Acts 29 Network: Seattle, WA

Home

LIG.punt | Pretoria, S. Africa

Johan Verster
May 6, 2011
Series: Church Profiles
Categories: Church Planting Articles, Latest News

Briefly describe your story of your call to plant a church

Johan Verster and Tobie Meyer met each other on their way to work, at a train station just south of London, without any introduction. They had 2 things in common: 1. They were both South African and 2. They were both about to become Christians in the next few months. In the meantime, they became friends, often travelled together and eventually decided to share a house with some other friends. God over this time opened their eyes (and that of many of their friends) to the beauty and reality of the gospel, gave them a good local church to settle into and planted the thought of establishing a similar church back in their home town, Pretoria. This was 2002 but the dream developed into strategic planning, assessment and recruiting that culminated in the launch of LIG.punt in Pretoria in early 2010.

How did you build up your core? What advice would you give to guys in the core-stage?

We shared the dream of planting a church with others, explained what we hope it might look like (formally and informally), partnered with other local churches who might provide some good people, and started a small group that met weekly to read, pray and invite others in. Be patient: don’t rush into starting something public unless you’ve got a group of people who are completely with you – and don’t make anyone a leader unless you know them really well.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in planting your church (and/or currently facing)?

Knowing, during the build up to an actual launch, which of the well-intended advice to accept and which to ignore. Currently, though, the challenge is from the sin underneath the surface: at one level it looks like all is well spiritually but we are often reminded that it might well be masking major sin in the lives of many of us. So I guess the real challenge is to enjoy God’s goodness and yet not be complacent.

How did you become involved with Acts 29? What have been the biggest benefits of being in the network?

Started considering joining the Network as we were nearing the end of our seminary days and realised that what we hope the plant to look like would not quite fit into any existing network, yet keen for relationships, input and accountability from other like-minded guys. Also, we’re convinced that the open/closed handed approach is completely needed in our context, yet totally absent. The biggest benefit to date have been The City, seeing what others do, what they struggle with and how the guys challenge and look after each other. Being geographically removed from much of the rest of the Network, it allows us to share in many of the existing benefits as we seek to create a similar (though contextualised) brotherhood this side. Seeing others on mission certainly keeps us from becoming content with the way things are.

What advice do you have for men who are wrestling with the decision to plant?

Join a network: whatever is keeping you from going ahead at the moment can probably best be addressed in relationship with other guys who are/have been there, who’ll assess thoroughly, be honest with you and be there for the long haul with you.

What’s the most important thing you’d want to share with a new church planter?

Don’t do it alone – if at all possible. We’ve been 2 elders from the outset and of all the decisions we’ve made, this one has yielded the most fruit, for us, our families and our church. Of course, you need to know who you’re partnering with and what exactly that relationship with look like in practice and over time, but it is worth the pain upfront.

How do you pastor your family?

Given the fact that we are in year 2 of our church-plant, with 3 kids under the age of 3...my wife and I struggle to do more than pray together on a regular basis. I try to give her time-off with the kids, so that she can focus on her own devotional life. We try to be intentional in our Christian witness to family, friends and strangers. We make sure that we have breakfast and suppers together as a family every day. I read and pray with my boy every night and we are intentional in communicating to him the goodness of God and the Lordship of Jesus.

Outside of the Bible, what is the most helpful book you have read for church planting?

Total Church - Timmis and Chester

Church Profile: LIG.punt
Launch Date: April 2010
Location: Pretoria, S. Africa

Mission, Vision, Values of Church

MISSION

We exist to glorify God by shining the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ into the city of Pretoria, for the salvation of the lost and the good of the community.

VALUES

In everything we do, we desire to be a Christ-Centred, Gospel-Proclaiming, Word-Ministering, Community-cultivating, Culture-transforming, God-Worshipping Church.

By this we mean:

CHRIST-CENTRED: We recognise that any ministry that is not built on Christ is ultimately meaningless (1 Cor 3:10-15). It is Jesus who is building his church (Mt 16:18) and he will receive it one day as his bride (Rev 19:6-9). He is thus the reason for our existence, the source of our ongoing strength, the motivation behind our efforts and the ultimate object of our hope.

GOSPEL-PROCLAIMING: At the heart of the message that we are proclaiming is the wonderful news that God is establishing his kingdom through the person and work of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only through the faithful proclamation of this message that God powerfully brings people from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light (Rom 1:16). Jesus modelled (Mk 1:15; 1:38) this emphasis in his ministry, as did the Apostles (1 Cor 2:1-5).

WORD-MINISTERING: It is our conviction that the primary way by which the church remains Christ-centred and gospel-proclaiming, is by preaching the Word in season and out of season (2 Tim 4: 2), never being ashamed but instead working hard at correctly handling the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15).

COMMUNITY-CULTIVATING: Just as God is persons-in-community (Jn 5:19-20), so Christ wants to create “a people”, not merely isolated individuals that believe in him. Cultivating a community of believers who love God, one another and the world, is not only important for the ongoing health of the local church (1 Cor 12:26), it is also a vital part of our Christian witness (Jn 17:20-23).

CULTURE-TRANSFORMING: As is the case in all cultures, Pretoria’s culture has both its strengths and weaknesses. We believe that Christ does not call us to be totally removed from the culture, nor to be silent about those expressions of the culture which are contrary to God’s Word, but rather to strive to be a community of believers that will seek the healing and proper directing of culture.

GOD-WORSHIPPING: It is ultimately our desire that LIGpunt will be an earthly reflection of the heavenly Church (Heb 12:22; Rev 5:12). This means mobilizing believers (both individually and corporately) to offer themselves as living sacrifices to God in every sphere of life (Rom 12:1-2). We believe that 1 Pet 2:9 lies at the heart of who we are – we exist for the purpose of declaring the praises of him who called us out of darkness and into his wonderful light.

VISION

By God’s grace, we long to see LIGpunt:

• speak God’s truth with integrity to the whole city.
• reveal more of God’s glory to those whose eyes have been opened to see it, so that they might be drawn to him in worship.
• continue to explore the depth of the gospel and its implications for all aspects of life.
• through its members, influence society for the good of all people.
• raise men and woman for the work of worldwide gospel-proclamation.
• pursue multi-ethnic community in tangible ways, as a testimony to the unifying power of the Gospel.
• be a church that plants churches that will in turn plant churches, across a wide demographic range.
• partner with like-minded Christians across a broad spectrum
• joyfully serve those that are vulnerable and in need.
• be a church that remembers what it was like to be in darkness.
• consistently model a passionate dependence on God through prayer.
• foster a lifestyle of joyful generosity.
• model authentic community, both in and outside the church.

What are some examples of God's grace that you have seen in your life and/or the life of your church?

We’ve seen God giving new life all around us: He established a new church, people have been made spiritually alive as they’ve come to trust in Jesus, scores of healthy babies have been born, he is adding to our number (almost!) daily and there is a healthy partnership developing among churches in our city who seek to work together for the Kingdom.