Your Journey Blog

Nine Prayers of a Missional Leader Part 5

“Father, grant me the courage to make the right missional decisions.”

Winston Churchill said, "Without courage, all other virtues lose their meaning." Missional leaders are not thin-skinned when it comes to keeping the church engaged in God’s missional purposes.  They are willing to take a hard look at themselves and their organization to evaluate their effectiveness.  They are willing to ask difficult questions such as, “What are we doing or not doing that is hindering us from being at the center of God’s mission?”

Missional leaders are willing to push themselves out of their own comfort zone, like Peter did when he walked into Cornelius' house and broke all kinds of cultural barriers for the sake of the gospel (Acts 10:22-48).  Peter was willing to be misunderstood and to stand up for the missional decision he made (Acts 11:1-18).

Courageous leaders are also willing to be misunderstood for the sake of the mission and are willing to risk criticism head on, like Paul and Barnabas did when they went to Jerusalem to face the concerns and questions that were arising from the ministry (Acts 15:1-4).

These types of leaders rise to the challenge when key decisions need to be made and they use their influence to see that it is carried through. James is a example of this, when at the Jerusalem council he declared, "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” (Acts 15:19 NIV)  That decision wasn't essential in seeing God’s mission move forward into new regions but it was critical in aligning the church in Jerusalem with God’s plan. 

Spiritual leadership at its core is basically keeping God’s people on God’s agenda.  As Joshua was leading God’s people forward into His purposes, we see that strength and courage was going to be needed.

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."  (Joshua 1:6-9 NIV)

Courage isn’t something that leaders can muster up. Spiritual leaders find courage from three sources: 1) understanding God’s purpose (Joshua 1:2) 2) by trusting in God’s promises (Joshua 1:3-4) and 3) experiencing God’s presence (Joshua 1:5).

What courageous decisions do you need to make this week to keep yourself, your family, your church, or your organization on mission with God?

Next time: “Father, help me focus on my strengths and trust others to fill the gaps of my weaknesses”

Excerpt from Gary's book: NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church

Join Gary "live" at an upcoming "NextSteps Workshop"  August 27-28th

The Theology of Resistance in Church Planting

One of the best newsletters on church multiplication I personally read is one written by Dr. Bob and Noreen Vajko veteran church planting missionaries who function now as church planting consultants with TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission)  Recently they dealt with the Theology of Resistance in Church Planting, Here are Bob's thoughts:

 

As missionaries work in church planting, the question of “where” to plant a church is a key factor in an effective and enduring church plant.  This leads to the question of what to do in order to plant a church in a resistant area in any given country. I would like to look at the biblical data and then move from the theology of church planting to the question of the application of what is gleaned from this data. 

 

What is Resistance?

• The word “resist” has an interesting etymology coming from the Latin “resistere” and means “to take a stand” or “to exert force in opposition.”
• This is exactly what we talk about when we deal with the concept of “resistance” to the message of Christ.
• Michael Pocock states that “The resistant are those who have or are receiving an adequate opportunity to hear the gospel but over some time have not responded properly.” (Woodberry 1998, 5).
• In particular certain parts of the world, certain ethnic groups, and those adhering to certain religious groups have shown themselves resistant to the life-changing message of Christ.

What Causes Resistance to the Gospel?

• Belonging to an ethnic group that is opposed to Christianity.
  • We see this in many parts of the world today and especially among certain ethnic groups.
  • Usually this means that becoming a Christian means being a traitor to your given ethnic group.
• Belonging to a religion that is considered superior to Christianity.
  • This is the case with most of the major religions of the world.
  • To become a Christian is to betray your previous religion.
• A misunderstanding of the message of the gospel.
  • Many are resistant because the message of the gospel is tied in with cultural baggage that is not a part of the gospel.
  • Many are resistant because they have not heard a message that is related to their context and the gospel seems to be either incomprehensible or foreign.
• Resistance to the person bringing the message. 
  • After the 2^nd world war, a German missionary seeking to work in Francewould normally find resistance not because of the message but because of the link with a previous invader. 
  • The same would be true of Japanese missionaries going to China right after the war with China.
• Certain times and seasons of resistance.
  • Amazingly enough there are times when resistance is broken down because of some change in the circumstances.
  • There is also the question of the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit who, as Jesus stated, "the wind (same word as Spirit in Greek) blowa where it wishes..." and there are special times and seasons where suddenly an openness to the gospel shows itself.

