CHURCH PLANTING IS HARD


I work for the Free Will Baptist Home Missions Department. It’s a great job! I get to work with some of my favorite people – church planters. Before I came to Nashville to work here, I was a church planter in Delaware. It was one of the hardest and most rewarding experiences of our lives. My wife, Sandy, and I have four children. Now that they are grown, Sandy is able to travel with me to visit church planters. Both of us have a heart for new churches and church planters and their families. In this blog, I just want to share about good books that I’ve read, ideas that I’ve heard about, and thoughts that I have about church planting and other facets of reaching people for Christ in North America.


It’s hard to start a new church.

* You have to find somewhere to meet for church services.
* You don’t have much money.
* Nobody knows anything about you.
* Since people attract people, it’s harder for you to draw a crowd because you don’t have any people yet.
* Somebody is always asking you what you believe – “So what’s the difference between Free Will Baptists and other Baptists?”
* You have to come up with all the organizational structure.
* A lot of people will come for awhile and then leave because they don’t like something about your preaching or the church doctrine or way you worship. Or they want more programs for their children.
* You attract a lot of people who are very needy or who have a lot of problems. You know that you want to help everyone, but they drain you of all your energy and don’t really give you any help.

And there are a lot of obstacles that apply to any church in America:
* People are busy.
* Americans are comparison shoppers.
* There are many false beliefs. Many people resent anyone who takes a stand on truth.
* People are suspicious about religious leaders.
* Our country has a culture of entertainment and pleasure.
* People have preconceived ideas about Christians and Baptists.



But you know what else church planting is – it’s fun!

* I was so excited at our first service (held in a living room with 35 people present) that I felt like my feet weren’t even touching the ground.
* Do you want real fellowship with other Christians? Work together on the new church building. At the end of the day you are tired, but it’s a good tired.
* You look forward to Sunday morning like you never have before.
* It is so good to have a crowd at your fellowship dinner that you don’t mind eating last and you’re not that upset that you have to eat dark meat chicken.
* Some people are saved. Their whole future is changed. That is the fun I’m talking about!

So if hard work and rejection will stop you, don’t try to start a new church. It isn’t for everyone.
But I’m sure glad I got to get in on it.