In NCEM's re-focusing, we've labelled our action plan as "Biblical Worldview Church Planting."

Early feedback shows that not everyone is familiar with the word "worldview," so it is important to clarify this key word. By definition, worldview is not just what people think, but how we think -- it is the "lens" through which we see the world.

What NCEMers Allan & Esther Giesbrecht shared about it in their personal prayer letter this spring explains it very well:

"Last fall and again in February we attended [NCEM-organized] seminars on expository Bible storytelling and worldview ... We were challenged to consider the basic beliefs of the people with whom we hope to share the Gospel. Often we want to speak before we have listened, giving answers to questions that are not being asked.

"To many, what we have to share seems irrelevant to their situation. Their understanding of Christian terminology is often so different from the truth of God's Word. Wrong beliefs about origins, man, sin, death, and God are held onto strongly because they have been learned and reinforced by culture and family.

"We must take the time, and ask God to help us understand what people already believe, and gently challenge those beliefs, creating a hunger for better explanations for the way things are. God's Word is the only source for truth on these topics, and we want to more effectively communicate it. This can only be done in the power of the Holy Spirit as we build relationships with others so that we can listen to their hearts.

"Expository storytelling involves teaching God's story from the beginning, directed by the Holy Spirit, with some knowledge of the listeners' way of interpreting reality (worldview), in order to see a transformation of that way of thinking to one that agrees with God's truth. This type of teaching is being used in many places and settings, and it is exciting to hear how God is using it to bring people to Himself and to build strong, indigenous multiplying churches.

"We see it as very much like the farming life from which we came -- discovering the soil's condition, preparing the soil, planting the seed, and watching God at work through it all bringing growth and fruit."

NCEM believes that spending time building relationships and learning people's core beliefs will effectively help communicate the Scripture so that, as people come to Christ, their worldview will be replaced by a biblical worldview.