How Can Resistance be Overcome?

• By love.

• By prayer.

• By a new presentation of the message of Christ.

• By better contextualization.

• By a new understanding of the message.

• By planting churches in concentric circles thus increasing receptivity. “Nothing increases general responsiveness like the spread of evangelical churches.  Every Christian has scores of relatives who know him intimately.  Every congregation is a center of influence.” (McGavran 1963, 64).

Resistance and Church Planting

• It is evident that it will be more difficult to plant a new church in a resistant area or among resistant peoples.
• It will be helpful if we think about “pockets of receptivity” in resistant areas.
• • This has been mentioned previously in HPMC where we discovered in a new city where people where moving in at an unusually rapid rate) an amazing openness to the gospel in France whereas the general population was more resistant.  
  • This can happen within a given ethnic or demographic group where some people are more open for a number of reasons  
  • Contact with some kind of “bridge of God”- a friend, relative, or even business contact who has been changed by the gospel.   
  • Some kind of change in their life – a crisis or period of difficulty where they need help and loving concern that the gospel provides.   
• The question of urbanization and resistance.  Newer areas in a given population open the door and provide receptivity.
• The question of demographics and resistance.   Areas where there are younger people are more open and less resistant.
• The multiplication of churches within a given area increases receptivity as can be seen in the quote of McGavran above.  We experienced this in the Paris area as new churches helped to plant new churches and thus increased responsiveness.

Sources:

• Liao, David E. E. 1972. The Unresponsive: Resistant or Neglected? The Hakka Chinese inTaiwan Illustrate a Common Missions Problem. Chicago: Moody Press.
• McGavran, Donald A. 1963. Church Growth in Mexico. Grand Rapid MI: Eerdmans.
• McGavran, Donald A.. 1980. Understanding Church Growth, Revised Edition. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans.

To sign up for Bob and Noreen's Newsletter email bobvajko@gmail.com 

Check out Gary's thoughts on the subject No Respnse to the Gospel

Nine Prayers of a Missional Leader Pt 4

Have you ever read the "Present with the Lord" sections in your Alumni magazines or newsletters?  Many of us may have because we know that one day our name will be listed there.   Years ago as I was Ieafing through mine I came across a couple of pastors who where remembered for their faithful service in local churches, faithfulness to their families and interestingly enough, they were also remembered for the number of men and women they helped enter into full-time ministry.  So with that thought in the back of my head, the next time I scanned through another Alumni magazine I saw another pastor remembered for his service, his family and those he mentored into full-time ministry.  Was I starting to see a pattern here?  I saw it again and again!  Then I noticed that these pastors served during the 30's, 40's and 50's!  My conclusion was people remember what is important to them. Faithful service and loving family, along with the raising up and the sending out of leaders were badges of honor to these generations of leaders. I am very confident that faithful service and family are very high on our list, but I have to wonder...is raising up and sending out leaders in the harvest field a value for our generation?  We celebrate building, budgets, attendance, the number of staff we have but there is little talk about the leaders we send out.  

This leads us to our fourth prayer that will enlarge the heart of a missional leader: “Father, help me empower others and release them into your harvest field.”

This can be a dangerous prayer for a leader because leadership development is a costly and risky business.  The making of leaders is filled with all sorts of pitfalls, setbacks, and victories.  Consider the example of Barnabas, the first century "leader maker".  At great risk to himself, he invested into the life of a young convert named Saul.  He risked his very life and he risked his reputation in bringing him to the rest of the Apostles (Acts 9:26-27). Years later, at great cost to himself, he went to find Saul in Tarsus and gave him a platform in the Church in Antioch (Acts 11:25-26). When the Holy Spirit spoke and told him to leave Antioch with Saul to take the gospel to Asia Minor; it was no mistake that he brought along a young apprentice, named John Mark (Acts 13:5). When he saw God uniquely empowering Saul, who become Paul, he stepped back and in an enableing move, let Paul take the lead (Acts 13:42-46). Finally, when a decision to reinvest in a wayward apprentice needed to be made, Barnabas took an empowering posture and put the development of a young leader ahead of the task. This decision cost him dearly (Acts 15:36-42). As leaders we need to count the cost of praying this prayer because investing, empowering and releasing leaders can be a messy business.

