Protect New Shoots - Wisdom from the Garden (7)

My father-in-law was an avid gardener!   Not only did he cultivate acres of vegetables and greenhouses full of tomatoes and cucumbers, he had a knack and reputation for growing healthy young starter plants from seeds.   I knew this firsthand.   See, as a teenager, before I was married, I spent many weekends in the spring working for him in the greenhouses.   He kept reminding me, since my name was Jacob, that if I was ever to marry his daughter Jeannie, like the Biblical patriarch, I would have to put in at least seven years of work.   Well, like the Biblical Jacob, I was able to convince him to give me the hand of his daughter in marriage, long before the end of seven years of labour.   But as I worked alongside Jeannie's dad, he taught me a very important lesson about growing young plants.  You need to protect the tender shoots!

Young plants, as soon as they germinate and begin to grow, need just the right amount of sunshine and water.  Too much water and the young plants will drown, begin to rot, and drop off.   But you can't let the soil dry out either!   This would cause the young plants to wilt, wither, and waste away.   When we would transplant the young seedlings into the greenhouse, we had to handle the plants with care.   The roots were not to be overly disturbed.   And when the young tomato or cucumber seedlings began to grow, we would protect the young vines and help them grow upwards by supporting them with twine attached to overhead wires.  In order to ensure a good harvest we had to protect the tender shoots.

There is some wisdom from the garden that we can apply to growing healthy churches.   We might not be cultivating young starter plants from seeds, but we are cultivating tender new shoots that are germinated by the seed of God's Word (Romans 10:17).   These tender shoots are new converts, people coming to faith, and receiving Christ as Saviour and Lord.   Some are people who are new to church, first time attenders at worship, and are at the beginning of their faith journey.   And then there are newly planted churches -- new gathered communities of believers taking root for the first time.   In order to ensure a good harvest we need to protect the tender shoots.

There is a beautiful image of God given in the book of Isaiah:  "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." (Isaiah 40:11)   Notice that last phrase:  God gently leads those that have young.   Here we have Christ the good Shepherd, and as Matthew Henry noted:  "he shows tender care for young converts."  When people first come to faith they need more mature Christians to come alongside them and mentor them in the basic principles of Scripture and the basic disciplines of the Christian life.   Tender shoots need tender care!   New Christians need to be shepherded!   As churches we would do new Christians a disservice if we simply baptize them or hear their profession of faith without discipling them in the faith.   Making disciples involves "teaching them to obey everything [Jesus] has commanded." (Matthew 28:20)   A new resource (The Discipleship Matrix), will soon be available online giving suggestions how you can assist yourself or another in growing as a follower of Christ.   The beta version of this online resource is available here.

When people attend church or join a Christian gathering for the first time most of them are confronted with things that are foreign to most Aussies.   The music, the rituals, the traditions, the preaching.   Even just showing up can be most confronting for the average unbeliever.   Not too long ago someone shared with me that a co-worker asked her if it was okay if she just showed up at church one day, or do you have to get tickets beforehand?  You might think it strange that somebody might ask that question, but this is the reality of the post-Christian society we live in.   I came to really appreciate the obstacles many unbelievers face when they first attend a Christian worship service when we pioneered a new church plant.   We went to great lengths to remove these obstacles by gently guiding people into the life and ministry of a local church.   All our ministry planning took into account the people we were trying to reach with the gospel:  the unchurched.  Healthy churches recognise the importance of making the entry points into the church very welcoming and non-threatening.   Enfolding new attenders and new Christians is not assumed or taken for granted; intentional strategies are designed and put into action.

You need to protect the tender shoots:  new converts and new church attenders.   The same is true for new churches.   A church that has been around for a generation or two most likely has policies and procedures in place, leadership is trained, finances are secure, membership is stable, and general church life progresses along quite smoothly.    But a new church, like a young sapling, is fragile.  Church planters can easily suffer from burnout.   Strong leadership is often lacking.   Finances are insecure.  Church planting is not for the feeble of heart.   It takes a huge amount of risk and faith.   And no church plant or church planter should stand alone.   Supporting the church plant should be a mother church who gives regular contact, advice, resources, and undergirds everything with fervent prayer.   Also, the church planter needs to be mentored and supported by a coach.   This mentoring needs to be consistent, strategic, and systematic.  

As we go about making disciples Jesus assures us: "surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)   Jesus is very much present with us as individuals and churches.   He is among us and resides in us by his Spirit.   And in a very real way, Jesus is also present with us when we as Christ's body, the church (Ephesians 1:23), are there for each other -- for new converts, for new people that show up at church, for new churches that are being planted.   Tender shoots need to be protected.   Using the words of an old gospel song, "Let them stand where no one stands alone."