Introduction
Last Summer we were joined in Ireland by a French couple, Remi & Aurelie Marat, who are with us for a year in order to gain experience in church planting. They will eventually return to France and plant into a rural area - at least that’s what I initially thought - because they have changed my thinking on this somewhat! Before I am lambasted for stealing enthusiastic church planters from France - they will return in the Summer of 2024, and they will plant in a rural area - but it is the terminology that has changed in my experience with them. If you’d like to know more about the Marat family, or to support them go here: https://wesupportmission.org/en/workers/the-marat-family/
Glúnta, indeed our entire approach to church planting in Loughrea, has been focused around planting healthy churches in rural areas in Ireland, and yet Remi has helpfully clarified what I mean when I talk of rural places. His suggestion is that rather than rural places, it is better to think of them as ‘desert’ places - places where growth takes place even with few resources and people, but it does so differently than we often expect. Desert places can be rural, but with the changing landscape of Ireland, and indeed much of Europe, rural communities are changing and we need to think about how best to see the Gospel planted in these communities, and others like them.
In spiritual deserts, where the seeds of faith have struggled to find fertile ground, the endeavour of church planting takes on a unique and challenging significance. Often unreached and under-resourced, desert places present a distinct mission field that calls for resilience, adaptability, and a deep commitment to nurturing the roots of faith in communities that have long been overlooked. In this article, I want to think about the specific challenges of planting the Gospel in these desert areas, and how we can start conversations that would encourage us to think about moving towards these places rather than away from them.
The Spiritual Landscape
Planting a church in a desert place involves more than just constructing physical structures; it requires cultivating the soil that may have been untouched by the gospel for a long time. Often times we prepare for church planting by dreaming of exactly how things will look once the church is planted and growth happens. I also know that things rarely work out that way! What we end up doing is having a previous example and trying to reverse engineer it, becoming frustrated and disillusioned. I believe that this is why a lot of desert places go unreached, either that the planter can not visualise any growth in this area and so doesn’t start, or that their vision is too disconnected from the local context and it withers and dies pretty quickly. In Ireland there is a saying in some church planting communities that ministry it is like ploughing granite. The reality is that we don’t plow granite, or at least do so in a way that we should expect growth. In many ways we need to think differently about how we are doing things rather than keep doing things that are not having any impact, or churning through resources that may be better used.
Unreached and under-resourced places often lack the infrastructure and support systems that are readily available in more established communities, making the task of introducing and sustaining a new faith community particularly daunting. Much church planting in Europe is focused on areas with large population centres, and with other like minded churches near by. While this can be a worthwhile endeavour, it often brings a comfort of planting in areas where we can assume some Christian or ecclesiological understanding. Of course, this has it’s own challenges, but it also means that growth can happen quicker due to transfer growth, but we can fall into the trap of comparison and competitiveness. (You can read more about this here.) What if we thought more about planting in deserts, and if we are to do so how should we think when considering planting in desert places?
Understanding the Local Context
In desert places, the church planter almost becomes an anthropologist, studying the unique culture, traditions, and social dynamics of the community. I know that might sound fancy - but I’m surprised at how little we might know or understand vital things in our communities. Understanding the local context is crucial for building trust and relevance. Respect for local values and customs is vital in ensuring that the message of faith resonates with the people in a meaningful way. We often think this way if we travel across the world, and indeed we did as a couple when spending time serving churches in Mexico. We had to learn the language, become accustomed with the food, acclimatise to the weather. I realised that this context was vastly different to the one I had grown up in. Yet, on returning to Ireland, I just assumed I already knew. Indeed, when people ask me about reaching “Irish” people, I often remind them that a great proportion of the population of our small but diverse local town would not identify themselves as Irish. Things change - people change - places change. I have written previously on this, but I do feel that the lack of a developed apostolic curiosity is harming our ability to plant churches globally because we may not see how inhibiting our own cultural blinkers are, and have no way to understand how to change them. I’m not sure how we train people to think and act differently - maybe this should be a conversation for another time!
Building Relationships
Church planting in a desert involves more than erecting ecclesiological structures; it is about building relationships. Connecting with the community on a personal level, engaging in genuine conversations, and being a source of support in times of need all contribute to establishing a foundation of trust. In these often marginalised areas, the church becomes not just a place of worship but a beacon of hope and a centre for community development. Take rural communities for example. In rural communities people always seem to be leaving, for work, for education, for ‘better’ opportunities. If a church is planted that resembles the place where people ‘wish’ they were, rather then where they actually are, then that disconnect is enhanced. In even the most transient of communities, there are people who actually do remain for a lifetime, and yet can also be often overlooked by churches. Building relationships needs to be more than seeing people as evangelistic targets, but people to know and love. In desert places, this takes time, and humility. In a recent chat I spoke about this as the “Reece Witherspoon Approach” and in writing that, I do feel I probably need a separate blog to explain it!
