Pastor and author Bob Roberts is not only a great leader and thinker who possesses a global passion for the gospel, he’s a doer! He and his church are doing some great things around the globe. I first heard of Bob when my brother let me read his book The Multiplying Church on vacation last August and it invigorated me and challenged me to (re)think some areas of our global elements of Renew. We’ve interacted briefly with his staff regarding how Renew could practically go about discerning how we “adopt” a country or region of the world for focused and purposeful global engagement.
Bob recently wrote a great post on his blog titled: If I were Starting a Church Today. He has some great thoughts.
1. I’d get off in a room alone with God and maps of the world, verses God has given me, words he’s given me, pray and seek God radically BEFORE reading any books on church planting and/or going to conferences. I’d get his will in my heart first before finding mentors, teaching, and training. I’d ask him to break my heart for the world and his kingdom.
2. I’d then develop a small prayer team of no more than 5 people – of different races, etc. praying for me.
3. I’d write out everything I sensed God saying and things that resonated with me that I’d heard others speak and write about.
4. I’d find the person emulating ministry in the most similar way I sensed God speaking – and another person in the most opposite way I heard and ask them lots of questions off and on.
5. I’d begin to ask God to pull the team together to begin by engaging the local community beyond religious work.
6. I’d go to a multi-ethnic area and pull a multi-ethnic team together. That means if I was in DFW – south Irving.
7. I’d have my discipleship model in place before we began and lead our initial leaders through it before we did anything else – then have them multiply it throughout the church.
8. I’d pick a hard place in the world to work before “going public” or “going native” in the neighborhood and everyone who came on board would know that’s part of who we are up front.
9. I’d worship a minimum of an hour a day from Day one – so I’d recognize all God was doing and be ready to respond.
10. I’d expect and get excited on the unexpected.
Check out more of his blog here. It’s one of my favorite blogs.