Introduction
So you want to plant a church? Where do we begin? With a website, buying a building, employing a staff team? Prayer? I have been in a lot of conversations in the last 15 years and heard a lot of stories about the church planting journey of many people. In some ways there are a variety of things to consider; calling, experience, skills, character - the list is endless. Around 20-25 years ago we had the image of a church planter somewhat akin to a person part-Special Forces operative, part-entrepreneurial start up businessman. It was a little like the Wild West at times! I was recently chatting to a few peers about this movement, and how when we were 25-30 we thought we had it all figured out. However, looking back, none of us really knew what we were doing - but we hid it well under layers of bravado and stupidity! As I reflected on my journey, I suppose I never really felt prepared for church planting. I read a few books, studied a few leaders and their models, and have been influenced by modern movements and centuries-old tradition. Since beginning writing this blog, I’ve wanted to develop this series. This is a thought process that has taken me 10 years to think through - how do we plant churches that go from being church plants to actual churches? I’ve met people who’s church is 30 years old and they still refer to it as a ‘church plant.’ Should this be the case - is it less appealing when our church plants actually become churches? I have outlined in the last posts the direction I want to walk in, but to begin with, I want to look at the first stage of a church planting journey, a couple of things to think about, and then start a discussion on our experiences.
In relation to the stages of church planting, the preparation stage is probably the easiest stage as paper planning tends to work perfectly in every case! Cups of coffee are drank, dreams are voiced, prayers are prayed - and then someone comes up with an idea. These are often very idealistic and rarely consider working with real life people, and real life circumstances. I don’t want to discourage this, because much good has come out of beginnings such as this, but in terms of planting a new church, we need to ensure that we are being prepared, and also preparing ourselves for the work of church planting. Preparation is as much for the church planter as it is for the church plant. However, this stage should also allow the church who shows a desire for the planting of the church to identify and train up a church planter for the work of planting the Gospel in a new location. We need to get to the understanding that churches plant churches, and in identifying and equipping leaders, we begin our preparation in the best way.
Starting Before The Start
Entry level university courses are called ‘Year 0’ courses because the applicant may have a little knowledge about the subject, but not enough to go on to enter the full course. For me personally, this stage of the church planting experience can be the most challenging as it seems that we are delaying the inevitable, the planting of a thriving church. However, it’s actually foundational to the end goal we are seeking to achieve. What I’ve come to realise is that for a Gospel work to be effective, then we must move away from the idea that it is something that we do ‘to’ people, but rather ‘with’ people, for a Person. Although planting a church is a good idea, in some instances it can be poorly thought out, and damaging to all involved. It can become a vanity project, or borne out of disillusionment from a previous experience or expression of church. It can be the addition to an already churched environment of our particular theological or ecclesiological hobby horse. Now, in some ways a church is a church is a church, and Paul would attest to a Gospel preached out of poor motives is still a Gospel preached (Philippians 1:15-18). Yet, a church that is seeded with resentment and arrogance will serve no one, least of all God, in the long run. It may be popular, it may draw a crowd, but faithful to the Kingdom it will not be.
So, how should a potential church start then. As much as it’s not always possible, a church should start with three things. Firstly, the desire to see God’s glory spread across the world (Habakkuk 2:14). If our desire is not primarily God focused then we are not starting off on sure footing. Secondly, it must recognise a need. Of course we could say that since the local church is God’s strategy to reach the world with the Gospel, then there can never be a bad place to plant a church. As much as this is true, there are some more ideal locations to plant churches and reach people. Thinking strategically and wisely is something that God encourages us towards, the book of Proverbs being an obvious evidence, so using prayerful consideration to seek out areas of need is a good plan. If there is a saturation of good, Gospel preaching churches in your town, maybe look a bit further afield. Thirdly, I’m of the express opinion that churches should plant the Gospel, and therefore churches. Having a vision crafted in community, and prayerful support, reduces the likelihood of a ‘personal project’ approach to planting a church in a new location. It also provides a platform for a team who are pastorally cared for, and supportively identified to undertake this work. As we have seen, and experienced personally, planting the Gospel which leads to the establishing of a faithful church is not a commitment to be undertaken lightly. It reminds me of the decision to get on a rollercoaster, once you’re buckled in and 100ft in the air, it’s harder to get off! At least without some challenges! Having a church both under, behind and around you in this endeavour will be such a firm footing to continue with, and something that you will lean on throughout the journey.
Of course, there are many other points that can be made here, and experiences shared - but the question still stand - if there is a sense of calling and opportunity towards seeing a Gospel centred church established in a new location, what are the things that will help prepare us to see this brought to fruition? In the next blog, I want to think through some of the questions we need to ask, and areas we need to consider in preparing for the planting of a church. Of course, I’d love to hear your experiences, both successes and lessons learned, get in touch in the comments or send me a message!