The Worthy Work of Church Planting

I enjoyed a fine weekend with the people of one of our FiveStone church plants: Vanguard Bible Church in Bakersfield, Calif. Pastor Cary Nack and the core are nurturing a God-honoring congregation that has a clear and compelling vision for making and baptizing disciples of Jesus. They are boldly biblical and are working from a clearly-stated philosophy of ministry. What a joy to invest in that work. If you're interested in the weekend's Sunday sermon, here's the link: http://www.vanguardbible.org/resources/sermons/the-worthy-work-of-church-planting/

Church Planting in the Center of Google Earth

Chanute, Kansas, is the center of Google Earth. That’s because Google Earth’s software developer is from Chanute. A giant mural painted on the city’s two main cross streets features a blue outline of North America and the title Center of Google Earth. Maybe the town's leaders will paint a second street-mural titled Center of Grace Community Church. Nah, that won't happen.

Even so, Grace Community Church is coming to Chanute via Steve Galt in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and via FiveStone Churches. Steve has been in pastoral ministry in Poughkeepsie since 2010. He reached out to me last fall to talk about planting a church in Chanute. I’ve known Steve for about 10 years. After Steve and I visited Chanute to explore the possibilities, we agreed to work together on the church plant. Steve and his wife, Stacy, were born and raised in Chanute. They’re planning to move in August to Chanute, which is about 120 miles south of Kansas City.

My wife and I care a lot about the people of Chanute, Steve said. The vision for the new church starts with the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. We’ll focus on teaching the Scriptures so that the main point of the biblical text is the main point of the sermon. We’ll build fellowship with one another and try to ensure that the people of the church are serving one another and serving others outside the congregation. There’s always need for another church that lives that way. That's what we want to be in Chanute.

To those who say there is no need for another church in Chanute or anywhere else, Steve argues that new churches can lead many people into relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Citing research that looks at the context of fruitful evangelism and conversions to Christ, Steve said that church plants have an opportunity to share Christ most effectively. Just about everyone involved in a church plant spends more energy focusing outward than they do in a long-established church, he said.

But Steve doesn’t want to do the work of church planting alone. That’s why he investigated several church planting networks before linking with FiveStone Churches and before leaping into church planting.

I’ve never planted a church before, he said. I don’t want to be out there by myself and left to my own judgments without any accountability. I really resonate with FiveStone Churches. We’re like-minded theologically, methodologically and in philosophy of ministry. I’m a really good fit with FiveStone. Besides that, I appreciate FiveStone’s commitment to building relationships among church shepherds. That's already happening. All these things resonated with me. That’s why I’m planting with FiveStone Churches.

For a news article about Steve and Grace Community Church, click here.

Encountering the Lord in Kingston

Our new church plant in Kingston, Ontario, has a clear core purpose: encounter God. So, when people who want to encounter God get together, they could rightly be called Encounter Church. I like it.

I first met planting pastor Andrew DeBartolo about eight months ago. I asked him why he wanted to plant a church and what would be the purpose of the new church. We want to encounter God, he said. We want to stir our affections for Him. We want to focus on God’s goodness to us. Well said.

Andrew and I have spent several months investigating the possibilities for the church plant and preparing the ground to receive the church planting seed. Andrew and his wife, Kathryn, have gathered a core group of committed followers of Jesus Christ, and Andrew has framed a clear vision of what it would mean for the people of Kingston to encounter the Lord at Encounter Church.

That vision is expressed in the church’s four core values: 

• Holding fast to the Gospel of Christ – 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 – In every part of our lives and in every part of our church, our desire is that the Gospel is at the centre of everything we do.

• Making disciples of Christ – Matthew 28:18-20 – We are committed to teaching people what it means to follow Jesus and obey the things He has commanded us to do. 

• Passionate in worship – Psalm 100:1-5 – In our corporate gatherings, we are intentional in encouraging and teaching our people to worship God with joy, sincerity, and in truth.

• Pursuing authentic relationships – Hebrews 10:24-25 – Through fellowship, mentorship, and accountability, we will sharpen one another in intimate relationships.

The church’s core values are extensions of what the Lord has made me passionate about, DeBartolo said. I love the idea of starting a church from the ground up. Kingston has a tremendous need for the gospel. 

He said that, in this city of about 125,000 in eastern Ontario, about 100,000 are not involved in a church. I love to study and teach the Scriptures. The Lord uses His word to draw people to Himself. People who come to Encounter Church will hear God’s word and see it applied in all of our ministries. I’m hoping that people who don’t know Christ will hear the gospel and respond to it. I’m hoping that those who already know Christ will grow to become more like Jesus Christ.

