The VCP Vision

 

      Hello, and welcome to ‘Multiply’ a podcast to encourage village church planters, pastors, and Christian leaders. I am your host, Daneille Snowden.

I am excited to share today or shall I say, “reinforce,” the vision that God has given One Mission Society’s, Village Church Planting, which is to plant a church in every African village by 2050. This is a grand vision that was imparted by the Lord Jesus Himself when He said to, “Go and make disciples in all nations…” Matthew 28:19–20.

My husband and I first learned about VCP (Village Church Planting) when we were serving in Mozambique, Africa. As we read about it and heard the testimonies it filled our hearts with overflowing. A little over a year later God called us to work as CMF missionaries in this great movement. 

As followers of Christ we follow His example where it says in Matthew 9:35 “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” 

Jesus went to the cities and villages!

Some individuals may ask where do we begin with such a huge task before us, the answer is to simply follow Jesus: by seeking His face, waiting in His presence, and essentially follow His example. Thus, this should give us clarity that gives us a better understanding of the Great & GRAND Commission. 

With the vision God gives a plan! VCP implements the Four Fields Model, a laid-out plan that explains how to integrate this vision. Field 1 is the created part of the plan, it involves a great amount of prayer, including prayer walking, also a map and a Bible; two tools used to move the vision forward. William Carey, an 18th century missionary wrote, “To know the will of 

God, we need an open Bible and an open map."  

May I challenge you today to keep this vision constantly before you in your heart, mind, and soul? Habakkuk 2:2 says to, “Write the vision and make it plain.” Let us truly know God’s heart for all people to be saved! 

This has been ‘Multiply,’ remember to share this podcast with your fellow believers and Christian leaders! ‘Go and make disciples!’

Z Thinking God’s Plan for My Province

 

      Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

We know that Z-thinking means beginning with the end in mind. We also

understand that Z-thinking means thinking specifically about the future God

has planned for the world. We think this way so we can join God, as co-laborers

with Christ, to accomplish his purposes on earth.

We know that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should

come to repentance. God is patient with us. For this reason Jesus has not yet

returned to earth. Because of God’s patient love, the final judgment has not

yet occurred. (2 Peter 3:4-10). Instead, God is calling all people everywhere to

repent and believe the Good News (Acts 17:30,31).

But what is my part in this great plan? I know God has a plan for the whole

world, but what is his plan for my district, for my province, for my department

or for my state? Many faithful, Christ-honoring disciples have asked themselves this

important question. Maybe you have too. Brothers and sisters, I can assure you

that God has a big, big plan for the world, and slowly but certainly he is

accomplishing it. But what is his plan for my people and me? What is his plan

for the place where I live?

Friend, God’s plan for the province where you live is the plan he has for the

whole world. God wants everyone in your province to hear and understand the

Good News. He wants every man and woman, every boy and girl of your

province to know the Gospel, to repent, and put their trust in Christ. He wants

all of us to experience his transforming grace in the fellowship of a church.

How then should we pray? Our prayers should be informed by Z-thinking. We

should pray as Jesus commanded, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on

earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10). We should pray for church planters

and church members to start a church in every village of the province. We

should prayer walk and mobilize intercessors, helping them to also embrace Z-

thinking. Pray with God’s end in mind.

How should we work? We should work in such a way that healthy churches

multiply themselves without delay in our province, so that God’s purposes on

earth may be fulfilled near our homes, among people who speak our language

and are living nearby.

Whom should we send? We should send out workers, both to our province and

to the ends of the earth. We should send people who know God’s heart, people

who are motivated to work and pray according to Z-thinking. We should send

out workers equipped to proclaim the Good News of Jesus, make disciples and

start healthy, multiplying churches.

My brothers and sisters, let us embrace Z-thinking in all we do, trusting God for

his kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this

encouraging word with today?”

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #ZThinking #YourKingdomCome

Leadership Development - Four Characteristics of Effective Leaders

       This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders.

Our topic for 2026 is Leadership Development, and today I would like to address the question, “What are some characteristics of a good leader?

As you might imagine, over the years, I have read many books about leadership. Something I like to do is to read authors who are not American, authors who have a bit of a different perspective. One of those authors is Dr. Myles Munroe (who is a native of the Bahamas), and last year I read his book The Spirit of Leadership. In his Introduction, he makes a strong statement.  “… There is no greater need in our twenty-first-century world than effective, competent leadership … The number one need all over the globe today is … quality, moral, disciplined, principle-centered leadership.”

He also makes the observation that “true leaders do not seek power but are driven by a passion to achieve a noble cause.”  In our context, we have the ultimate noble cause, that of Christ’s Kingdom.  

