Perhaps it is because I am in my second church plant, but some of the most frequent questions I receive come from church planters. The two questions I get asked most are: If you were planting another church …
What would you do differently?
What would you do the same?
Those are great questions, because the first few times I had to answer them it made me think through some of our best practices and some of the mistakes we’ve made along the way (and we’ve made plenty).
So, here are my answers …
The Same:
1. Caged Momentum
If I were planting a church again, I would make people wait. I’d make the core team wait to launch, I’d make people wait for small groups until we were ready, and I’d make the students wait for a student service until leaders were in place.
Whatever the ministry, I’d make people wait until we had things as planned as possible. There’s also the principle of missing an opportunity, but the power of caged momentum cannot be dismissed and I’d do it again.
2. Holy Discontent
I would look for people to help launch the church who have a strong desire for something more in their spiritual life, but who haven’t been able to find it.
3. Give My Vision Away
I’d give others ownership in the plant. I’d let them decide how we do children’s ministry or what we do to serve our community. The more they own, the more they’ll be motivated to do.
