The Church Planting Team in the ‘Twinkle In the Eye’ Phase
Pretty much every church that has ever been planted has started with an idea. Somebody, somewhere has the thought that a new church should be planted (perhaps you have had such a thought yourself from time to time). This thought may sometimes be prompted by prayer and prophecy, or it might be a part of a bigger plan to plant churches in a particular region. It could come through seeing the needs in an area, or noticing an opportunity with a group of believers who need a church near them, or it may even come through the ambition or frustration of a planter who feels that they have something to prove. Often it is a combination of some or all of the above.
When this thought has got into somebody’s head and captured their imagination, it can begin to dominate their thinking. I remember when God first spoke to me about church planting, and for a long time afterwards I couldn’t shake the thought. I would talk about it to pretty much everyone I could. I read books about it. I quit my paid church job to join a church plant near me and experience it for myself. My head was full of dreams and schemes about what a new church could be like. This is the “twinkle in the eye phase”.
For much of this phase, the ‘team’ will just be the person who has the thought in their head. This might be someone who ends up planting the church (either as the leader or alongside somebody else), or it may be the leader of an existing church with a dream for planting out again (we often say that planting a church is good, but reaching a region is even better). It doesn’t need to be a concrete plan or something that will definitely happen, just something exciting that has grabbed your heart and made you think, ‘wouldn’t it be cool if…’. This was certainly the case with the apostle Paul. As he wrote to the Romans he expressed his desire to preach the gospel in Rome, and then to go on and start churches in Spain. Though he did get to Rome, many historians think it was unlikely that he ever reached Spain. Nevertheless, this desire speaks of a man constantly dreaming of planting new churches and with a twinkle in his eye about the next thing.
During this phase of a church plant, a lot of what is happening is in your heart as you prepare for what God will do. Nevertheless, there are a few key team members who you need to bring on board. If you have a spouse then you need to share your heart with them (especially if you would intend to be part of the plant yourself), and allow them the time and space to hear God from themselves on it – remember, it would be a sizeable commitment that you would be asking them to make with you and it is important that they carry their own sense of calling to it rather than just piggy-backing on yours. The same is true of your children if they are old enough to understand what is happening. For existing church leaders who would be looking to send out the next plant, then having this kind of conversation with your current team would be a good idea, as the more of you that are excited about the idea, the more likely it will be to happen.
As well as the strategic conversations with key people, there is no harm and making a bit of noise about it generally. Be careful not to overstate things as this could hit your credibility, but to talk up the idea and begin praying into it in public settings is a good way to get the ball rolling, and it is entirely possible that by doing this you may unearth others who have an interest in getting involved.
