PNEUMA FELLOWSHIP
Coaching Consult #1 – CHURCH PLANTING (The Evangelist)
The Planter is Essential
Ephesians 4 teaches that God gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be shepherds and teachers. We always call those who lead churches “pastors” these days, including those who plant new churches. But in truth a good church planter is more of an evangelist. Here is a description. Evangelistic leadership communicates the gospel message in a way that people respond by having greater faith in themselves and their purpose. Evangelistic leadership inspires people to greater commitments of following and discipleship. The Evangelistic leadership recruits others for a cause. In a leader, he or she senses the urgency of the moment and engages what needs to be changed now for what must happen in the future. Often, the Evangelistic leader comfortable around believers and non-believers alike – each seen as they can be. As the owner of the message, the Evangelist leader will make great sacrifices to achieve a genuine response. He or she is a communicator / recruiter, taking the organizations message to the outside, and convincing them of it. Evangelistic leadership markets and promotes an idea or vision to gain loyalty allegiance to the cause. The Evangelistic leader impacts the community through expansion. The Evangelist leader influences others by calling for greater personal response and sacrifice to a greater cause and purpose.
Someone planting a church needs a good handle on the good news of the Kingdom of God, and the ability to share/preach/counsel from Scripture, but most of all they must be this “evangelist” kind of person who gathers others. They need to be someone people like being with and want to follow. This doesn’t mean they have to be psychotically trying to instantly convert everyone they meet; after all, more and more people in our culture come to Christ now as a process. But they need to have that effect on people that people want to hear what they have to say.