Hidden Challenges
Church planting in a desert place is not for the faint of heart - no church planting effort ever is. In recent years church planting has become sexy, alluring and exciting - until people actually start doing it! At a well attended church planting conference I mentioned to an experienced church planter that I was encouraged by how many people were in attendance at the conference. His comment back was to agree, and then cheekily state that "people love passionately talking about church planting." The challenges are numerous, and the path is fraught with obstacles that demand creativity, perseverance, resilience and a steadfast reliance on faith in God. Sometimes these challenges are a little hidden under the surface, and we need to do some preparation before we start to plant a church in a specific area. Yet, these are not to be seen as reasons why not, but challenges to be faced by a church that desires to see God’s glory cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. I want to outline a few potential challenges to planting in a desert place…
Limited Resources
Unreached and under-resourced areas typically lack the financial and material support that more established areas or church communities may enjoy. Church planters must find innovative ways to address the needs of the church while working within tight budget constraints. This might involve leveraging local resources, fostering community partnerships, and mobilising volunteers who are passionate about the mission rather than building a staff team. In some ways this creates a sustainability and replicability and is less dependent on external funding. On planting a church I had very little experience in this from a church point of view. I had worked in business development, and the idea of sustainability and replicability was key. I have spoken to many planters who start with very healthy 3 year funding packages. Very few of them have any idea what happens after year 3. The expectation is that things will continue just as they have, however, planting in a desert place and seeing growth might take 30 years, not 3. We need to prepare people to that end, and I'm not sure how we do this within our current theological and ecclesiological education.
Challenges Of The Past
In places where established traditions and belief systems are part of the culture, introducing a new expression of the Christian faith can be met with skepticism and resistance. This can be true in areas where there has been historical religious friction, or a poor example of the Christian faith. Church planters must be patient, earning trust gradually and demonstrating the positive impact of the Gospel through their actions. Building bridges of understanding is essential to overcome the initial resistance. We need to be careful to understand the environment we are planting into, and the historic hurts that might be there, and acknowledge that some of these are important. One of my mentors talked about a church planting experience that he had where he had to spend ten years reaching up to touch zero. There are great stories of resilience and humility - and are often more common and less celebrated in our circles.
Isolation and Loneliness
Church planters in desolate areas may experience a sense of isolation and loneliness, both personally and as a community. I think we are starting to talk a lot more about this now, and there are some good supports out there. In our experience, this is one of the biggest realities for church planters in rural areas. The lack of a support network can take a toll on our joy, and slow growth (if at all) can sap the energy of even the most upbeat of people. Cultivating resilience and fostering a sense of belonging within the congregation are critical aspects of overcoming this challenge. We need to see the Christians that God draws to Himself as those that He has providentially placed around us, not just to ‘receive’ ministry, but to minister ‘to’ us. My wife’s Nanna used to say that God never leads us where He doesn’t provide for us. Sometimes His provision might not be what we think we want, but it is most definitely what He thinks we need!
Conclusion
Amidst the challenges, the triumphs of church planting in a spiritual desert are profound and transformative, both for the community and the church planter themselves. These are often overlooked, yet can be unique to environments such as this. Witnessing the spiritual transformation of individuals and communities is perhaps the most significant triumph as well as how much God does in our hearts. As the seeds of faith take root and grow, lives are changed, relationships are healed, and hope is restored. This spiritual transformation often extends beyond the walls of the church and permeates the entire community. For all the challenges and discouragements that are present in church planting in desert areas, the explosion of joy to see God bring new life far outweighs these.
Church planting in a spiritual desert is a noble and challenging calling that requires a deep understanding of the local context, a commitment to building relationships, and the resilience to overcome significant obstacles. While the challenges are formidable, the triumphs are equally profound. In the desert landscapes where faith has struggled to take root, church planting becomes not only an act of faith but a beacon of hope, ushering in a new era of spiritual abundance in the desert. I love hearing from people who are involved in this work, often it isn’t communicated with a lot of fanfare, but with a slight nod that indicates that they have some scars of faithful experience, but that they are worn with a resilient joy in the Lord they serve.
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