Church Planting Lessons

These aren’t the only lessons I’ve learned in church planting, but I’ve got a couple important ones I want to share with you. I’ll share more later …

1. Most of church planting is done in Plan D.  What I mean by that is you can enter your city with a strategic plan, but once you hit the ground you quickly realize you have to move to Plan B.  Then something happens and Plan C comes into play … and so on.  So don’t be a slave to the plan, but be true to the mission.  Church planting isn’t done in theory, it’s done in the trenches. If you can’t adapt, you’ll die.

2. Most of the time, the future isn’t clear.  If there is a church planting crystal ball out there, I haven’t found it yet.  I’m reminded of the time the Israelites had to step into the Jordan River BEFORE God showed the way and parted the water (Joshua 3:7-13).  They had to step out FIRST.

I’m working on something right now with Freedom Ridge that if it pans out will be a major plus for us.  But as I’m looking at it on paper I have no idea how we are going to pay for it.  If God wants it to happen, then it will … but I can’t get in the way.

Church planting is some of the most exhilirating, stressful, frustrating, and rewarding work out there.