Goals for the next five years
By 2012 we need to work at training at least 10 men serving as elders. Presently we have about a dozen able House church leaders, but we need to proactively identify, pray and train those who desire to serve as elders to provide leadership in Bangalore.
- Resource Centre / Training Centre by the end 2011
We need to rent or, if God wills, purchase a facility to store resource material and to also provide an opportunity to train leaders within Radiance and those who’d like to avail training on the House church.
- To develop comprehensive Training material by 2012
Presently we have a basic 2-3 day training guide to model the house church and to highlight the core values of Radiance. This material needs to be edited and improved. We need to develop additional material when relating to organizations and established churches.
- 50 groups in Bangalore by 2015, gathering consistently
If the present number of the house churches seek to plant 1 house church per year and if the subsequent Home churches do the same we may actually cross this goal. Some of them could be evangelistic Bible study groups.
- This would mean we need to pray that we have at least 500 seekers by 2015
- We need to share the gospel to many and identify 50 persons of peace
- To form fully functional ministry teams
- Music to facilitate worship, and enhance Evangelistic outreach programs
- Children’s outreach programs
- Youth outreach programs
- An editorial team to develop and maintain a newsletter and a website
- Care for those who are underprivileged or cast out
From the pool of talented people from within the network we need to identify those who would be willing to exercise their gifts and thus enhance our times of celebration and expansion of the ministry. It would indeed be feasible to form the following teams and initiate activities to not only reach the community, but also hone the giftedness of team members. These ministry opportunities need to be mentioned periodically so that those who have a calling could take on the initiative to spearhead these groups.
Planting and multiplying churches throughout India and the world
As catalysts
- Through Existing Churches and organizations
Sharing and training this concept of Church planting to existing Churches and organizations can speed up the process of Church planting all over the world. Though presently our number is less than 25, Radiance has been able to influence other churches and organizations to consider adopting the House Church model. Following are some examples.
- Banaswadi Bible Church in Bangalore has requested training for their Outreach work
- Life springs from Hyderabad visited us and changed their strategy to adopt the house Church model.
- Trans-world Radio is in the process of using this model to disciple their listeners in about 62 languages.
When we meet people who are interested we share this concept either through our involvement or through training. For example Srinivas adopted this model even while worshipping with us in the outskirts of the city, he presently anchors 30 plus groups in different villages
- Through Training programs
We would like to have training material available so that concepts could be presented and those interested can further train others or adopt the Home church model in their own context.
- ‘Home – Church Planting’ Resource Center
A training facility with resources available for anyone would be a useful tool to encourage existing groups as well as to help launch new home churches across language and cultural borders.
As Radiance
- When members transfer to other locations
Those who were actively engaged in our group after having moved to other cities and countries have begun to initiate Home Churches. Presently Joel, Phil and Abhishek are seeking to form a Home church in the US and the UK after having transferred for reasons such as education, marriage and ministry.
- Through circles of influence
Since urban folk have connections with family and friends in different parts of the world they could use these connections to influence and equip them to launch Home Churches.
By airing programs which are available on the web as well as Radio we are hoping and praying that we would be able to identify ‘Persons of Peace’ who could catch on to this concept and through additional training launch home churches where they are.
Using the participative nature of how a House Church functions we encourage people to model the house Church via the web which could then further be adopted by the people who sign in actual settings.
The process of reaching out to other peoples and nations through Missionaries
Presently the most feasible means of sending out people to other peoples and nations is through Career Missionaries. We can offer the ‘right hand of fellowship’ by means of prayer support and encouragement and practical hands on experience as people move to various places due to employment or other reasons.
BY GOD"S GRACE WE CAN DO IT!