Today, let’s explore those four characteristics of effective, competent leadership according to Dr. Munroe.

* Quality – to be an effective leader, one must lead with skill. Many years ago, a mentor friend of mine had this to say. “Leadership is not a title!  It is a privilege granted you by those you lead.  It is a privilege not often granted and easily lost.”  One “easy” way to lose the privilege of leadership is to lead poorly. There are many possible causes of this; at the top of the list, in my opinion, would be a leader who is pursuing his or her own benefit rather than the good of the group or the organization.

* Moral – unfortunately, moral failure has caused the downfall of many church, government and business leaders. Most often, these failures are either financial or sexual in nature. Good and godly leaders must flee temptation and avoid every form of evil (2 Timothy 2:22, 1 Thessalonians 5:22).

* Disciplined – leadership can be challenging. As one rises in their level of leadership, the problems become harder to solve, and the level of ambiguity increases. The greatest discipline a godly leader can develop is an intimate relationship with Jesus through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Christ-following leaders have the promise of John 14:26.  “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

* Principle-centered – godly leaders are not swayed by public opinion or others’ expectations of them. The foundation of their leadership is biblical principles.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Z Thinking God’s Plan for the World

        Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis, and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters. 

Many people have said, “Begin with the end in mind.” Builders begin with the end in mind when they build a house. Before he moves the first shovel full of dirt to lay the foundation for a new house, the careful builder knows how long and how wide the house will be. He knows how many rooms it will have and how tall it will be. Before a careful builder lays the first foundation stone, he has a picture in his mind’s eye of what the finished house will look like. Wise builders begin with the end in mind. Everything they construct from foundation to roof is put into place so that their end goal, a wonderful house, can be constructed.

As a church planter, you, too, need to begin with the end in mind. You need to ask the Lord, “What should this church become. Lord, how should we worship you? What languages should we use? How should we evangelize? What shall we do to make disciples, Lord? How will this church demonstrate your love to our neighbors?” Just like home builders, church planters need a picture in their mind of what the church will become. And that plan must come from God.

But it is not enough for us to have a good plan for what, by the grace of God, our church should become. We serve a living God. And He has a plan for our world. He knows what he wants, and He has told us what He wants for our world:

* He is not willing that any should perish. He wants all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9).

* He says that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). 

* He is planning a day when a great multitude from every tongue and tribe, every people group, and every nation will worship him (Revelation 7:9).

This is what God wants, and we should want it too.

The last letter of the Roman alphabet is Zed, or as people in my country say, Zee. When we begin with the end in mind, we are practicing Zed thinking. Zed thinking means that we envision the future that God wants, and we join him in working to make his goals a reality.

In Village Church Planting, our vision is a church in every African Village by 2050. The founders of VCP accepted that vision because they wanted to align themselves with God’s purpose for his creation. They knew that God wants the earth to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. They knew that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. They know that it is God’s will that he should present every man complete in Christ. (Colossians 1:28) And so they chose to make Christ known by planting churches in villages where no church exists. They practiced Zed thinking. First, they understood God’s will for his creation. Then they chose to join him in accomplishing his end vision.

You, too, are a part of VCP. I hope you, too, embrace the vision of a church in every African village by 2050. Close your eyes to imagine for a moment a church in every village. Imagine well, so the vision becomes clear. Then get up and do your part to make it a reality!

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?”

 

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #ZThinking

Why Plant Churches?

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis, and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

Some have said, “There is no command in the Bible telling us to plant churches. Why do you spend so much energy on church planting?” The assertion that there is no biblical command saying, “Go plant new churches!” is true. But the statement is misleading. When the apostles heard Jesus’ command recorded in Matthew 28:19,20 given on the day of his ascension, shortly before the day of Pentecost, they put His word into practice by planting churches. They planted their first church in Jerusalem. But from there they continued church planting through Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth, just as he had commanded. When we plant churches, we follow the example of Jesus’ apostles.

But why plant churches?

The Great Commission is grounded in the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor. Jesus’ call to love our neighbors as ourselves is the basis for making disciples by planting churches. Most church planters’ hearts overflow with love for those who do not yet know Christ. Does yours?

We plant churches because the love of God constrains us. We long for many, not just a few, to be reconciled to God, to experience the abundant life in Christ, to know the Good Shepherd, to live confidently and full of hope. So, we plant churches.

And we long for transformation, for liberation, for peace, and harmony. We know that only God can bring redemption. We know that only the Messiah can fulfill the deepest longings of our neighbors. But we also know that community is God’s idea and that communities are a big part of God’s plan for blessing the world. He guided Adam towards blessing when He said, “It is not good that man should be alone.” This of course applies to marriage. But it also can be applied to other communities like churches.

