 Okay, the recording has started. Let's get started. Okay, good morning. And welcome to our class today on Urban Church Planting, BC 309. We're going to pray and we get started. And I think the others will join us as we go along. Dave, could you please pray and let us start? We'll start. Sure. Father, we thank you for this class. And we thank you for this day. And we thank you for this new week that you've given us, Lord Jesus. As you learn, as you hear from our pastor about the church planting Lord Jesus, you give us, each one of us a vision Lord Jesus so that we can, we can run after that vision and we can put in what you want us to do. So that we can learn and apply it in our life of Christ. We thank you. We will pray for all those who are still joining us. You'll be with them and have them to join you in time. And help each one of us to study and understand more in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Okay. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Once again. Welcome, Sudarath Haran. Thank you. All right. So we, today we're going to start a new section, which is section three on urban church planting. So in section one, we, sorry, we did an introduction. And then we, sorry, this is section four. So in section one was the introduction. Section two, we did some of the practical side of church planting or starting a ministry in an urban location. And section three, which we completed last week, we talked about the spiritual side of things, you know, how do we engage spiritually? Some of the things we have to be aware of in prayer and intercession and exercising spiritual authority. As we're going about doing our regular work of planting a church or starting a Christian ministry in an urban context. Today, we're going to start off section four. It's not a very long section, but I think it's, you know, it's probably a very important section compared to all the others. It has to do with personal preparation. Now, usually we, you know, we would have thought of putting this right in the very beginning, discussing this very beginning, but I thought I'd keep it to the end. And that's what we've been doing is because, you know, having understood what is involved in starting a church or a ministry, the question ultimately comes back to, you know, how do I prepare myself? And am I, you know, does God want me to do something like this? So I kept this at the end so that you, you know, we could really discuss, we could talk and you could take time to think about this. And of course you have great questions. You're welcome to ask, which, you know, more of at a personal level, you know, does God want me to go and start a church in a certain city? Or does he want me to start a ministry, a Christian ministry, some sort of a Christian ministry? There's not to be big. And so even if it's a small thing, that small ministry that's going to impact a few lives, it could make a big difference in those few lives. And does God want you to do it? You know, maybe there is a need and nobody else is addressing that need. Does God want you to do something about that need? Which of course would require you to start a Christian ministry. So that's kind of the thinking that we want to go along. In this section, section four and look at all of this from a personal perspective and then also share with you some of the areas in which you can start preparing yourself because starting a church or starting a ministry is not an easy thing. It's not an easy thing. There's a certain amount of, you know, hard work, commitment, tenacity, grit, determination that's required to make sure that, you know, you can pioneer a church or a Christian ministry. And so we want to just, you know, place that before you so that if the Lord were to direct you to do something like that, you have a clear understanding that this is what it's going to take. And then you go into it, you know, as well prepared as you possibly can to pay the price to, you know, really get into it and make it happen. So I've shared these lecture notes on the classwork sections. We can take it from there later. I'm going to just share it here with us. So in this section that we're talking about the personal life of a church planter or somebody who's going to start a ministry, Christian ministry in the urban context. The first thing, of course, is to know that God wants you to do it. That God is calling you to pioneer. That means to start something. And so, you know, you always have the question, should I go and join something that's already there? Maybe a church, Christian organization, so on. Because in many parts of the world, there are already in many cities, there are already churches, already Christian organizations that are functioning. So that is always an option to go and work with an existing church or a ministry. And there's nothing wrong with it. And existing churches and ministries do need more laborers, people who will, Christian workers will come alongside and be a part of it. So there's absolutely nothing wrong if God, if, you know, that's in your heart. But at the same time, even within in cities, even though there are many churches and there are many Christian ministries, there's always a need for more. Because there could be areas of need, as I mentioned, there could be areas of need that are not being addressed. There could be areas in the city that are untouched. There could be certain demographics or social groups of people that are not being reached or not being served. And just speaking generally, there