We are called to pour our lives into others, first on a discipleship level (Matthew 28:19-20) and second on a leadership level (II Timothy 2:2).  It is surprising how little we pray about identifying, raising up and sending out workers into the harvest field.  Praying for workers was critical to Jesus' missional training process.  "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'"(Luke 10:1-2)

As he was sending out workers he taught them to pray for more workers.  Let us earnestly ask the Lord of the harvest to bring us more workers to send out into His harvest.

Next time: “Father, grant me the courage to make the right missional decisions.”

Excerpt from Gary's book: NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church

Join Gary "live" at an upcoming "NextSteps Workshop"

We Want to Share Your Stories - Send Them to Us

Over the years I have heard hundreds of amazing stories of how the Spiritual Journey Guide has made a difference in how pastors and ministry leaders engage in spiritual conversations.

I am finishing up a new book entitled, Spiritual Conversations: Creating & Sustaining Them Without Being a Jerk (It is a working title - send me your thoughts). In this book I hope to offer a biblically centered approach towards evangelism through examining how "Lordship and Rapport" must work together for one to be fruitful in their spiritual conversations. It will take a close look at the training pattern that Jesus used in Luke 10, as well as the "person of peace" principle that Jesus taught his disciples. It will be filled with practical advice and usable tools that I have gleaned from the 20 books I have read on evangelism as well as the 29 years of experience (June 1980 is my spiritual birthday) I have had as a practitioner, trainer and coach.

We would love to fill it with your stories! So submit your story in 250-400 words, with your name, and church or ministry information to: Gary Rohrmayer at gary@yourjourney.org Send us your best stories that are from one of the following categories:

• How it has helped you increase your spiritual conversations.
• How you helped someone take the next step towards spiritual discovery.
• How you helped someone take the next step towards missional living.
• How have you used it in a small group setting?
• How have you used it in a worship setting?
• How has it helped you in assessing where a person is spiritually?
• How has it helped you relationally sustain a spiritual dialog?

The deadline is July 1st

The Spiritual Journey Guide

Through four simple diagnostic questions you can help the spiritual searcher identify and discover the barriers on their spiritual journey and you can identify how deeply the Holy Spirit is at work in their lives drawing them towards Christ. (Click to see a Sample Version)

The goal of this process is not to lead a person towards a forced prayer of repentance but to help them develop a personalized plan towards spiritual discovery or spiritual maturity.

Nine Prayers for a Missional Leader Pt 3

The third prayer that will enlarge your missional heart is "Father, pour out a generous spirit in my life and church."  You'll notice that the prayer was not, "Father let generosity be lavished on me and my church" but let me reflect a generous spirit.

One of the prevailing marks of every strong leader is that of a generous spirit. In Paul’s farewell message to the Elders in Ephesus he said these words, “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'"(Acts 20:35 NIV). Paul lived a generous life and appealed to others to be generous with the resources entrusted to them, both financial and personnel resources.  He appeal was based on the words of Jesus himself who was the supreme model of generosity.

Barnabas was another leader whose life was marked with a generous spirit. He was not only generous with his financial resources (Acts 4:36-37), but also with his investment in young leaders;  first Paul (Acts 9) and then with John Mark (Acts 13).

Three basic realities for seeing a generous spirit released though your church are:

1. Put God first by giving away a minimum 10% of your offerings.

As leaders we all teach church members the principles of tithing and first-fruits giving.  All too often, when the budget gets tight or challenging, leaders reduce their giving and we begin robbing God.  Lance Swearengin of Waypoint Church in O’Fallen, MO told me the following story.  The financial person in the church came to him and said, “If we pay our tithe this month we will not have enough money to cover the postage costs for our Easter mailing...which one do you want to pay?” Lance did not hesitate, “Pay our tithe! I fear God more than I do the post office! We will just have to trust God to provide!”  That Friday he asked his assistant if she had checked their  P.O. box for mail that week...she responded no. He asked her to check it to see if any checks had come it.  Well, guess want happened? You guessed it!  There was a check for $2500.00 (the postage for the mailing was $2,200.00!)  Generous leaders are leaders of principle, faith and who understand that God must be placed first in the finances.

