Revitalisation Review: First Year - First Priorities

Episode 2: First Year, First Priorities

Episode Summary
This episode reflects on the early stages of revitalisation. Drawing on real experiences, the episode lays out key priorities during the first year of planting or leading in a new context.

Key Topics Covered

·       Understanding the difference between long-term vision and immediate priorities

·       Why it’s okay (and wise) to take things slowly at the start

·       Learning to listen before implementing

·       Building relational trust before structural change

·       Creating room for spiritual discernment

Reflection Questions

·       What are your top three priorities in your first year?

·       Where are you tempted to rush ahead without listening?

·       How will you balance urgency with relational patience?

·       What small wins could build trust early on?

·       Where do you need to create space to hear God’s leading?

Connect & Continue the Conversation
Instagram: @churchplantchat
Email: churchplantchat@gmail.com

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Chapters

• 0:00 The Wild Robot: A Leadership Parable
• 3:51 Posture Over Plans in Year One
• 6:09 The Three R's Framework
• 9:15 Relationship: The Fourth Essential R
• 11:06 Questions for Reflection and Next Steps
• 12:20 Closing and Contact Information

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

What does the first year look like? What's my 100-day plan? What systems do I need to set up operationally? What does the first year actually need to focus on In this episode? Episode 2, first Year, first Priorities. We're looking at the first year and its priorities within a church revitalisation project and its priorities within a church revitalization project. I'm looking at this assuming that the pre-first year has already happened, ie the year running up to you. The plan to landing in the church and starting this episode isn't really going to be about operational systems or grand plans for strategy and top tasks. So apologies if that's what you came for. That stuff is important. Having learned from my own mistakes, I wanted to offer something different in this episode that centers around prioritizing the posture of the planter in their first year, because if you can get that relational posture right in the first year, you will have a much better footing for the years to follow. Let's get into it.

Speaker 1: 1:13

Just recently in the half term, hayley, my wife and I took the kids to the cinema to see the Wild Robot, a film about an intelligent robot that has got stranded on a planet full of nature and wildlife. The robot's purpose is to assist others, so upon waking, the robot's programming leads her to instantly start trying to find other life forms to help. In the process, she gets battered by the weather and the terrain, as the environment is all new to her and she doesn't know how to navigate it. Then, once she comes across various forms of wildlife, she boldly approaches, trying to help, but in doing so actually causes more harm than good. She tries to rebuild homes made by animals, but ends up wrecking them. She tries to speak with various animals, but doesn't know the language, so ends up scaring them instead, which results in them either attacking her or running off. The robot means well, but she doesn't understand the terrain or the language of its inhabitants. So eventually, she simply sits and loads up her learning module and the camera simply frames the robot sat and listening to all the various animals going past her, talking their language and her deciphering the vocabulary as she simply listens. And this all happens over the course of various seasons coming and going, as you see, the weather changing and plant life growing as time lapses during her learning module cycle. Then, eventually, the learning module finishes, she reboots and this time, when the various animals start talking, she's able to understand their language and she, in turn, is now able to talk back to them and gradually she's able to build deep and meaningful relationships with them and live with them, journeying with them through life on this planet.

Speaker 1: 3:50

Hold back from haste. Simply start by sitting, listening and learning about who you are as a church, what the language of those you've inherited is, what the language of the wider parish is, and what the terrain is like, and what the spirit is doing already. And what the spirit is doing already, which brings us to posture. Why is a posture of learning more important than a plan? Essentially, it's our posture that counts A posture of learning and relationship. Those two things are the first priorities in landing and joining in with people you inherit, take with you and serve outside the church four walls All the plumbing of how you execute vision and values that will come. But there's no point trying to connect all that pipework for vision to flow if you haven't prioritised a posture of healthy presence with the people in front of you and, of course, with God.

Speaker 1: 4:53

I got this wrong when I started and I'll dive more into the learnings about that in a later episode, but a key point to remember within this is that relationship needs to be part of the strategy that you're creating and leading. So what are some of the questions to be asking yourself and those you're walking with in that first year? So to prioritise things well together, well, I think there are three big questions in the revitalisation arena and they all begin with R and they all revolve around the up in out framework, ie up being looking up to God in our worship. Ie up being looking up to God in our worship, in looking into the discipleship within the church, fellowship, internal pastoral care, etc. And out, being loving our neighbour, evangelism, reaching the lost, social justice and so on. So RRR, the three questions, then Three questions.

