Getting Started in New Zealand
Nick and Sarah Field
Some edited highlights of my interview with Nick and Sarah Field.
It started for us in the 2020 lockdown. We were pastors of a large church in Wellington of over one thousand people meeting as four congregations. We’d been there twenty-five years.
In the lockdown, we took time to ask: What does the Great Commission look like?
We read through Mark and Acts. We read each chapter aloud. We couldn’t get through a chapter without bursting into tears. We were a complete mess. The Holy Spirit broke us.
We read, we cried, we prayed. We'd go out for a walk and clear our heads, then we'd read the next chapter, and the same thing would happen.
The Spirit was saying to us, “There are some patterns and principles in the Gospels and Acts you need to go after.” It changed us.
What we saw in Scripture was so different from our experience. God has put a hunger in us to return to the Book of Acts.
A year later, we resigned as pastors and started pursuing movements.
We had no plan, no organization, no structures and no income.
We wanted it to be simple, Biblical and reproducing. We wanted to equip people to multiply disciples.
The day before we resigned, a couple we know rang us from Queenstown. They told us they’d started a church in their home, but had run out of steam. They didn’t know what they were doing and wanted help.
God gave us a glimpse of what he’d called us into.
For the next eighteen months, we trained people like them in how to be a church that makes disciples in their community. We even had a big fat training manual! We had the church down in Queenstown, and we planted four churches in Wellington. It was exciting. In the first two years, we were unlearning as much as we were learning.
Daniel and Marlene joined us. They wanted to reach out in their neighborhood, so during the lockdown, they started a church in their home with their family. They began inviting people who had no church affiliation.
Marlene got talking to a neighbor over their fence because you weren’t allowed to be in each other’s homes. Marlene ultimately led this lady to Jesus over the fence.
As soon as she was allowed, she became part of their church. They, discipled her and her kids. I don't think Marlene ever led anyone to the Lord before.
Not all the churches made it. For some, it was too big a step. They went back to traditional churches.
One of the churches had a wolf in sheep's clothing. They were faithfully sharing the gospel, but this person came in and caused disruption, taking a lot of energy. The church just didn't survive.
There was one family that had a window repairman working at their house. The husband shared the gospel with him and he said, That’s not me, but my partner would be interested. Can you talk to her? They reached out to her and she began attending their home church. Three months later, Kat gave her life to Jesus and is sharing her new faith with friends and family.
New Zealand, like much of the Western world, is challenging. However, we’re finding that when we train and mobilize disciples to share the gospel and read the Bible with others, there are people out there who are ready to hear and obey.
There was a couple in the first group we trained. They were talking to a friend called Quaylen over a meal. His partner, Susanna, had a Christian background. Quaylen had no faith, but was intrigued.
When they asked Quaylen, 'Do you have any spiritual beliefs?' he said, 'No.'
That night he wondered, “Why don’t I have any beliefs?”
They started reading the Bible with Quaylen and Susanna.
Quaylen works for a demolition company. He was driving in his truck, listening to a worship song that told the story of God from Genesis to Revelation. He realized, “This is true! I need to give my life to Jesus.” And he believed as he was driving his truck. He didn't tell Susanna for a month. Then just before they got married, he told her, “By the way, I’m a Christian!” Just the other night, he baptized his niece in the river.
We started prayer walking in our street. Some of our neighbors have come to know Christ and move into discipleship. The gospel has gone from them to their family and friends.
One of those friends was a lady called Vesna. She was going through a difficult divorce. Our neighbor Justine shared Jesus with her and Vesna turned to Christ and joined the church. She’s Serbian and the gospel is going from her to her family in Serbia. They meet online every week. Vesna passes on whatever she’s learning here. She’s headed to Serbia in October to train them.
When you ask, “What’s your vision?” The answer is, “Stories like these in every region of New Zealand.”