2. Expand your giving over time.

Excelling is a natural attribute of a leader.  They are always looking for ways to grow and strengthen themselves personally as well as professionally.  They seek ways to improve and move their organizations to the next level.  Paul wrote to the church in Corinth acknowledging their excellent growth in every level and appealing to them to excel in their giving.  “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” (II Corinthian 8:7 NIV)  As individuals and organizations we are called to excel in our giving; 10% is always just the starting place.  I remember a friend of my saying that his church was giving 30% of their offering away into missional endeavors and that his goal was to become a 50/50 church in that they would give 50% of their income into kingdom building ventures! On a personal level, Rick Warren just announced the he has become a "reverse tither" meaning that he is giving 90% of his income away and living on 10%.  God blesses generous hearts. God wants us to understand that we can not out give God.  In my experience generous people are unusually entrusted with more resources to give away. Because they understand the giving cycle always ends with giving. Our culture looks at the "giving to get" model but the biblical perspective is "giving, to get, to give more!" (II Corinthians 9:10) The biblical cycle always ends with giving.

3. Hold leaders and staff lightly.

Remember the church is to be in the sending business and you can’t send those you hold on to tightly.  In Acts 13:1-3, the leaders gave their two top leaders to God’s missional purposes in Barnabas and Saul, along with sending out an up and coming leader named John Mark.  I’ve worked with too many churches who grudgingly give up those leaders who sense God’s missional call to church planting.  These churches miss a huge opportunity to be a blessing to those being sent and to receive a blessing from God for their generosity.  I think that this was a big part of Paul’s message to the Ephesus elders, “Don’t hold on to me so tightly that you miss God’s blessing in my departure.  Remember what Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give that to receive.”

As a leader would you dare to ask God for a generous spirit?  It is a prayer that will lead you on a soul stretching adventure.

Next week: “Father, help me empower others and release them into your harvest field.”

Excerpt from Gary's book: NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church

Join Gary "live" at an upcoming "NextSteps Workshop"

Nine Prayers of a Missional Leader, Pt 2

What is your picture of God?  If you were to close your eyes and think of God what would you see?  I remember hearing a women's response to that question who was suffering with breast cancer, she said, "God has his hands in his pockets and doesn't want to help me." I remember asking a young man who was in trouble with the law, "What is your picture of God right now?"  His response was "He is the big boss."  Here are two people with real personal responses.  Unfortunately, their response is based on their experience, not based on the truth of scripture.  This is why they need true believers who can come along side and lead them to the God who is a "present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)  

A.W. Tozer wrote, "The gospel can lift this destroying burden from the mind, give beauty for ashes, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. But unless the weight of the burden is felt the gospel can mean nothing to the man; and until he sees a vision of God high and lifted up, there will be no woe and no burden. Low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them." HT

How many spiritual leaders fall into this trap?  As one who works closely with pastors and church planters I often see the gospel being destroyed in their lives because of their low view of God.  They shrink from conflict. They cross moral and ethical lines. They forget their calling. They allow their circumstances to rob them of joy. They cry "Woe is me" when things go bad and "Look at me" when things go well. 

As we saw last week, the prayers we pray can be a window into our souls, revealing what we truly believe about God and his mission.  The second prayer a missional leader needs to pray is...

2. Father, give me a bigger picture of who you are and your work in my heart.

The Apostle Paul prayed for believers to get a bigger picture of God, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV)

Paul is praying that these believers would have an ever expanding view of God’s glory (Ephesians 1:12;14) and an ever expanding view of the spiritual blessings we have in Christ through the work of the gospel (Ephesians 1:3-14).  His desire is that we get our eyes off our own circumstances and refocus them on the infinite greatness of God.  He wants us to get our eyes off our human frailties in order that we can get a fresh perspective of who we are in Christ and to live in the reality of God’s spiritual blessings.  As leaders we all need to get a new perspective from God’s point of view.  Someone once said, “The difference between a mountain and a molehill is your perspective!”

