Nearly eight years ago Chertsey Street Baptist Church (CSBC) in Guildford set itself to re-establish a church which had closed in another area of Guildford.
This has now happened, and on April 17 a thanksgiving service will celebrate the independence of Guildford Park Church.
During these years, what has been learned about church planting and re-establishment? Here we try to summarise some lessons under 10 headings.
1. Vision
The work of planting a church is glorious, but also hard. It therefore needs a clear and definite vision. In Scripture we find 'Macedonian' calls, Acts 16.9 and also logical plans, Romans 15.20; 24.
But in whatever way the vision comes it will have certain characteristics. It will spring from a solid evangelistic desire, Psalm 96.3. It will be clear (or become clearer as time goes on) so that we can give a definite reason for attempting the plant. It will bring a general unity about the venture in the parent church. (There will always be some dissenters, but the clarity and reasonableness of the vision should be able to answer any fair concerns). The opportunity to re-establish the work at Guildford Park came at a time when God had so blessed the work at CSBC that more space was vitally needed. The elders had been praying about various options, but then 'out of the blue' Brian Edwards of FIEC rang to discuss the possibility of taking over the Guildford Park work which was on the point of closing. After the elders had shared this with the church, several of the CSBC members felt a very clear call to renew the Guildford Park work.
2. Reconnaissance
There is a need to collect facts about the area where you are hoping to plant a church. What is the geography, social mix, age range and cultural diversity of the area? This information will be crucial in making decisions about the people to go to the plant and other factors. Have others tried to plant a church or restart a church there before? If they failed - why?
3. Aim
Why is the new work to start? Is there really no other gospel witness there? Is our concern really evangelistic or just 'denominational'? Is it simply to give an outlet for active and difficult people in the parent church?
What is the aim in the short term, medium term, long term? What is the new work to be? A mission station/ Sunday school? A daughter congregation? An associated congregation? An independent work? Early in the work at Guildford Park it became clear that though it would be under CSBC's wing to begin with, the aim was to develop a congregation, which, in God's time, would become an independent church again, reaching its local area.
4. Leadership
You must have some leaders with evangelistic gifts - 1 Corinthians 3.6-8; Ephesians 4.11.
The leadership for the new work must be experienced and united. The leaders that go must be good team players - not lone rangers. The work will run into difficulties. The devil will fight a new church. There must be stable people who will not give up easily and will be able to steady the ship in a storm and inspire others.
It is good for the parent church to send some of its best leaders, Acts 13.1-3, who have long and strong friendships with leaders of the parent church. Doing this gives a good signal to others that this is a serious venture. The critical core group which went to Guildford Park included an elder and deacon from CSBC. Now three of the current elders are from that original group.
5. Method
The outreach should be in the best sense 'incarnational'. Jesus came and became one with us. Paul did his best to become like those he was seeking to reach, 1 Corinthians 9.19-23. There is usually a real need for workers to be or become resident in the area. It is not hit-and-run evangelism but long term commitment to people that is required. So a group goes to start the work. What kind of group should it be ?
At Guildford Park the work restarted on September 22 1991 with people who had a clear focus on visiting the area. It was agreed that a full-time pastor with evangelistic zeal should be appointed, but this took another four years to achieve.
6. People
A church is people, so the composition of the initial group is vital. Do not send malcontents! It must be a team.
They need to be committed to the Lord, to one another, to love the parent church and the new work. They need to have a sense of call. They need to be experienced people, already involved in works in the parent church. Their range of ages and character should be shaped by the needs of the area of the new work.
They should be people of proven ability. It is good to have a range of gifts and availability. Are people free during the day or only in the evening?
7. Relationships
Trust will sustain a work - suspicion will destroy it.
There are a number of different relationships to bear continually in mind: between people and leaders in the new work; between leaders of the new work and leaders of the parent work; between parent church people and plant people; between (hopefully) new people in plant (converted or joining) and parent church (people and leaders) with whom they have had no previous relationship; between the new work and other churches in the area.
On all these fronts there needs to be continual communication, prayer, support, forgiveness, etc. This was one of the hardest lessons to learn in Guildford. Mistakes were made, and, at times, there were misunderstandings on both sides. We have needed to learn to think well and speak well of each other, but with God's grace it has worked out.
8. Activities
Speaking in the context of the US, Tim Keller has said: 'We live in a time when public esteem for the church is plummeting. For many enquirers and outsiders the deeds of the church will be far more important than words in gaining plausibility. The leaders of most towns see 'word-only' churches as costs to the community, not a value. Effective churches will be involved in deeds of justice and mercy that will cause outsiders to say 'We cannot do without churches like this. This church is channelling so much value into our community through its services to people'.' Jesus not only preached, he went around doing good, Acts 10.38. Good deeds adorn the doctrine.
In planting or restarting a work, do those activities which the people in the plant can run and resource well, and are good for the general life of the area.
At Guildford Park, as well as a morning service, a planning, prayer and discussion meeting was started. With people available during the day a monthly coffee morning began, drawing older people from the area back to church. For three years now there has been a children's club. Then six years after restarting the work, there were enough resources to get a parents and toddlers group off the ground. Obviously as these activities grew, involvement in the parent church had to lessen proportionally.
9. Practicalities
Building? Do you need one? There are plusses and minuses: availability and having a base versus the costs of maintenance and security.
Finances? If people are to be full-time workers how will they be supported? Will the work grow with just a part timer or volunteers? If the work is to become self-sufficient it will require long term commitment from the people in new work.
At Guildford Park we inherited a very suitable modern building, but it still needed £15,000 spent on it and the maintenance work of an active retired member for two mornings a week.
Timings? How do you release people from involvement in the parent work to give themselves to the new work without wrecking the parent work? How long can the parent afford to sustain the new work? When is it right for the new work to go independent? As we have said, people in a new work cannot be expected to be involved in all meetings of both parent and new work.
These nine considerations are important, but the last is vital.
10. God's blessing
The need for prayer is supreme. 1 Corinthians 3.6. Only God can make a church grow. We look forward and seek his continued blessing on both churches in the coming days.
