Four Fields

The Four Fields This is a five-part strategy of a CPM plan to fulfill God's heart. The Four Fields tool is adapted from an agrarian parable in Mark 4, verse 26-29. And he said the kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself, first the blade, then the head, and after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come. The diagram illustrates the five basic farming patterns we must accomplish to initiate and cultivate the CPMs. For clarity these are separate steps, but they may become mixed or simultaneous activities. However this will help movements understand where they are on the process of discipleship and church formation. Field n Enter. Where are we going to start? The answer is find the God prepared fields or people, wherever we are and with whom we talk and begin planting the seed there. Planting Christians need to be challenged in our churches and denominations to their life purpose and discipleship. The symbol in the corner represents the furrows of a field where seeds are planted representing saved and lost people. Time will distinguish the difference. Life is a simple dichotomy that mirrors the kingdom reality. Everyone is either saved or lost. To the loss we witness and pray for, and to the saved we encourage and train them so they can fulfill God's purpose for their life. To the saved we build a bridge by casting a vision for training for what they can be in the plan God has for them. And then we challenge them to partner with us in training others. To the lost we build a bridge for a gospel conversation by praying for needs they express or a series of questions about them to get to know their background. Be interested in them to open a door to their life for the gospel. This seed-planning confrontation will reveal the quote Man of Peace in Luke 10. 6, whom the Spirit is already preparing to become a gatekeeper for God to work among a new people or community. The Man of Peace will lead to a house of peace according to Luke 10. 5. Rule 2. Evangelize. CPMs take the instructions from Luke 10 as the guides for finding people of peace who are open to God's Word and willing to reach their oikos or their household or circle of influence. The most effective evangelism is mouth-to-ear gospel presentations, so believers must be trained to confront non-believers. The key to effective evangelism is personally caring about people enough to invest time when it is evident that they are being prepared by God. It means mastering two evangelistic tools to use in explaining the gospel. First, a 15-second testimony that briefly describes what my life was This tool should be used frequently to see if listeners are interested in hearing more about the gospel message. The three circles describe God's design, then fall into brokenness because of sin and rebellion, and then the solution demands dilemma that's found in the gospel message as a simple visual presentation of the gospel message. How Christ resolved our conflicts on the cross and now offers us a full pardon and lifetime partnership with Him. It is easy to remember, simple to use, and clearly points to a commitment to believe and depend upon Christ'sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection to become our living Savior today. God's design is that we can live in our lives together with Him and listen to everything He says about His design for our lives to avoid the effects of brokenness. This is good news for every h Field n There's a pattern. It's essential that new believers know what it means to be a follower of Christ and a fisher of men. The sooner they bear fruit in another life, the quicker they mature in Christ. Paul said, Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. Philippians 3, verse 17. The leader or trainer must be an example of godliness, but there also must be a pattern or lifestyle strategy of ministry that everyone follows. It must be simple and easy to pass on to the next generation. In 1 Corinthians 4, 17, Paul wrote, For this reason I sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways, which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church. The strategy of discipleships includes the following elements, which will be taught in later lessons. The 4-1-1 tool sets the DNA for the gospel. The next is the short-term discipleship lessons that are taught in the obedience-based discipleship. These are typically 6-10 lessons, which will take about 1-3 months. Then long-term discipleship lessons, which can take up from 1-3 years, which will be processing as the disciple is engaging in a church plant. Then they are to teach obedience to the 10 commands of Christ. Then the 3-by-3 sequence that is practiced in every meeting, which is looking backwards, looking upward, and looking forward. Groups tend to grow and mature in the 5 purposes of the church, that is worship, fellowship, discipleship, evangelism, and ministry. Field n As the crop matures, it is harvested and gathered into bundles, just as new believers are gathered into small groups or churches. A church is a body of baptized believers, committed to a collective identity under the Lordship of Christ, for the purpose of fulfilling all of Christ's expectations for his body. This is the goal. In a CPM, churches are formed quickly in the process because they are simple in nature, and they follow the pattern of Acts 2 verses 37-47. Paul only spent a relatively long time in two churches, and maybe three if we count Antioch, of the 14 churches that he started, and they were only approximately 18 and 24 months. The other churches he may have spent four to six weeks, but he always left a functioning group of disciples, and he called them a church. They meet in homes, in the open air, or coffee shops, or conference rooms, and offices, etc. These churches are simple in nature, a work in process, with the desire to start other churches that could endlessly multiply within a culture. He started and led with average believers, rather than previously trained professional church leaders. Groups decide amongst themselves to form into a church for their location. During this stage, they learn the following lessons. Long-term lessons, the nine functions of a church, the church circle functions, appointing a leader, deacons, and a treasurer. This process can take six months to two years, depending on the context. These new churches usually remain under the authority of another local church. The platform, this is the reproducing leaders. The center in the middle of the diagram is a platform for a watchman. On it, as a farmer, watches his fields for predators and threats to his harvest. A leader is one who is willing to be responsible for the spiritual lives of others. Every CPM has a process for developing and multiplying generations of leaders who can shepherd the flock and the movement. The key to continued growth of a CPM is dependent upon the Four Fields Kingdom process and the multiplication of leaders to guide the new churches. Every believer is trained in leadership principles, but not everyone will New groups are started by a leader, usually in training. The pattern taught enables many godly Christ followers to lead new groups of believers following the 2 Timothy 2 principle of a chain of disciples making disciples.