8 Things I’ve Learned About Church-Planting

A wooden boardwalk trail winds through a sunlit forest, autumn leaves scattered across the planks.

It’s rapidly approaching the 6-month mark since my wife and I packed up our family and moved to help plant a church in Gainesville. That number is hard to believe. It seems like it was just yesterday that we felt God’s leading to move across the country. In this 6 months, I have compiled a list of a few things I’ve learned (in no particular order) so far about Church-planting…

  1. Greater Ownership – You have greater stock/ownership (or at least perceived) of what happens (or doesn’t happen) in a small, infant church. The needs are vast. Not just physical needs, but the need for the power of the Holy Spirit. There’s a lot heavier load to carry and you find out real fast how serious you are about it. It forces you to either press in and pray fervently for God’s help or to bail on the next exit ramp. So far I haven’t bailed.
  2. High Risk and High Rewards – We are supposed to “count the cost” of being a disciple. The cost (risk) is much, but the rewards are high. Those who seek to preserve their life will lose it, but for those who lose their life for Jesus’ sake, will find it (Matt. 10:39). Thus far, moving to Gainesville has costed me somewhere around $8,000. That number is increasing as we’re still waiting to sell our home. My kids have struggled at their new school in more ways than one…They miss their grandparents, family, and friends back in the Midwest…My Dad has a rare liver disease and has to have a transplant. I can’t enjoy already limited time with him. Yet, I don’t regret my decision. I may not even get the ultimate reward in this life, but even in the present order I get to see people’s eyes opened to the light of the knowledge of the glory of Christ.
  3. Christians are Strange – We really are strangers and aliens in this world. Paul even said he was considered to be refuse to the world (1 Corinth. 4:13). We truly believe remarkable and foreign things to a dying world that is passing away. Sometimes I think what I believe and am doing is totally crazy! And yet, I see this is very biblical. It is foolishness to those who are perishing. And yet the Gospel is the power of God for salvation (Rom. 1:16).

          “We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as 

           dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always 

           rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing 

           everything” – 2 Corinth. 6:8-10

4.  People are Messy (Including Me) – We’re all messy to some extent. What is normal? I’ve often wondered what ‘normal’ actually looks like. Sometimes I think we spend too much time trying to make sure we look all put-together. Well, I hate to break it to you, but we’re not. I struggle so often with perfectionism (thinking I need to have a spotless car, a spotless house, perfect kids, get up at 4am to read the Bible for 3 hours while listening to a Jonathan Edwards audio book, etc., etc.). Just admit that we’re at least kinda messy. Maybe not as messy as we were when Jesus first saved us, but still a bit messy. Whenever the burden of perfectionism starts creeping in, I just remind myself of Psalm 23…He makes us lie down in green pastures, he leads us beside still waters. Messy people makes for messy lives. This spills over into relationships. Let grace abound. I had a leader who is also a dear friend that used to say, “we’re not here to fix each other.” Stressing out over being put together all the time is NOT Christianity. The world does that, and it does NOT require the Holy Spirit.

5. I Don’t Like Board Games – This one isn’t really a new development for me. A lot of people like to get together to play board games, particularly the one’s with 15 different pieces that require a college course to learn all the rules. However, relationship tends to happen over board games and if it means I can connect with people doing something they enjoy, I’ll play board games every day.

6. I Suck at Remembering Names – Also, not necessarily a new development. Being on a church plant certainly magnifies this shortcoming though. Thankfully, there’s a lot of people named Andrew at the church I attend, so I have a pretty good chance if I just guess Andrew.

7. I Care Too Much About Approval of Man – This also relates back to #4, but being on a church plant tends to bring everything to the surface (good or bad) as far as struggles and unhealthy patterns. They come out of the woodwork. There’s a feeling of having to “prove yourself all over again” to a new group of people. Prove what exactly–how awesome I am? I’m not sure. And we’re never as awesome as we think we are (Rom. 12:3).

8. Jesus Builds His Church – I am convinced there’s nothing too special about us. It’s amazing the type of people Jesus chooses to build his church (no offense, I’m also speaking about myself here). There’s great hope and confidence in this fact. It takes a lot of the burden off ourselves and lowers the stakes a bit on our part. Sometimes I take myself too seriously.