For most people, the idea of pioneering a church seems beyond them, and they think it's the job of a handful of reckless enthusiasts, or the result of a few guys strategising from behind locked doors. This is definitely not the case - if we look at the book of Acts we can see many different people using a variety of gifts & methods to plant churches, for many different reasons.

The question most frequently asked by pioneers, is how to start. We asked Colin Baron, "How do you get from one or two, to three, six, or twelve people and beyond?" In reply, Colin gave us some key principles to help you gather your first group:

Take a long-term view
It's easy for pioneers to feel pressured to grow the church almost overnight. I would rather encourage those who have moved into a new area to initially spend most of their time sorting out their home and settling their family. This will prove a worthwhile investment as the work begins to demand more and more time and attention, and extra pressures are put on their lives.

Work within your resources
Don't attempt more than you can really manage - the time for full-scale missions is probably not when you have a group of only four people! The apostle Paul was aware of this principle when he arrived in Corinth (Acts 18) and began tentmaking alongside Aquila and Priscilla - only on the Sabbath was he found reasoning in the synagogue, and it wasn't until Silas and Timothy arrived that he 'devoted himself exclusively' to preaching the gospel.

Identify who will join you
There are basically three categories of people that you will draw from to build your first group:

Christians from outside the area
The goal is to have a team of people with different giftings that compliment your gifting who, as a community, will be strong enough to plant a church. Pioneering with the support and covering of a larger movement of churches can also give you a resource from which to draw. Make your plans to plant a church known as widely as possible and request support in as many ways as you can get it.

Non-Christians from the new area
In order for the church you are building to grow through people being saved and added, it is important that you begin to look for ways to make new friends as soon as possible. Asking for help from new neighbours and work colleagues is a great way of getting to know people. As you develop relationships with them, there may be those who are interested in the Christian faith, or who simply want to know what you're up to and so they want to spend time around you. Make sure an evangelist is part of the church planting team so that these relationships result in fruit in terms of people becoming Christians. Also, make use of a travelling evangelist to help reap where you are sowing.

Christians from the new area
Although in general you should be ready to discourage people who come from other born again churches - especially if they have left with hurts - there may be those whom God has genuinely called to work with you. They must be very clear about your vision and values.

Prayer is key
Prayer is a major key to answering these and other questions regarding building the first group and for the growth of the church. In the gospels and Acts we find some prayers Jesus and the apostles prayed. These are very helpful in directing our praying in pioneer situations:

Pray for workers - Jesus said, "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field" (Mt 9:38). I believe that this is a prayer given to the pioneer to pray in faith, and with confidence, that God will send the right people to work with you.

Open doors - Paul asked for prayer, "that God may open a door for our message" (Col 4:3). As we build friendships with people, we want opportunities to demonstrate God's love and share our faith.

Boldness - Paul asked the Ephesians to pray, "that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel" (Eph 6:19). In the early church this was a frequent prayer request, as it should still be today!

You - Paul constantly asked churches to pray for him and his current situation, catching them up in his onward march of church planting. Getting everyone praying for you will help you to pioneer a church, and who knows, maybe God will call some to come and join you! Terry Virgo once got me up in front of three hundred pastors, before I even moved to Manchester, and asked them to pray for me and for the city. Is it any wonder therefore that we have seen churches started right across this region!

Leave your door open
Hospitality is a major key to gathering, and in the early days of pioneering it should be your primary focus. Open up your home - use opportunities such as a housewarming if you have just moved, Christmas parties or summer barbecues to meet as many of your neighbours and colleagues as possible - then think of creative ways to keep up the contact. Hospitality is universal in its appeal.

Making friends
You should be looking to build some real, genuine friendships amongst those with whom you have contact. At times it will mean going to things and taking part in activities that you don't always enjoy, but it will enable you to get into the life of those you are befriending. The New Testament pioneers would start gathering a group among people they had things in common with - for Paul this meant going first to a synagogue, if there was one in the city. In Acts 11 we see how those who were scattered due to persecution began pioneering among those they could relate to; those Jews who were native of Judea and Jerusalem went to other Jews, but those who were Greek-speaking began to reach out to Greeks. It is important that we reach out to those we have faith to see saved.

What should be the content of your first meetings?
This will vary according to your gifts and strengths. For some, prayer and worship will be the primary focus of their first home meeting; a hospitable person may concentrate their first group around meals; for others Alpha might be the most appropriate. Knowing what you want to achieve is important so that you don't find yourself disappointing people who have got used to coming to your house for a particular type of evening.

Remember - church planting should be fun - a happy church is an attractive church so try not to get bogged down!

NEXT ISSUE: Training pioneer leaders and the key role of the apostle.