Planting Churches Among the City's Poor - Volume 2

146 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 2

• Consistent prayer and supplication for the specific needs of the team. • Phone calls, visits, and correspondence to the Team Leader on aspects of ministry. • Establishing contacts, acquiring and using networks, as well as making referrals to those who can assist. • Advocating to their Director and/or church governing authority for needed staffing, facilities, and equipment. • Strategic participation and contribution to the church planting effort when solicited and appropriate. • Help a team continue to develop its ongoing strategic plan (i.e., Team Charter) as it progresses in its church planting vision. Question 5 How much time will leaders actually have to spend with the church plant teams to keep them healthy and on target? Answer to Question 5 Team Leaders should count on spending much time with their primary team members, and some time with other support team members, volunteers, and other project assistants that may contribute to our effort. Teams require constant nurture and input, and Team Leaders should count on spending many hours with their team members in direct fellowship and ministry. MTL time commitments, which are much different from those of a Team leader, may vary greatly, but must be regular and faithful. MTLs should commit enough time to ensure that teams under his/her oversight remain healthy and on target. The way that s/he disperses this time, however, can vary greatly, and may occur anywhere on a broad spectrum depending upon a church plant team’s particular situation: • One-day consultation on-site. • Initial weekend visits to the city, followed by monthly phone calls or meetings, and semi-annual visits for one year. • Weekly phone calls/meetings, quarterly visits for two years. • Weekly phone calls/meetings, as needed visits for three years. • Daily phone calls/meetings for three months, monthly visits for one year, quarterly visits and phone calls for two years.