The Deeply Personal Journey of Planting a New Church
I firmly believe that church is at its best when we collaborate, share vision and responsibility, and empower every member of the body of Christ. When we move away from personality-centered ministries, we reduce the harm that the church may potentially cause. But that doesn’t change the fact that starting a new church is a deeply personal endeavor. You are not building a religious factory that is straining to produce more widgets, faster and faster. On some level, you start a new church because you believe in it — you are invested in serving the community and faithfully responding to God’s calling. This is not an industrial strategy that you can keep at arm’s length.
Because this work requires the fullness of who you are, it has everything to do with your depth, as well as your spiritual, emotional, and holistic well-being. When our prototype for a “successful” church planter focuses solely on outward metrics of fast and furious growth — ignoring spiritual growth, character, and authenticity — we feed unhealthy industrialized views of church planting.
Particularly in the face of declining religious participation in America (especially post-Covid), we need to do two things. First, we need to broaden our plausibility structures for who can start a church. Second, we need to examine what we truly value in leadership and learn to put our own spiritual health and growth at the forefront of how we’re leading others.
The Speck vs. the Log
In our culture that prizes numerical metrics, many church planters feel the frustration of slow, or seemingly nonexistent, growth. Even when we know that rebuilding the credibility of the church’s witness will be slow-going, and that investing in authentic relationships simply takes time, we feel the pressure of building attendance numbers, finding ways to make ends meet financially through this work, and generally feeling like we’re failing.
Friends, I know the struggle is real! You can do your very best and, because of reasons that are beyond us, your new church simply isn’t growing in numbers. I want to give a word of caution: don’t externalize your frustrations by blaming others around you. This reminds me of Jesus’ teaching about focusing on the speck in our neighbor’s eye while ignoring the log in our own eye.
The speck, in this case, might be exasperation with “those people” out there: What’s wrong with this generation? Do they just not care about anything important? Or it might sound like this: Why isn’t my team more committed? Why aren’t people more excited about our vision? They must be flaky or lukewarm.
If you find yourself struggling in a similar way, perhaps Jesus is inviting you to a conversation with him about what’s happening in you. Why does this frustrate you so much? Is there something you’re afraid of? What are you really committed to? How can I seek Jesus through the inevitable ups and downs of church planting?
Values for Deeper Leadership
We believe faithful innovation is inspired by genuine, growing love for Jesus and for your neighbors near and far. Take a few moments to consider how you’re growing in your relationship with God, others, and yourself:
- Curiosity: Do you take genuine interest in being transformed by the people, communities, and stories around you? Is burnout causing you to lose interest in those around you? Is ongoing learning mostly for the sake of technical leadership, or are you growing as a whole human being?
- Belovedness: Are you surrounding yourself with rituals and people that remind you that you are holistically loved as a child of God outside of your professional roles? What would happen if the title of “pastor” or “church planter” were taken away? Do you strive for approval or self-worth through ministry output or results?
- Trustworthiness: Have you made consistent efforts to experience forgiveness and reconciliation in order to establish new patterns for relationships that honor integrity? How do you handle conflict? Do you empathize with people outside of the faith who might not trust church leaders?
- Resolve: Do you resist shortcuts and faithfully discipline yourself in Jesus’ way as you patiently anticipate God’s activity? Are you leaning too heavily on “3 quick and easy steps” for church growth? How do you handle disappointments or setbacks?
Pathways for Knowing Jesus
Although it might feel that there are never enough hours in the day for this work, and the urgency of a hundred different needs will continue to pulse, I urge you to be attentive to the deep soul-work that church planting requires. These questions might become part of a regular rhythm of prayer and reflection for you:
- What are the barriers to curiosity for me?
- What rhythms in my life remind me that I am beloved by God?
- Who is a trustworthy leader that has shaped my faith?
- What are my own commitments and non-negotiables when it comes to following Jesus?