That’s a fine Kingston vision. There’s a lot of ground work to do in the next several months. We’re looking for the church to emerge next spring with its first public worship service.

For more about Encounter Church, see the News article on our website.

Saplings into Mighty Oaks, Mighty Maples

I planted a tree in my yard that looks something like this drawing of a sapling.

It reminds me of the public presentation of a new church. It shoots out strong and looks pretty good, like it's been around for awhile. It's already sprouted some green leaves, but they're not yet fully extended. The sapling looks good, but it also seems fragile. A bad storm might knock it down. An ugly bug attack could kill it from the inside. But there it stands, in the ground, supported, protected and nurtured by the caretaker. It's started to grow strong and tall.

It might grow slowly, like an oak, or quickly, like a maple. Doesn't matter. Either way, it's still doing what's it's supposed to do in the ground in which it's planted and in accordance with the way the Lord has designed it. I really like that.

Church planting is risky work. The plant is vulnerable to any number of attacks. As somebody said: What if your church plant fails?

Here's a good answer: What better thing is there to fail at? We need to be like King David when he wanted to build the temple. The Lord didn't let him build it, but He commended David for his heart for the Lord's glory. (1 Kings 8:18).

High risk is the nature of things that are worthwhile and make a difference in the Lord's kingdom. We won't despise the day of small things (Zechariah 4:10), and we won't be swayed by discouragement, fear, frustrations or opposition (Ezra 4:4-6).

Miracle Grow in a Seed Church

Planting a church that pops up strong ordinarily takes some time . . . maybe as long as nine months from seed stage to the day it goes public. It usually takes time to build the seed of a solid core group and get everybody ready for ministry. Why? Because the work needs to draw gifted servants and develop strong roots of relationships, leadership, service, doctrine and organization. Those roots help hold the plant in place when hard days come.

On launch day, of course you want people who visit the new church to connect with the Lord. You also want them to say, Wow, these people really know what they’re doing. This looks like a church that’s about two or three years old. That means all things are in order and done well, from the location to signage to genuine friendliness to worship to preaching to child care. Yes, better emphasize child care. It doesn’t matter how good everything else is, if parents worry that their babies and older children aren’t cared for properly, they won’t be coming back.

I figure there’s several reasons for that. It’s true that a planting pastor who parachutes in to a new location has a tough row to hoe. Much also depends on the ground where you're throwing the seed. If there's a few healthy churches in the area, it's probably going to be tougher to grow the church. Perhaps there's maybe one Bible-preaching church in the area where we're planting. Perhaps the people of the area also already know the planting pastor, which makes things easier. But that’s far from enough. The Lord puts together a core of praying people who are gifted, mature and passionate about Christ and his church. They also know how to make connections between vision and action. And whatever they don’t know, they’re teachable to learn what’s needed and then act upon it. That’s miracle grow stuff for the seed of the church.

See What is Not Yet

Starting a new church—or strengthening any church—includes leaning into the obvious. I don’t mean quietly accepting the obvious. I mean Lean into it. OK, so you don’t have a building, a strong student ministry or high quality video and sound. Talk about it directly. It’s obvious to everyone. Challenge people to see something else. Challenge them to see what will be.

Church leaders absolutely must see the future and share it with passion. If they fail to compel people to see a strong future, then the church already is toast. Why? Because the church rises and falls on the quality of its leadership. A core leadership quality is getting people to see what is not yet. (Of course, after people see what you see, then you must deliver the vision to reality.)

A few objections and answers:

Objection: You don’t have a building of your own. I need a church that already has a building.

Answer: Right, we don’t have a building of our own. Maybe someday we’ll have a building and it’ll be used to honor the Lord. You can help us get there. And then you’ll look back and say, ‘I helped the church. Those were amazing days.’

Objection: You don’t have much of a ministry to students. I need a church that already has that.

Answer: You’re right. Someday we’ll have a really strong ministry for students. But we’ll help you disciple your sons and daughters. For now, you and your family get the privilege of working to plant a church that honors the Lord. And then you’ll look back and say, ‘I helped the church. Those were amazing days.’

Objection: You don’t have very good video during your services and the sound quality really isn’t great. I need a church that already has that.

Answer: Right, we don’t have very good video. And audiophiles are disappointed. But we expect to get there. And you can help us. And then you’ll look back and say, ‘I helped the church. Those were amazing days.’

Maybe you really want to say, Shut up! Quit being such a baby. Stop whining and being so selfish. Give something instead of only taking. (Nah, don’t say that.)

So, planters and pastors building a stronger church need to lead eyes away from what is not yet and help people see what will be. Church planters need spiritual pioneers, the brave souls who get it.

