Jumping Through the Hoops – Financing a Church Plant

One major challenge in gathering support for church planting will be to find churches willing to support you without demanding that you dot all their i's or cross their t's. Frankly we haven’t found many yet in the circles I have frequented. It can be discouraging. You may be tempted to find another circle. Certainly supporting churches should expect doctrinal compatibility. Yet for many churches you won't have the right music, the right translation, the right standards, the right associations, support the right schools or mission boards, too many or not enough TULIP points, or not hold to all the eschatological details to which many established churches are committed.

 

Oh, but you say you have a high view of Scripture, hold to the historic fundamentals of the faith as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed, preach Christ crucified and coming again, have years of ministry experience, have not been disbarred (by God’s grace) due to moral lapses, and practice the ordinances in the same manner as the prospective supporting churches do. Sorry! How naive can you be? You will need to jump through more hoops!

 

I find great irony in the attitude of many churches and pastors after having planted churches in two European countries and trained pastors in several others. American churches were usually generous in not requiring conformity in recognition of cultural differences (although years ago while in France we had a church drop us because we were not KJO. The pastor didn't appreciate my humor when I told him we used Louis Segond). When we began ministry in a restricted access nation there was even greater latitude accorded. I mentioned recently a church that would not support us in Philly because we didn’t hold to the doctrine of biblical music as the pastor friend understood it. The same pastor and church supported as when we were doing pioneer ministry with Arminian Amillennialists who used wine in the Lord's Supper, yeah the real stuff. Much is tolerated overseas because that's supposed to be different. But here in the US don't deviate too much from the establishment. In other words, just be prepared for all kinds of responses and reactions in your quest to plant a church. Don't try too hard to figure it out. You won't!

 

 

 

 

2 Responses to “Jumping Through the Hoops – Financing a Church Plant”

  1. An interesting article. I posted as a filing over on Sharper Iron! Thanks
     

  2. Thanks Jim. Appreciate it.

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