As missional leaders we need to see God as:

• Bigger than the problems we endure
• Bigger than the pressures we experience
• Bigger than the people who criticize us
• Bigger than the pain we suffer
• Bigger than the praise we receive
• Bigger than the pride in our hearts

A.W. Tozer wrote, "A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well. It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse. I believe there is scarcely an error in doctrine or a failure in applying Christian ethics that cannot be traced finally to imperfect and ignoble thoughts about God." HT

When was the last time you asked God for a bigger vision of "Who He is?" and "What He has done for you through the work of the gospel?"

Next week: “Father, pour out a spirit of generosity in my life.”

Excerpt from Gary's book, NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church

Nine Prayers for a Missional Leader Pt 1

A number of years ago I heard a pastor say, “If you really want to know where a person’s heart is – listen to their prayers.”  Our prayers can be a window to our souls that reveal our deepest motives, desires and passions. 

I used to define prayer as simply lifting up ones heart to the Lord. In that definition prayer is a highly personal and deeply intimate experience, it is not something that is very formal or structured.  Yet that definition falls short because prayer is more than lifting one’s heart to the Lord…it  also involves aligning one’s life with God’s mission, will and purposes in this world.

Prayer has a way of putting our lives in perspective. It is seeing ourselves from God’s vantage point to align with His dreams and desires. Oswald Chambers wrote, “I have to learn that the aim of my life is God’s, not mine.  God is using me from His great personal standpoint and all he asks of me is that I trust Him.” 

I have been speaking and writing on Nine Prayers Leaders Can Pray to Enlarge Their Hearts. The response has been tremendous so I thought I would share them with you. 

Here is the first prayer:  “Father, break my heart for the world you are seeking to save.”

David Brainerd, a young missionary, over  three hundred years ago, gives us a great example of a leader whose heart was broken for his world. "I care not where I go, or how I live, or what I endure so that I may save souls. When I sleep I dream of them; when I awake they are first in my thoughts…no amount of scholastic attainment, of able and profound exposition of brilliant and stirring eloquence can atone for the absence of a deep impassioned sympathetic love for human souls."

Brainerd’s words remind me of God’s missional heart cry in Genesis 3:8-9, “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  But the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’”

These thoughts remind me of Jesus’ missional lament in Matthew 23:37-38, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate.”

Brainerd's words also remind me of Paul's passionate confession in Romans 9:1-5: "I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.”

Evan Roberts, a 26 year old coal miner heard a man pray this prayer, “Bend us, Lord. Bend us.” He left that prayer meeting praying this simple prayer, “Bend me, O Lord. Bend me.”  This prayer was the spark that set revival through the church in Wales.  Out of that simple prayer Roberts developed a powerful message that contained these four points: 

•  Confess all known sin

• Deal with and get rid of anything doubtful in your  life

• Be ready to obey the Holy Spirit instantly

• Confess Christ publicly

Over the next year he preached that message and 100,000 people came to Christ in what is known as the Welsh Revival of 1904.

Missional leaders pray “break us” prayers.  Break our hearts, minds and souls so that we will adjust our lives to be aligned perfectly with Your redemptive flow.

Next week: "Father give me a bigger picture of who You are and Your work in my life"

Excerpt from Gary's book: NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church

Need Help Taking Your Church to the Next Level

NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church

One of the differences between a follower and a leader is that a leader knows what the next steps are for their organization. Even if they don't know what the actual next steps are they will relentlessly search for ideas, advice and counsel to get their organization to the next level. NextSteps For Leading a Missional Church is designed for any church leader who embraces the missional lifestyle. It offers ideas and tools to build healthy church systems that allow the church to actualize its values and achieve its mission.

Here are a few questions we explore:

• How will your leaders reproduce?
• What does inspiring worship look like?
• How do you sustain relational health in your church?
• How can small groups serve the mission of the church?
• Are your structures & systems functional?
• How does one raise the evangelistic temperature of the church?
• How does one handle a financial crisis?

This two day seminar is designed for any pastor seeking to lead their church toward health and global impact.