are more people than churches can reach. So for example, you know, I'm just giving an example, say in Bangalore city, let's say we don't know the exact number, but let's say there are about 2,000 churches in this whole city. Now 2,000 seems like a big number. But the population of Bangalore city is anywhere between, you know, so excess of 12 million people. Again, we don't know the exact population just because people are coming and going out and a lot of things have changed in the last year and a half or so. But generally before that, it was in excess of 12 million. It was 12 million plus growing and people are constantly moving into the city. So we're talking about let's say 2,000 or so churches approximately. It's not an exact number. And we're talking about 12 million people. That's a huge number of people to be reached. And even these 2,000 churches that are already there are not sufficient to reach 12 million plus people. So even in the city, in Bangalore city, there is definitely a need for more churches that address different languages because in the city of Bangalore, there are people who speak different languages, different cultures, different expressions. I mean, people have different tastes in the sense of what kind of worship service they would fit into. All of these differences are there. And so there's always a need for more churches or more ministries. Like we said, when you look at the city and you look at all the problems in the city, there's always a need for more people to come in and address the problems to help people who are going through various challenges. So what I want to say is either way is fine. If God calls you to join an existing church or ministry, that's fine. If God is stirring in your heart to go and pioneer a church or pioneer a ministry in a city or a certain place, that is also fine. But the question is, what is God calling you to do? That's the real question. And so even when people come and ask, should I join a church or should I go and start a church? We have to turn the question back to them and say, what do you feel God is calling you to do? Because there is no straight answer for every person. Each one has to discover what is God calling them to do. So what I've put down here are a list of pointers that you can consider that seem to indicate that you have the grace to start something. I'm not saying that this list should dictate your decision. That's not what I'm saying. But I'm saying that this list will help you think through and maybe recognize that, yes, there is a grace in my life to go and start something, whether it's a church or a Christian ministry, to pioneer, to do something that may not have been done or that needs to be done and to take the responsibility of a pioneer and to do it. So what indicators of grace should we look for? First of all, you look for a pioneering spirit. Do you have the inclination, the inner inclination to try something new, to be what we say is a way maker? That means you'll be the first person to chart the way. So that means you'll have to make the way, to pave the way, to try something that's not been attempted before. In some sense, are you adventurous? Are you willing to step out into the unknown? Are you that kind of a person? Is it part of who you are? There are some people who are good followers. That means they're very comfortable being behind or just doing what they're told to do. They're very happy if somebody gives them the work and they will do it well to the best of their ability. And we need people like that. We need people who are good followers, who are naturally inclined to be part of something bigger than they are and to serve in that very faithfully. We do need people like that. But we also need people with a pioneering spirit or adventurous who will be able to step out and say, hey, I'm willing to do something new. I'm willing to try out something. I'm willing to be this person who would start something. We also need people like that. And so God has created all of us different. And this is something that God may have put in you as part of your makeup. What I do want to point out is that sometimes you may recognize this pioneering spirit in you at a later point. Initially, you may start out being a follower. You just like that role. You just enjoy just being a good follower. You will do whatever is told you to do. That's it. You enjoy being that. You may not have thought of yourself as a pioneer. But sometimes that pioneering spirit in you comes out at a little later stage. It could be that situations force you to take leadership. Situations force you to move out and start. And then you realize, hey, I enjoy this as well. I enjoy being able to try out something. I enjoy being doing something like this. So this ability to pioneer may come out at a later stage in your life. And that's fine. But you need this. You need the ability to pioneer. That's an indicator that there is grace on your life to go and start a church or a ministry. Secondly, you should have the ability to work independently. Usually a good follower or a good worker, they do things that they're assigned to do. Somebody tells them, hey, do this. They'll do it. And that's good. Like I said, we need people like that. But in the case of a pioneer, there's nobody there to tell the pioneer, go and do this, go and do that. Of course, you can have some mentors. You can have some people who can give you some ideas. But ultimately, they're not going to be there day to day to tell you what to do. So