Urgent Care Clinics
In an environment where doctors desire to have a more controlled work schedule and the sick are often sent to a hospital E.R., the urgent care clinic is filling a real need in many communities. In addition to diagnosis and treatment, they often offer early detection of health problems and instruction on preventing illness.
Church plants are something like these clinics. The church planter is willing to leave behind a well equipped office and a comfortable schedule to take God’s Word directly to those who are hurting. He knows the Scripture is designed to make Christ known and help believers grow in Him (Jn. 20:31; 2 Tim. 3:15-17) and he lives for the joy of watching the dead come to Christ, the lost rescued and the helpless grow strong. The church planter:
Cares about people. He works at getting to know his community and building relationships in order to win people to Christ. Matthew brought the Savior into contact with other tax collectors who desperately needed what he had found. When Jesus was criticized for this, He replied, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick” (Matt. 9.9-13).
Is willing to sacrifice. The servant of God who longs for a comfortable life should seek some other occupation. The church planter knows that reaching the lost involves long hours and fervent effort, like Paul who spoke of “laboring night and day” to preach the gospel of God to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 2:9).
Makes himself available so that people who have a need know where to go for help. He follows the example of our Shepherd not only receiving sinners but going out in the night in search of the lost (Luke 15:1-7).
Understands the needs of the lost around him, whose lives are a mess and who have given up hope. They know they need something but have no idea what it is. With the Word of God in his hand, the church planter helps them understand the spiritual issues behind their problems. (Heb. 4:12).
Knows how to apply the remedy. He sees the Scripture as a practical book of answers and knows how to apply them, having done so in his own life. He seeks to make the message plain, using the understanding gained from his own in-depth study to help him explain it simply to others (2 Tim. 4:2).
Models the truth he is teaching. Once the Scripture has worked in him, he opens his heart so that God’s truth can flow unhindered to the hearts of his hearers (1 Tim. 4:15; 2 Cor. 6:11). He deals with people gently, being keenly aware of his own weaknesses (Heb. 5:2).
Is committed to follow-up care. The church-planting shepherd faithfully confronts the one who doesn’t like the medicine, gently counsels the one who thinks he doesn’t need treatment, lovingly prods the one who has lost the will to recover, and patiently feeds the one who is too weak to eat (1 Thess. 5:14).
As Church planters, we need to stop seeing the church as a clubhouse where the saints rejoice in their health, and see it as a first-aid station where sinners find a remedy for their hurts. Our places of ministry should not be regional research centers but neighborhood clinics.
“Some wish to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell” (C. T. Studd).