Who should attend:

• Church Planters who have just launched their church or who are ten years old. 
• Pastors who desire to take their church to the next level
• Coaches who desire to know what's new in church growth and church health
• Restart Pastors who desire to lay a new foundation for a sagging ministry
• Lay Leaders who desire to just want to be a part of the harvest

Schedule:

Milwaukee Area - May 19-20 - Sign up here - Hosted by Converge MidAmerica

Chicago Area - August 27-28 - Sign up here - Hosted by ChurchSmart Resources

NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church

One of the differences between a follower and a leader is that a leader knows what the next steps are for their organization. Even if they don't know what the actual next steps are they will relentlessly search for ideas, advice and counsel to get their organization to the next level. NextSteps For Leading a Missional Church is designed for any church leader who embraces the missional lifestyle. It offers ideas and tools to build healthy church systems that allow the church to actualize its values and achieve its mission.

Here are a few questions we explore:

• How will your leaders reproduce?
• What does inspiring worship look like?
• How do you sustain relational health in your church?
• How can small groups serve the mission of the church?
• Are your structures & systems functional?
• How does one raise the evangelistic temperature of the church?
• How does one handle a financial crisis?

This two day seminar is designed for any pastor seeking to lead their church toward health and global impact.

Who should attend:

• Church Planters who have just launched their church or who are ten years old. 
• Pastors who desire to take their church to the next level
• Coaches who desire to know what's new in church growth and church health
• Restart Pastors who desire to lay a new foundation for a sagging ministry
• Lay Leaders who desire to just want to be a part of the harvest

Schedule:

Milwaukee Area - May 19-20 - Sign up here - Hosted by Converge MidAmerica

Chicago Area - August 27-28 - Sign up here - Hosted by ChurchSmart Resources

A New Coaching Strategy - STOP IT!

No Response to the Gospel: What do you do?

What do you do when there is no or little response to your efforts in evangelism or church planting? 

First lets consider what it is not:

1) We know that the problem is not with God's mission. He is drawing mankind to himself (John 6:44), He is sending workers into the harvest (John 4:37-38) and the harvest is ripe! (John 4:34)

2) We know that the problem is not with God's Spirit. He is convicting the world. (John 16:8-10)

3) We know that the problem is not with God's message.  The gospel is the power of God. (Romans 1:16) The gospel message is clear. (I Cor 15:3-4)

So what do you do when there is no spiritual fruit?  Charles Brock, in his classic work The Principles and Practice of Indigenous Church Planting (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1981), offeres the following list of items for us to carefully examine: the seed, the sower, the soil, the method and the weeds.  One of my mentors, Bob Logan, developed and expanded Brock's principles with the following questions to help missional leaders probe the matter even further.

• The seed -- Is the appropriate scripture being used - stories which the people can relate to? Has the gospel been diluted?
• The sower -- Is the messenger or church planter the right person for the place? What are their expectations? Too high, too low? Are they boldly proclaiming the gospel? Does the church planter have faith for the work?
• The soil -- Is the right area being targeted? Would another ministry focus group in the area respond quicker?
• The method -- Is the message being proclaimed in a culturally appropriate manner? Are there other creative ways to give the message? Is the gospel being proclaimed in a simple, easy to understand way?
• The weeds -- Is there spiritual warfare which needs to be waged? W

What do you do when you are seeing little fruit in your evangelism or church planting efforts?

• The seed -- Protect the purity of the gospel (Galatians 1:6-8) and embrace the centrality of the gospel in your life. (Romans 1:16-17) 
• The sower -- Do a gut check or a rigorous spiritual inventory. (Ps. 139:23-24; Joshua 3:5)
• The soil -- Pray for men and women of peace to come along your path. (Luke 10:1-23)
• The method -- Embody the gospel and it will flow out of your methods. (Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-8)
• The weeds -- Understand the fight and fight with the weapons God has given us. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

Andrew Murray's words bring challenge and hope to this subject: "Revival must be asked and received direct from God Himself. An extraordinary spirit of prayer, constraining believers to much secret and united prayer, pressing them to 'labor fervently' in their supplications, will be one of the surest signs of approaching floods of blessing. If there is to be a mighty divine awakening it will be born in the whole-heartedness of our prayer and faith for it. Let no believer think himself too weak to help, or imagine his prayers are not needed. Let every believer stir up the gift that is in him and begin to cry every day, 'Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?' Every revival has come as Pentecost came, as the fruit of united, continued prayer. It is in the closet, with the door shut, that the sound of abundance of rain will be heard. An increase of secret and united prayer with ministers and members will be a sure harbinger of blessing."

May the increase of secret and united prayer fall upon us!