Dreaming Big Dreams

"My reply, instinctively and audibly back to the cassette recorder was, I want to plant 20 churches in Greater Manchester."

‘The trouble with many leaders is that they have lost the will to dream big dreams!’

Vineyard church planter Steve Nicholson’s words rang out of my car’s cassette player. It was 1993 and I was on my way from London to the great city of Manchester. ‘What are your big dreams?’ he asked.

My reply, instinctively and audibly back to the cassette recorder was, ‘I want to plant 20 churches in Greater Manchester.’

I may have already been hurtling up the M6, but for me, that moment was the real start of the journey. Suddenly I realised we were about a big thing, a massive vision, a seemingly impossible challenge. I was captivated, and so was the small team I gathered to begin the work of planting not just one church but many churches,

You see, the ‘normal’ strategy says that the way you plant churches is to build a large resource church and then plant out of the centre. Our plan broke those rules. In the first year, while we were busy gathering our first 50 people, we also started two new churches. Even more church plants followed as we took risks and reached out across the North West. Faith was high and an empowering ‘have-a-go’ culture permeated the people as they served and celebrated the successes of one another.

All-night prayer meetings gathered large crowds; daily early morning prayer meeting at 6am were signs of the grace of God. Owning a really big vision caused us all to over-achieve.

Now, as we build our sixth church in Greater Manchester, this time in the under-churched and poorer east side, again we need to emphasise the bigger vision. Small-mindedness and self-interest is a curse: we are always looking to lift people’s horizons, to have a concern for the whole of Greater Manchester, this nation and all the nations of the world. This type of church culture is hard to generate and even harder to maintain. With the passing of time and new people joining the church, it is crucial that we keep highlighting and living out the vision and values that create this life-changing culture.

Over the next few weeks, I want to open up different values that help make this church culture such a great place to belong. 

Dreaming Big Dreams

‘The trouble with many leaders is that they have lost the will to dream big dreams!’