At the same time, there always are people who throw doubts on the work. Maybe this is good answer for them: If you can’t see what we’re trying to build, then don’t help us. But you’ll miss the blessing that comes with throwing yourself into building the Lord’s church. If you do join us, you’ll look back and say, ‘I helped the church. Those were amazing days.’

Cast Compelling Vision

There are many reasons—some good reasons—why people won’t get involved in a church plant or, for that matter, an existing church. Any number of reasons will keep people away in the days before a public launch of a new church. Maybe the core group doesn’t have enough people with young children. Or maybe the group has too many people older than 40. Or maybe the plant doesn’t yet have a someone to lead a children’s ministry. Whatever.

In the face of many objections, we know two things for sure:

1. The Lord loves His church and wants it to flourish by making, baptizing and teaching disciples of Jesus Christ;

2. Compelling vision for a life-giving church knocks down self-centered objections.

Whatever the reason for not joining a church plant, it’s really bad if people won’t join because the church planting pastor fails to cast compelling vision. That’s inexcusable.

So, the question is: Why do we need another church around here? The planting pastor must have a compelling reason for a new church. If he has a compelling reason, then objections will fall and there will be people eager to join the work. People need to get a grip on the vision for something better than what they have. Whether they’re spending their evenings and Sundays watching TV or drinking beer or even attending church, compelling vision for the Lord’s church casts out shallow living.

There are churches everywhere. Some do good work. But some others are dead placeholders. They’re often led by the comfortable who seek the uninspired to give money to the ineffective. Jesus demands something different and something more. His church rises and falls on the quality of her leadership.

I was sitting with a senior pastor who was stuck in a dormant church filled with people who had no heart or understanding of the purpose of the church. Tears welled in his eyes as we agreed, There must be more than this.

Church leaders must lead to different and more. Whatever the pastor’s failures in casting compelling vision for the church, he finally saw the picture. He needed either to resign as pastor or cast compelling vision that shakes the church’s cage. That would stir some people to try to kick him out. Even so, in the midst of that rejection, there will be others who will want him to stay and lead them to fulfill the church’s mission.

Those who stay are the people who can renew a church or plant a new church that becomes a life-giving work. It starts with a leader who casts compelling vision for the Lord's glory. That vision fuels others for the work of ministry in the local church. And that is simply supernatural.

Give Me No Pudgy Christians, Give Me Pioneers

When it comes to church planting, I’ll always take one pioneer over 20 pudgy Christians. Pioneers are the drivers of church planting. (Yes, of course I know that the Lord powers the work, but He works through pioneers to plant churches.)

Church planters must have spiritual pioneers. If a few spiritual pioneers join the work, then the plant has a good dose of the right stuff for a healthy and strong church.

A pioneer is different from an ordinary person. A pioneer doesn’t demand commonly expected conveniences and comforts. He knows the road will be bumpy and dirty. There won’t be air conditioning or hot showers. No refrigerators and no microwave ovens. Pioneers build their own shelters and hunt their own food. They expect hardship.

Pioneers aren’t pioneers because they love hardship, but because they have vision for something better than what they left behind. They look to the reward. They endure hardship because they can see the picture of the future they’re building. They want a hand in building that future. They’re excited to do the heavy lifting.

It’s the same with spiritual pioneers.

The very best Christians are excited about church planting. They may not actually be the ones go out to plant a church, but they understand that church is not about their comfort. It’s not about cushy chairs and eye-popping videos. It’s not about giggly passion for a rock star preacher or infatuation with Broadway-quality stage production. Church is about hard-edged, dusty and bumpy disciple-making for the fame of the Lord.

There’s nothing better in this world than throwing yourself into the work of a life-giving church. That church is defined by making, baptizing and teaching disciples of Jesus Christ. Spiritual pioneers get that. And they infect others with the vision. That’s why church planters—from the get-go of their work—need to look for spiritual pioneers.

Brooks Atkinson, who was a movie critic and journalist, had a comment on what made America great: This nation was built by men who took risks—pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness, business men who were not afraid of failure, scientists who were not afraid of the truth, thinkers who were not afraid of progress, dreamers who were not afraid of action.

In church planting, that quote might look like this: The church is built by men and women who take risks. They're pioneers. They're preachers with no fear of rejection, fanatics with no fear of failure, seekers unafraid of the truth, leaders driven by spiritual progress, visionaries brave enough to act.

What the Lord could do with a holy handful of spiritual pioneers. Acts 4:29-31. The Lord honors the proclamation of His Word. He wants pioneers to deliver it and live it.