Twenty Lessons in Church Planting

We celebrated our second anniversary as a church plant this past weekend. I’ve spent two decades as pastor of established churches, and only a few years (including pre-launch work) as a church planter. Here are twenty lessons I’ve learned about church planting so far.

1. Church planting is much harder than you’d expect, even if you thought it would be hard. Expect disappointments and spiritual warfare.
2. Church planting is much more rewarding than you’d expect. It’s not the point of church planting, but it’s a side benefit. You will probably experience more joy in church planting than in any other ministry you’ve experienced.
3. Church planting is a team sport. Don’t ever try it alone. Don’t ever try it without your spouse’s full support.
4. Having a set of core convictions is essential in planting a church. Everyone will tell you what to do. It’s important to listen and learn, but it’s also important to know what God has called you to do.
5. Having a plan is important when planting a church, but don’t expect the plan to survive its first contact with reality.
6. People you think will support you often won’t. People you think will support you often will.
7. However long you think it will take you, double it. Just to be safe, triple it. Don’t get into church planting if you don’t know how to be patient.
8. You will see a steady stream of people who wander from church to church. Don’t expect them to stay long. Don’t build your ministry around them.
9. You will be tempted to settle for transfer growth. Keep your eyes on the harvest.
10. Planting a church is different than pastoring a church. Know the difference, and make sure you’re actually planting.
11. If you can’t fundraise, you probably can’t plant.
12. Deal with your baggage. Don’t plant a church in protest. Plant a church for positive reasons, not negative ones.
13. Never discount the importance of year zero. Set the foundation well rather than rushing to a premature launch.
14. Attend conferences sparingly. They’re helpful, but always weigh the benefits.
15. Get to know other planters. Pray for them, learn from them, rejoice when they succeed, and share their burdens when they struggle.
16. Expect to be busy. Church planting will demand more of your time than other forms of ministry.
17. Build structure. Unless you structure your time, you’ll be pulled in a million directions. Don’t say yes to every invitation you receive.
18. Stop counting. Minister to the people who are there rather than obsessing over the people who aren’t.
19. Don’t expect glory. Church planting is hard, tough work. But you’re privileged to be able to do it.
20. Keep coming back to the gospel. Don’t get your identity from how well the church plant is doing. Get your identity from the gospel. Build a gospel culture, beginning with you.