Make hay while the sun shines: Why timing is everything in church planting

“Make hay while the sun shines.” Whoever invented that proverb must have had cattle. If you pay $25 per hay bale and you need 30 bales, then you feel this one in the front pocket. Hay isn’t always that expensive – sometimes it is even more! Last year, my cattle ranching mentor Muncey asked how many bales of hay I wanted to buy for $25 each. I thought that I could get by with about 20. As the cold winter blasted a bit longer than normal, my cows kept looking at that shrinking stack of hay bales. I called Muncey and asked if I could get 10 more bales.

 “Sure, you can. They are now $40/bale!” he said unapologetically, as if he were doing me a favor.

Since it was a longer winter than normal, I wasn’t the only one looking for hay. As a result, the more farmers were scratching around to find more hay to feed their cows, the quicker the price shot up.

 It reminded me of a story I heard in Africa. A young man was traveling to another village when he came to a river overflowing its banks. Stopping at the river’s edge, the young man noticed an older gentleman with a row boat.

“Wanna ride?” shouted the old man.

“Sure. How much is the charge?”

“$2, take it or leave it!”

Not wanting to part with his hard earned money that easily, he decided to wade across the stream. All went well – at first. Gradually, the water rose above the top buttons on his shirt. When the young man was wading in water up to his ears, the old man with the boat came rowing by.

“Wanna ride?”

“Yes!”

“Ok, I will get you in this boat. Now, the price is $10!”

Timing is crucial. There is a right time to get a boat ride. There is a right time to purchase hay. You need to make hay while the sun shines.

There is also the right time for church planters to make hay. Donald McGavran noted many years ago that people tend to have times where they are especially open to the good news. When this window of sunshine rises, make hay! If they are not presented with the gospel during this time of particular receptivity, then the sun may set and the person may be closed to the gospel.

When are those times of receptivity? Often, people are open to an invitation to a church when they have just moved to a new home. Like Christmas day, they are eager to meet the new neighbors and see “what they got” in the neighbor lottery. Church planters should visit people when they have just moved into the neighborhood. This is a good time to make hay. The new family is looking for new friends for their kids, tips on the best places to eat and maybe even the location of the nearest library or post office. In short, they are eager to connect to the new community. This is a perfect time to invite them to meet your church family. If you wait too long, then this moment of receptivity is lost. 

Another good time to make hay is when a couple is newly married. They are starting a new life together. They are eager to get advice from others who have done this before, particularly if you have learned to do it well. This is another good time to invite them to meet other couples who could be mentors or even fellow newlyweds. Make hay – while the sun shines.

The following year, I noticed that Muncey cut his hay in the middle of July. The sun scorched the back of my neck. Dripping with sweat, I walked over to Muncey as he finished up the last bit of rolling the hay into large bales.

“Looks like some good hay you just cut. How much you asking for it?” I said.

He didn’t respond at first. Then, he looked at me with a slight smirk – almost as if he were trying to hide a smile but couldn’t quite manage to keep it under wraps.  

“$25 a bale. Right now.” The words slipped out of the side of his mouth, as if he did not want to let them go but they just had to leave. Muncey knew what I learned. You need to make hay while the sun shines. If you do, then you will have enough hay to last the winter. That way, you can sell the hay to other farmers who need it.

Get your hay ready when it is freshly cut.

Visit newcomers when they have freshly arrived or are recently married. 

This is a helpful way to grow your farm… and your church plant.