on a day to day basis, you have to think and give yourself tasks to do. You have to be your own leader. You have to be your own manager to get up in the morning and say that today I'm going to do this, this, this to establish the church to go forward. I have to try out this. I have to try out that. Or if it's a ministry, I have to explore this. I have to explore that. So those are things that have to come out from you. And of course, through your prayer and your relationship with God, these ideas will come. These directions will come. But you have to have the ability to receive that from God. Unlike somebody who's working in an existing organization, they are given their assigned work and their roles are described and they know what to do. They're told what to do. So that's the second point that you need to ask yourself, do I have the ability to work independently? If you don't and some people don't, then being a pioneer is going to be very difficult. You won't be able to take things forward. And things may just end up stagnating, just being there or sometimes just going around, around circles because you're caught in a loop of being the same thing because that's what you're comfortable in sort of doing something different, doing something new. So that's the second grace you have to look for in your own life. And that's important. A third one is, do you have the ability to build bridges? That means are you comfortable talking to people who are different from yourself, who are different from your background in culture? Can you sit down with them and talk to them, engage with them? Because when you're pioneering, when you're starting a church, when you're starting a ministry, many times you are stepping out to reach people who, you know, some of them may be like you, maybe in terms of culture, background upbringing, but there will be people who are very different from you. They come from different cultures, different backgrounds, but are you comfortable talking to them? Are you comfortable engaging with them? Are you comfortable listening to them and, you know, understanding different perspectives and different cultures? And then are you able to relate to them? See, that's important because like we said, even in a city, a city, most urban centers are a melting pot of lots of different kinds of people. You can in the city say, look, I'm going to target a certain subgroup, a subsection. Example, you could say, well, I will target people who are speaking a certain kind of language. It is good. You can start out that way. But it is very likely that just being in the city and even though you have a target group, it's very likely you will have to engage with people from other cultures, other backgrounds. And sometimes they may speak the same language, but they could be from a different city. Example, you know, suppose I say, I want it and I'm just picking up a local, you know, Bangalore example. Suppose I say, I want to plant a church for Hindi-speaking people. That's good. So I have my target group by a language, Hindi-speaking. But just Hindi-speaking, there are people, you know, from so many different states in India who speak Hindi. And then there are people from different cross-section of society who speak Hindi. So there are the laborers who speak Hindi. There are the shopkeepers who speak Hindi. There are, you know, very wealthy people who speak Hindi. And they're comfortable and they would like to have a Hindi church. So even though we have said, we want to do a Hindi church, just that within Hindi itself, there are people who are from different states in India. People are doing different occupations. People who have different, you know, economic levels. And so, would you be comfortable in relating to all of them? Can you sit with, you know, a laborer and speak to them in Hindi? Can you sit with somebody who's very wealthy, rich, fluent and talk to them in Hindi? I mean, you've got this wide gap. But are you comfortable just, you know, sitting with different people, different backgrounds, different cultures and just relating to them as just human beings and talking to them and engaging with them? So this ability to build bridges is an important thing to look for if you're going to be, you know, planting a church or starting a ministry, especially in an urban centre, because you are going to be involved with people from different backgrounds and cultures and you should be comfortable doing that, right? So we've just talked about three indicators. Let me pause here and just make sure that everybody is together. Are you all following me? You're understanding these thoughts? Any questions? You all okay with me? Yeah, following? Kanan? Following? Okay, no questions. Clear. Okay, fine. All right, I see your responses in the chat. And yeah, feel free to, you know, ask any questions anytime. Okay, so I'm going to keep moving forward. Thank you for your responses. Let's go on. Okay. So we, you know, so these are just indicators. Yeah, I can do this. I have this grace. Number four is the ability to be a visionary. And, you know, like I said, many of these things would be interconnected in some way. You know, obviously a pioneer's a visionary, but I just stated here is when you say a visionary, what does it mean? A visionary is somebody who has the ability to see something when nothing exists. Okay, that's a visionary. That's one part of being a visionary. So for example, you know, somebody shows you a piece of land saying, you know, you know, you just make you standing