Having participated in two church plants as a planter, and now working with church planters on a regular basis in a coaching capacity, I know first hand the fears associated with planting a church. It’s a leap of faith and one God is calling many to these days.
My theory here is recognizing the fear and realizing their legitimacy is part of guarding our hearts against them. The fact remains – for a church plant to be successful, at least in Kingdom terms, God must provide His grace.
Keep in mind, Jesus said not to be afraid. I believe that is because often fear is a cheap substitute for trust. But, unless you are perfect – which I suspect you’re not, you’re subject to normal human emotions. The kind church planting produces.
I get it – from personal experience.
Here are 5 legitimate fears of church planters:
No one will show up.
If we do all this work and it doesn’t work – what will we do? You’ll be thankful you were obedient to what you believe God called you to do and wait patiently for Him to provide. We had to consistently remind our core team that God was in control of numbers. Our job was to be faithful. This doesn’t mean you stop inviting people or investing in the community around you, but you trust God will stir hearts for His work.
We can’t afford it.
You probably can’t. Seriously – not with what you can see. And, seldom there be “enough money” – or so it may seem at times. God calls us to big tasks. Church planting is hard – and not cheap. But, the Lord will provide resources for His vision. This doesn’t mean you don’t need to educate people on the needs or help them understand the command, value and blessing of giving, but it does mean you trust God even when the checkbook balance is low. It also doesn’t mean you won’t have to wait to make major purchases or there won’t be times you have to wait until “Sunday’s offering” to get paid. Our paycheck was delayed several times the first couple years so other bills – and other staff – could be paid, but we were never hungry.
I don’t know what I’m doing.
Isn’t it wonderful? It means you’re insufficient without His sufficiency. What a great place to reside! The great news is that many have gone before you. Learn from others and stay on your knees before God.
People that help us start will leave.
True. Most core teams are cut in half in the first few years. At first I thought we were to be the exception. We weren’t. Other people will come and never return. But, some will stick. And, they will have hearts for the vision. And, in them we rejoice at what God has done. We build our teams around those who God sends to us and who remain steadfast to the journey ahead. The team may change several times the first few years.
We don’t have a building – or a place to meet.
No, but you probably don’t have a mortgage either. And, you’re raising up an army of volunteers for set up and tear down. You are building service and sacrifice into your DNA as a church. Isn’t it wonderful! Don’t lose that atmosphere and culture of dependency, even when you have a building someday.
Final thought. These fears are legitimate – real fears. Don’t be ashamed you have them. The key is not to live in them, but to live and walk in the faith God will complete His plans and enable those He calls.
What other fears have you experienced in church planting?
Check out my leadership podcast where we hopefully help limit bad decisions and discuss issues of leadership in a practical way. Plus, check out the other Lifeway Leadership Podcasts.
These are facts ,we have seen God opening ways through walking a fearless church planter,great things follow great people inspite of some areas you can’t jst leave them for some have no food to take,clothing ,education of their children and even shelter to some points,Have also realized that the higher we assend the cooler it becomes,we know by the grace We are looking foward just to make an agreement with the Lord
Church planting is often not for the feint of heart. My church is sponsoring a church plant in Portland. It's a hard area and after more than 5 years the church there is starting to see a few new baptisms. All of the things in this article are true in spades for our church planter there, but he is plowing forward to reach these dear people of Portland. We send teams to help him and are a significant part of his support, though we aren't the only ones.
I would recommend that church planters find supporting churches. I would also recommend that established churches find church plants they can get personally involved with. A church planter needs the encouragement and could use helpful resources in terms of people power and financial assistance where necessary.
Always good words from you, friend.