Being portable is more than just something that requires you to set up and tear down every week. It limits your exposure since your location is only visible on the weekends. So you have to find other ways of gaining exposure in the community. Further, most ministry functions at an established church involve the building. When you don’t have a building, you have to find other ways to build community as a church. People who attend a church plant come into it asking the question, “Is this church going to make it?” They won’t ask you that question, but they’re thinking it.
Further, you can’t out-church the established church. What I mean by that is, if someone wanted to go to a typical church, they wouldn’t visit a church that meets at a school, movie theater or warehouse.
In other words, most people who visit a church plant are looking for something different than what the established churches in the area have to offer. If they show up at your place and find you just doing church, chances are it’s not going to work. This is true for both churched and unchurched people who come to check you out.
3. I put the vision up for sale.
In order to keep people from leaving the church, I’d do whatever I could to make them happy. When you’re at a church plant, you’re so desperate for people that the thought of someone bailing on you keeps you up at night. Especially when you know they tithe.
My first time around, I allowed people whose only concern was having their personal ministry needs met be the ones that determined what we did as a church. They ended up determining our discipleship structure (Sunday school over small groups), our service time (9:30 instead of 10:30 when more nonchurch people would come), and what outreach events we did (things like VBS that never resulted in any church growth).
They were disgruntled “church people” who came to a church plant because the previous church they attended wasn’t willing to meet their demands. Church planters need people who are more interested in reaching their community for Christ than having their personal demands met.
Church plants attract disgruntled “church people” like a magnet. Then when they come to your church plant, they think they are doing you a favor by attending this little startup church that’s a tenth of the size of their previous church. Soon they’ll let you know that if they aren’t valued, they’re gone. Let them go.