before, you know, a few acres of land, three acres, four acres, five acres, whatever, you're standing around the land. A visionary doesn't just see a land piece of land, right? He will see, you know, maybe a big building or whatever, like let's say in terms of a church or, you know, church building, you know, he would see this beautiful big church building. You see the parking lot. You'll see people here and there. You know, for him, it's like it's not just a, you know, a four-acre plot or five-acre plot or whatever that is, but he sees something. He says like, wow, on this thing, you know, we could have all of this. So a visionary is seeing something but doesn't exist. You know, whereas, you know, somebody who doesn't necessarily think along those lines, they'll see a three-acre plot and say, oh yeah, I see three acres. Yeah, I see the boundary. I see, you know, what it was on the land and that's it. So they see what is there, but a visionary sees what is not there and they're able to envision something happening. They're able to envision, of course, using the imagination that God has given to us, they're able to envision people's lives being touched, envision ways in which people can be reached or people can be served. They envision people, their lives becoming better, you know, people becoming happy or people's lives being transformed. So they're able to see that and most of us can do that and perhaps do that to some extent. But if you want to be a pioneer, if you want to be somebody who starts something, this vision or this ability to envision is very important. That's what is going to keep you going for many years when things are still coming together because you are seeing something way ahead of time. You're seeing something way into the future and that vision propels you. That vision keeps you going and when you arrive at a certain level, then you begin to vision something more, something bigger. So you're going from stage to stage to stage. A person who is not a visionary, they reach a certain level and they're very happy, okay, fine, I've reached this, I'll settle here. They're happy with that. So then what happens? Things begin to stagnate. But a visionary always keeps seeing something more. They always see something bigger. They always see possibilities. They dream in thin air, sort of speak. They're always seeing, okay, how can I reach the city? How can I reach the nation, the nations? So the ability to envision, to see something when nothing exists is an important indicator of grace. It's an important trait. For somebody who is called to start a work, to lead a work, to a pioneer of work, you need to have this ability. And of course, this is God given, you know, and the Holy Spirit breeds new visions, right? Remember that Peter, quoting from the prophet Joel said that in the last days, God will pour out a spirit on all flesh. And your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. So visions and dreams are something that the Holy Spirit keeps birthing, giving to his people. And of course, there are many aspects to visions and dreams. And one of them is that God is giving an understanding of what he wants to be done and where he wants things to go in terms of the church or the ministry or reaching people or reaching the city, that God gives this vision. And so being a visionary is again a very important aspect. Now, I do want to draw the distinction between somebody who gets excited and somebody who can envision a future and work towards it. You see, getting excited is good, but that excitement usually lasts for a very short time. But that is very different from somebody who envisions a future and keeps that vision in their mind and keeps working towards it. So people can get excited, you know, and this, oh, I'm going to go and I'm going to do this, this, and this. And they're very excited for maybe one month. And after one month, they stopped talking about it. What happened to the excitement is all gone. What happened to all the plans and the dreams and all gone. So that was just based on excitement. That's not the same as envisioning a future. A visionary envisions a future. Of course, they are excited about that. But they keep that future in their mind's eye. They envision that future, even when the excitement is not there. Even when things are very difficult. Even when there are challenges, they're able to envision, that's where I'm going. That's where we are going. That's what we are working towards. It may take time. And of course, in church planting or Christian ministry, it will take, you know, some of these take years, you know, and you have to stay fresh. You can't wear out, you can't, you know, become stale, you can't give up. And how do you do that? By keeping that vision fresh in your mind's eye, you know, that you're able to envision a future and say, that's where we are going. It's taken us so many years, but you keep continuing to go. We have to go there. Right. So there's a difference between being excited about something for one or two months versus having envisioning a future and willing to work towards it over a long period of time. So that's the kind of visionary we're talking about. Right. Who was required to be able to pioneer a church or start a Christian ministry. Okay. Number five. Another indicator that I would encourage you to think about consider is if you've had a prior history, engaging in church plans or starting your ministries. Now, it could have happened. Maybe when you were working with other people that