Ripe for Harvest

S ESSION 4: N URTURE AND T RANSITION • 355

Session 4 Nurture: Mature the Church Transition: Release the Church Themes and Objectives

Main Concept Nurture: Mature the Church Transition: Release the Church

Objectives After this session you will be able to:

• Articulate the critical theological and biblical themes related to nurturing believers individually and in community through mentoring, discipleship, preaching and teaching, and effective leadership development. • Recite the foundational principles of taking a congregation from its fledgling start to a maturing, healthy church, ready and able to sustain and reproduce its own life together through its leaders and members. • State the basic principles of effective Bible preaching and teaching in the church, whether in the pulpit, small group, individual discipling, Christian education, or counseling. • If changing role from church planter to pastor, identify and follow the basic criteria for transitioning God-called leaders into positions and roles of responsibility for the church. • If transitioning leadership from church planter to indigenous leaders, resolve issues related to the smooth implementation of transfer of leadership from the church plant team to indigenous leaders as overseers of the assembly.

Key Scripture Acts 20.28 (ESV) – Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Context Values/Vision

Prepare Launch Assemble Nurture Transition Schedule/Charter