Prayer Letter, November 2021
2021 has been a study in timing. Who would have thought, just two years ago, that ‘church at home’ would have been a thing? Over the last year many people have remarked, “God obviously led you to start The Way at just the right time!”. We can’t help but agree. In a time when church leaders are grappling with how to connect their people, how to run services, and how to deal with government mandates, homes provide both a safe harbour and a missional launch pad for The Kingdom.
And so, The Way continues to train and coach home church shepherds to build multiplying disciples and multiplying churches. This is our one focus.
In early August, training for Wellington home church shepherds wrapped up and four new home churches began. Two weeks later our country went into lockdown. The four newborn home churches worked out how to continue to build multiplying disciples in this unusual environment. For one person it meant doing a bible study with a neighbour across the back fence. The neighbour has since committed her life to Jesus Christ and is being discipled! For one couple, it meant doing a bible study over zoom with relatives in England and Singapore. These relatives are discovering what it means to follow Jesus! One home church provided financial and practical help in their community, seeing families blessed with food and other essentials. Considering that all these home churches were literally one or two weeks old, this was truly mind blowing!
In both Queenstown and Wellington, home churches are living out what it means to be everyday missionaries in their everyday worlds. Friends and neighbours are joining in with gatherings, having bible studies, and learning about Jesus. Prayer walking, spiritual conversations, divine appointments, healing, answered prayer, salvations and perseverance through trials - all these are part and parcel of the home churches.
The apostle Paul often expressed joy in “strengthening and encouraging the churches” on his missionary journeys. This is now our joy too! Much of our time since the lifting of COVID levels this year has been spent over dinners, breakfasts, lunches and zooms with home church shepherds in Wellington and Queenstown. As we strengthen and encourage them we watch them go from strength to strength. There are now seven more people ready to be trained as home church shepherds. All but one of these are from within existing home churches. Their desire to see neighbourhoods reached with the gospel is inspirational. God is on the move through Kiwi homes!
Thank you for your prayer support as we seek to develop everyday missionaries in an everyday mission field.
We would appreciate your prayer for
2nd Generation Shepherd Training (Module 1)
– Early 2022
Future church plants
– Where is the Lord opening up doors?
– We are in conversation with a number of people throughout NZFinances
– We are seeking to build a team of 50 financial partners in 2022 (currently we have 15 people on the team!)
The Way, Plimmerton
– Pray for Kevin & Heather as they launch in early 2022
The Way, Pegasus
– Pray for Christine & Peter as they plan to launch early 2022
Wisdom for shepherds as they disciple others
Boldness for each Jesus follower as they evangelise
“I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.”
Romans 15:30
A book we’ve read recently is ‘The House Church’ by Wolfgang Simson.
“I am grateful to Wolfgang for his single-minded pursuit of God and truth, and for the fruit of that journey that appears on these pages. May you find this book to be every bit as stimulating, upsetting, uplifting, insightful, and freeing as I have.” George Barna
