yet be connected.

I'm sharing this tidbit on building a core team for multiple reasons:

1. Now you can pray specifically about the particular stage of church planting in which we find ourselves.

2. We'd like for you to move here and join our core team! C'mon! It really is possible, especially if the Lord is calling you to do so.

3. I also want the many of you who partner with us financially to feel a part of this process, to know the details of what we are doing, and how things are going. We could not be working toward this missional vision without your support.

Aside from building a core team, I'm working on incorporating Table Church. I'm navigating the nuances of Puerto Rico tax codes and laws, but with the help of Send Network Puerto Rico and a local accountant, the process should be fairly simple.

FAMILY UPDATE

Now that we have lived here for a month and half, I think it's safe to say that we have moved beyond the "tourist" description. We know our neighbors, Maria and the kids have a favorite beach, I'm already a regular at a local coffee shop, and the house is pretty much in order. Here's some pics of what the family has been up to...

MINISTRY UPDATE

We recently were able to host a missions team that was working with Summit Church Puerto Rico on the east side of the island. They came out to Aguadilla to be with us for the day. They prayer walked the city of Aguadilla, met and prayed for another Send Network church planting team here, and ate dinner at our house. I was able to share a leadership devotional with them and we spent some time together in worship.