together as a team, you'd gone out and you helped start something. You helped pioneer a work. So you were part of that team. Or maybe you let that team. Maybe you initiated that. However it might be. But if you have a history of doing this, that's a very good thing. It's a very good indicator because you have experience in pioneering in starting something. What does it mean to break ground and start digging and laying the foundation and working on it? So that's a good indicator of grace on your life. And it's good to keep that as an important indicator that God has already prepared you through those experiences. Whether you've worked with other people and done these things. God has already prepared you to pioneer. He's taught you. He's trained you. He's already given you experiences that have prepared you to go and start something new, either a church or a Christian ministry. A couple of more things is a stirring in your heart. That is also a very useful or a very important indicator. That you feel really stirred about starting a church or a ministry. And the story can be of course due to various things. It could be because a certain need has really got your attention. It is really touching you. You know, maybe you're seeing that there's a certain area where there is no church and there are lots of people there. Lots of houses there. And people are not going to church because there is no church in the area, in the vicinity. And so they're just not going anywhere. So you feel stirred about it. Or it could also be where there's a certain need. Maybe there are children in the slums who they just, nothing is being done to help them. And you're touched by it. You're being stirred by that. So that thing that's catching your heart and has captured your attention is also something to consider. Because that doesn't happen just by accident. Obviously there are a lot of other people who are seeing the same thing, but it's not affecting them. But it is affecting you. So maybe God is using that. He will get you to go and start a work, to go and do something, start a church or start a ministry to address that need. Number seven is there are times when God gives you a clear word. From God, you know, you get a clear word. It could come through a dream. It could come a word that God speaks to you in your spirit and go and do this for my kingdom. It's, you know, you know that God has spoken to you, maybe through the scriptures, so many ways it could be through a prophetic word, somebody prophesied, and it was then you felt the confirmation. Maybe somebody else gave the confirmation through a prophetic word. So no, there's a clear word from God, a clear direction from God for you to go and start a church. Or start a ministry. That's also an important indicator to consider. And lastly, you know, I just call this the accidental church blunderm. That means you are not really expecting this, but it just happened. And you find yourself in a place where you're starting something. And this is what happened. One of the examples I think of is how we started the Nepali church at APC. This happened back in 2001. This was the year that we had actually started the APC. We had just got back from the United States and that was end of December 2000. And January 2001, we started All People's Church. Sorry, February 2001. February 18, 2001. We started All People's Church, the English service. Now at that time, we started this in my parents' house. And at that time, there was a Nepali couple who were working in my parents' house. They were staying there and they were working there. And so this young man had a young wife. And I think they had a baby as well. After we started the English service, maybe after two months or something, he came to me and said, you know, there are a lot of Nepali people here. They don't have a church. Can you start a church for them? Can you do a service, a Nepali service for them? Now, first of all, I had never thought of something like this. Never. I didn't even know that there were so many Nepali people in Bangalore and there was a need for a Nepali church and all that. This was back in 2001. Now, you know, so I was ready. I had no hesitation and I didn't know too much about... Of course, I couldn't speak Nepali and Hindi or anything, but I had no hesitation. I said, sure, we can do it. The only thing is, you know, we have to find a person who can translate from English to Nepali and redefine some people who can lead worship. And everything just fell in place, you know. So there were people there ready to translate from English to Nepali. So we started and this was on Tuesday afternoons at four o'clock. And we went to a nearby place where we have a very same place with very English services. We said, can you rent us a place for Tuesdays at four o'clock? Tuesdays were the day when most of the Nepali people had their day off. They used to work on the weekends. So that's how it started. This was not something I had planned or I had even thought I would be doing. But we started the Nepali church every Tuesday at four o'clock. I would go. I would just pray and say, God, I hope the interpreter comes because if he doesn't come, service is not happening. I can't, you know, I can't preach in Nepali or Hindi, but without fail every Tuesday somebody was there and there was somebody to sing Hindi and Nepali and people started coming. Then we had somebody from one of the Bible colleges join and he was there for a while working, doing the, you know, helping interpret. And so God was