The Movement – Redeemer Urban Church Planting Center e-Newsletter:
PRAYER AND THE SEQUENCE OF NEW TESTAMENT MISSION
By John Smed, Church Planter, Grace Vancouver Church
Part 3:
The Order and Repetition of the Sequence
Each stage in the sequence builds upon the previous one; no stage can be omitted nor should the order be altered.
For example, without power through prayer, evangelism produces little fruit. Without conversion growth of evangelistic advance, community formation fails. This highlights a weakness to some present mission endeavors: inadequate prayer base results in weak evangelistic efforts and anemic church growth. Even if new churches experience rapid numerical growth, it can be the response of Christians to advertising and programs instead of the hearts of unbelievers being changed by the gospel.
Not only do the five stages build upon each other, each is continually repeated, as seen in the vital church growth of the Acts narrative.
Following the first Pentecost-harvest-community sequence in Acts chapters 1 and 2, culminating in the community formation of Acts 2:42-47, the key events are repeated in Acts 4:31ff.
An expanded representation of the five stages looks like this:
When we examine the church today, we find that the Acts’ history has often been neglected. Following the Acts’ sequence is more the exception than the rule. Whatever the implications, we must return to the New Testament pattern, it is a matter of integrity in our church planting efforts.
As we do this, there will be practical consequences for church planters and church leaders.
In haste to generate offerings for a new church we may hurry to community formation-worship (stage 3), and leadership selection (stage 4) before building a strong prayer foundation (stage 1) and evangelistic fruit. It is easy to neglect the priority of prayer and evangelism. We need to be honest and admit that we can define our goals and objectives in categories where success can be achieved with or without a manifest work of God’s Spirit. In order to guarantee that quotas are met, we simply bypass the uncertain element of God’s working.
[The church] is not in control of the mission. Another is in control, and his fresh works will repeatedly surprise the church, compelling it to stop talking and to listen Because the Spirit himself is sovereign over the mission, the church can only be the attentive servant. The sober truth is the Spirit himself is the witness who goes before the church in its missionary journey… The church is witness insofar as it follows obediently where the Spirit leads.
– Lesslie Newbigin, The Open Secret
In conclusion, the five stages of New Testament mission as presented in the book of Acts are successive and symbiotic.
Prayer fuels evangelism; evangelism necessitates prayer. Community formation is a result of prayer and evangelism; and as the new community devotes itself to prayer, it grows evangelistically (Acts 2:47). Effective mobilization (leadership selection) results from prayer, evangelism and community formation; but the first three stages are enhanced as a result of effective leadership selection.
Notice how the community of believers in Acts shared in the process and rejoiced in the outcome of leadership selection and how the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly as a result of wise leadership (Acts 6:1-7). A similar encouraging epilogue accompanies the fifth stage as the churches grow in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and were multiplied (Acts (9:31).
Thus, the church progresses through the five stages by adding to, not leaving behind, the prior elements. At the same time, the prior stages are expanded and strengthened as the church grows.