We plant churches because we love the blessing that is shared when followers of Jesus unite in faith, when they come together in one accord, when they submit together to the Lordship of Christ. So many people in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas who enjoy the fellowship and sense of community that comes with being a member of a healthy church say “I never experienced love like this in my family. This church is a wonderful blessing to me!”

So, we plant churches because we want people to experience authentic community where they walk in the light, as Jesus is in the light, and they enjoy life giving fellowship.

Why do we plant churches? It’s all about love. We follow the example of Jesus who loved us and gave himself for us. If you are starting to plant churches, don’t quit. If you have planted many churches, don’t quit. Church planting is love at work.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?”

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #PlantChurches

Leadership Development - What Do We Mean by Leadership?

 

    This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders.

Our topic for 2026 is Leadership Development. Today I want to begin by addressing some fundamental understandings of leadership … what it is – and perhaps more importantly – what it is not.

For the past 33 years, I have adhered to the following leadership definition shared by a Sunday School teacher I had during our years living in Belgium. He brought both a military and a biblical Christian perspective as he taught us about leadership.

Leadership is the ability to influence people through consistent obedience to God’s commands.

​​​- Lt. Colonel Gene Klann, NATO, 1993

I like the directness and simplicity of this definition.

* Leadership is about influence more than power or authority

* Godly leaders must be consistent in our obedience to God. People will choose not to follow those who are hypocritical.

* The foundation of our leadership must be fidelity to the Word of God and the instruction of the Holy Spirit.

Here is a second description that applies very well to Christ-honoring leaders. This comes from Dr. Robert Clinton.

A leader is a person with

1. God-given capacity, and

2. With God-given responsibility to influence

3. A specific group of God’s people

4. Toward God’s purposes for the group ​​​-

I appreciate his clarity.

* A leader’s capacity comes from God (more on this in a moment)

* Leadership is a responsibility entrusted to us from the Lord (again, more on this in a moment)

* Leadership is about influence and not coercion

* Leaders lead groups of people in order to achieve the purposes of God. This aligns with our description last year of a steward leader as “someone who manages resources belonging to another person in order to achieve the owner’s objectives.”

I have two more observations to share today.

1. Leadership is a spiritual gift. In Romans 12:8, Paul wrote about spiritual gifts, and he had this to say. “If [ones gift] is to lead, do it diligently.”

2. Leadership is also a calling. Acts 13:2 shares the experience of Saul and Barnabas.  “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ These two were called to be leaders in the early Church, and God still calls and raises up leaders today.  

May we be open and receptive to God’s calling and gifting in our lives.  May we also be attentive to those around us as we are intentional to identify and equip new leaders.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Leadership Development - Introduction to Our 2026 Series

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders. 

Our topic for 2025 was steward leadership, and today we launch into 2026 with a new series on Leadership Development. This year’s theme was prompted by a conversation I had in early December at a Coalition of the Willing meeting in Lome. 

I was asked by JJ, the leader of the Coalition of the Willing work, “what would it take for VCP to double in the next 5 years?”  That was a great question; one that I pondered for a few moments. 

It believe it was the Lord who quickly brought to my realization that VCP already HAS doubled in the past 5 years. Pre-Covid, VCP had about 350 training centers in 19 countries; today we are working in 36 nations with nearly 900 training centers. We praise God for this growth. 

To return to JJ’s insightful question, the Lord showed me that our limitation is not funds. The Lord has repeatedly demonstrated His provision to us. 

I believe that our current limitation to further growth lies with the need to identify, raise up, equip and empower more leaders. We need more VCP trainers, coordinators and supervisors. We need more Church Multiplication Facilitators and support personnel in the US. We need more skilled mapping technicians in Africa, and we need more African and western project managers. Undergirding all this, we need more pray-ers. 

Consequently, in 2026, this podcast series will be devoted to Leadership Development.  Supervisors and coordinators, I am speaking to you right now. I need your help translating and passing along these episodes to those whom you are leading.

I would also ask you to be intentional in your efforts to identify, equip, mentor, empower and release emerging leaders. Here is an important principle to consider. Leaders, until you have prepared someone to succeed you, you cannot be considered for promotion. I want to repeat that. Leaders, until you have identified and prepared a successor, you won’t be promoted; you are still the only person capable of performing your current role. 

I will close this episode with Jesus’s view of leadership from Matthew 20:25-28. Godly leaders are called to serve those whom we lead. 

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.