Successful Church Planting
Church planters must come to grips with the reality that there is no guarantee of success in church planting if by success they think of having a large, self-supporting church with its own facilities, etc. God measures success differently and considers faithfulness the measure of ministry success. I have witnessed the birth of churches which have folded after a year or two for various reasons – lack of finances, discouragement, and family problems to name a few. It is important to go into church planting with confidence in God and not depend on your own abilities, strategy, models, or marketing. All of these may have a place but dependence on them may lead to reliance on what you are doing and thinking that you can plant a church because you have the training, finances, and previous ministry experience. Jesus said that He would build His church. We get to be co-laborers with Him!
So just assuming that I'm willing to accept failure, and that if it doesn't work it's not a big loss, what is stopping me from planting a church? Is there a specific call, or if I see a need, is it ok to meet it? It just seems like church planting, at least through major denominations, is a ten step 25 year process. Ok, not really, but it's a lot of bureaucracy. Thoughts?
I wouldn't say it's not a big loss after investing years and who knows how much money. But success will look different in different times and places. There are many things that can be done upfront – prayer support, leadership team development, demographic studies, assessments, fundraising, etc. Not knowing the outcome of all the blood, sweat and tears is not an excuse for poor planning. But there is no guarantee that what God does looks like what you thought it would be and shouldn't be compared to waht others do and see done. And yes it does take years for a church to be solidly established.