What Is a Church Plant?
Since one of the main objectives of BOMU is to plant churches, it is important to understand what that looks like to us.
Evangelism is the first step. As each situation varies depending upon the location of contact, the strategies also vary. We are able to promote the message of salvation in different communities, going house to house. The goal here is to initiate informal relationships, for the river people are open to connect with others. Being lonely and isolated, they generally respond positively to informal and spontaneous conversation.
It is during evangelism that converts are made. The second step is discipling, a process that is fundamental since a good part of the people who have accepted the Lord have not been able to stay firm. The absence of good Biblical teaching makes it so that the spiritual lives of the river people do not have the structure to overcome evil. The
work lasts until the baptized converts show maturity and autonomy to lead a church.
We estimate that this period takes approximately two years, due to the distance
between each community and lack of resources. After the church plant, we move
on to structuring the church. |
|
Church
structuring involves five phases, starting with discipleship. They are: | ||
| 1.
Pass on the vision 2. Form a team 3. Work strategy 4. Mutual cooperation 5. Church plant | ||
Imagine if we could involve the life of Christ among this people group. What a holy mix that would be! What kind of a transformation could bring faith to this unbelieving group! How about making the glory of God shine in the places where there is only darkness?