Speaker 1: 5:53

Then Number one what are we recognising Jesus doing in the church and the community across the up in and out? So recognise this honours the history of the church that you are inheriting. It helps people celebrate the wins and strengths that they have or have had in the past. It also draws people into the present and helps them to engage with what the spirit is doing with them right now so that they don't remain stuck in the past. This helps with those that have been inherited to also see anyone you've brought with you to the revitalization as part of that present recognition. And so whilst one group shares the past, the other listens and honors that. But, at the same time, those you have brought with you will likely be excited about what they're sensing, about what they're recognizing the Lord's doing presently and can encourage with a fresh perspective.

Speaker 1: 7:01

So that's recognising Second R what needs to be reviewed or even released. Reviewed, meaning what could do with being refreshed or potentially paused or even stopped. So, off the back of celebrating strengths and wins together, this is perhaps the more delicate question of what do we need to consider? Pausing or refreshing or even stopping for a season as a church? But it is a necessary question to consider. For the project to be a revitalization project means that something isn't quite adding up, humanly speaking. Of course, there is a spiritual element to factor in, but here we're thinking about our part to play in this turnaround work. It's hard to turn things around if we're still held down by various anchors that really need to be lifted up out of the water. So that's why we review. This will likely be quite an emotional space, so a posture of pastoral care is paramount.

Speaker 1: 8:14

Third are where and how are we being called to reach out? So we've had a look at the past, we've assessed the present and now, with this question, we're looking ahead in how we reach out in new ways, whether it's in our missional work, worship, fellowship, etc. How can we be reaching and shaping each other and the lost more effectively? This is where you can begin to enter that dreaming and edge of adrenaline state where you get excited about what could be. So that's the three R's Recognize, review, review, reach. I think they give a simple framework of how we can posture ourselves well with people and what god desires in those early days of conversation and mulling over vision and growth.

Speaker 1: 9:14

Relationship. Why does relationship need to be part of the strategy? I know we said we had three r's, but here's a fourth. These three r's they're held within the context of relationship. Vision and growth require relationship. Strategy without relationship is a waste of time. In our first year of being with those we inherited. We're not looking to arrive and try and do everything ourselves, like the robot did initially. We're looking to listen, learn and live out the vision with them.

Speaker 1: 9:54

Relationship with the church, the wider community and, of course, god. How is your relationship with Jesus doing? How is it shaping your leadership? It starts with you, the leader. The main priority in all of this is ultimately to remain in relationship with Jesus. At the end of the day, this is his church. He has the best vision for it and its growth. This is his church. He has the best vision for it and its growth. My main priority since the start of ordination training has been to keep the main thing, the main thing, which is to stay close to Jesus, to know him, to be known by him and, with that, make him known to others. That knowing relationship with Jesus is the main priority and vision, both for my own life, the church, and then he'll bring the growth.

Speaker 1: 10:57

As we wrap up this episode, here are some questions to consider around your first year with your people and the priorities that come with that. Number one how is the ground being prepped before your first year with the people you're inheriting even begins? So what's going on with the church in the pre-first year? What's going on with the church in the pre-first year? This will be an important thing to factor in, as it will likely determine the trajectory and pace of your revitalisation project. I'll speak more on this in a later episode.

Speaker 1: 11:35

Question two what's your heart and head posture as you enter this process with people, ie, what assumptions or preconceived ideas have you made about people you're inheriting and taking with you that may be distorting your posture. What's your posture around success and failure like this will affect how you hear the responses given to the three R's. How open are you to hearing about how things could be done in the reaching out? Are you listening with the intent of being ready to lay down your own priorities? Thanks for listening. If you didn't know already, there's an Instagram account for this podcast. At churchplantchat, you can keep up to date with what's happening on the podcast and other bits about planting. You can also DM me on there if you ever wanted to chat or just say hi. I can also be contacted by email at churchplantchat at gmailcom. I would love to connect with you, so if you'd like to, please don't hesitate to get in touch. See you next time.