In this post Steve Timmis, director of Acts 29 Western Europe, concludes his series on ‘Church Planting Out of Season’.

‘We all know sometimes life’s hates and troubles

Can make you wish you were born in another time and space

But you can bet your life times that and twice its double

That God knew exactly where he wanted you to be placed’

God knows
How true those words of Stevie Wonder ring when it comes to church planting out of season. How many of us wish we were born in a different age? Or long to be ministering in a time of revival? Who of us wonders why God has chosen us to be the ones who are living for him in such a ‘time and space’ as this? And yet, Stevie was right. God’s sovereignty is both comprehensive and intimate; he did know exactly where he wanted us to be placed because he not only knows exactly what his eternal purposes are, he also knows exactly how he will bring them about. 

Not by accident
For some, that may not sound like good news because the majority of us are not in a time of revival or exceptional blessing. But we are not here by accident - a fact for which we can praise God. In this series of Out of Season posts, we have seen that godly expectations towards church planting will mean we will endure with faithfulness and humility as we rely on the Lord. For no matter the season we may find ourselves in, God’s glorious Word never changes. Neither does his call upon our churches to be the people of God in the here and now. As church planters we are called to discharge our ministry so that churches grow that survive and thrive whatever the conditions. And as we labour well, we do so in hope that the Holy Spirit will come to produce a harvest for which only the Lord will receive the glory. 

This is why we have chosen this as our theme of our inaugural Western Europe Bootcamp. Come rain or shine, fair weather or foul, hard ground or tilled soil, we’re looking to challenge and encourage each other to be gospel minister For All Seasons.