very faithful. He kept on, you know, there was always somebody there for the Nepali church and the numbers began to increase. And the church was taking shape. But then it hit a point where I said, you know, I can't continue this. It's too many people and I'm not really pastoring them because, you know, other than being there on Tuesdays and other than maybe helping with, you know, organize special things, I really cannot talk to them. I really can't help address their problems. So we appointed somebody who would do that, you know, really like care for the people. And he was the person who would speak Nepali and all that. So he was doing that, but then he left. Now he was planning to leave and so we were praying, say, God, please, we need a Nepali pastor. And I was ready to move out and hand this off to a Nepali pastor. And sure enough at that time, and I forget the exact year, I think it may be, I don't know, 2005 or, I forget the exact year when we had Pastor Timothy Dapa. He came. He just, I don't know how and where he came, but he came from Kathmandu. I don't even know how this whole connection happened. But they brought it to Pastor Timothy Dapa and today he's just come to Bangalore. He's, he recommended that he will be the pastor. And it was all just a step of faith because I didn't know Pastor Timothy Dapa at that time or anything like that, but we just handed it. So please take over. Please leave the church, be part of ABC. We'll support you, encourage you. And so then the church just took off because there was somebody there full-time to pastor the church and care for the people and then build it up. And of course we were there to guide him and tell him how to do things and how to, you know, nurture people. Some of the students started studying with us in the Bible college. They got trained and they started serving their own, you know, the Nepali church. So all this wonderfully worked out. But it all seemed to be an accident. If I look back, you know, there was a Nepali couple working in my parents' home. They said, can you start? Now that couple left and they've moved overseas shortly after that. So, but I was just willing to step out and say, okay, fine, we know how about it as we will serve. So sometimes, you know, things like that may happen. And you just have to recognize that God is orchestrating something. You just go with it. You may not be the best qualified person. You may not have everything that it takes. To do it. But you're just being available. And, you know, to whatever extent you can help people, you help them. And then God will take it on from there. He will bring the right people and build it and, you know, and bless many, many lives. So I want to place these eight, you know, what we call as pointers, things to think about and think about it. And just, you know, pray and say, God, do I have these things in my life? Are there these indicators that seem to indicate to me that, yes, I can be a judge planter or I can be somebody whom God is calling to start a new work, right? So just go over these eight things and we will wrap up for today. So the first is a pioneering spirit, right? The ability to try out something new. Secondly, ability to work independently. You know, you have to be your own leader before you can lead other people, lead yourself. Thirdly, the ability to build bridges, work with people from different backgrounds and cultures. Number four is being a visionary. The ability to see something when nothing exists. Number five, you have a history with God in engaging in church plans or you have a prior experience. That's a good thing. Number six is to feel stirred in your heart to start a church or start a ministry to address the needs of people. Number seven is there could be a clear, confirmed word of direction from God. How will God speaks? You know, through a dream, a vision, through the written scriptures, through a prophetic word, so on. Number eight is maybe it's just an orchestration of circumstances that have just come before you and you find yourself in a situation where you have to step out and be a church planter or be a pioneer. And you pray about it, of course, and you feel the peace of God, then proceed. Take the step and God will bless that step of obedience. Okay. So that's just the initial part on how you can recognize that God's put that grace on you to be a pioneer, a church planter. Any questions, any thoughts, any things you want to clarify on this? Before we close, please. Any questions, anybody? All right. So take some time to think about these things. And if, you know, either now or in the near future, God speaks to your heart. Hey, just, yeah, step out boldly. I will talk more on this next class. So let's close in prayer. I see your comments in the chat. Yeah. Thank you. Let's close in prayer and we will then dismiss. Okay. Siddharth, would you like to close in prayer? Or I'm not sure if your mic is okay. Can I? Is your mic okay? Close in prayer. Yes. Can you hear me? Yes, come on. Yes, come on. Okay. Okay. I thank you for the cross, Lord. I'm praying for everyone in this class, Lord. And thank you for the knowledge and understanding. Help us more understanding. Help us to get more understanding. And from the subject, Lord. And I pray for the best of reading, Lord. Keep us strength and protect us from our ways. In Jesus' name we pray. Thank you. Thank you everyone. Have a good afternoon. I'll see you all again tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your day. Thank you. God bless. Bye now.