CHURCH PLANTING
MADE EASY?
It all began with a google...
Two words: CHURCH PLANTING

(Results 1 - 10 of about 2,280,000 for church planting. (0.06 seconds)

I know that we are now in the world of instant access to info on the superhighway so I shouldn't be too enamored with a google search result. But 2.2+ million possibilities in less than a tenth of a second. WOW!

So, I scrolled through a few of the choices, and here is a sampling of the sites I found

Starting a church or ministry has never been easier...

~~~~~

You need (brand x company)!
We are full service - We Do ALL the Work!
It's Church Planting Made Easy

~~~~~

GUARANTEED PROSPECTS FOR YOUR CHURCH, we'll do a telephone campaign which finds you as many prospects to your church as you desire.

~~~~~

Follow these 10 Easy Steps to Starting Your Own Church and You'll be on Your Way in No Time!

These online "brochures" offer an effortless and luxurious trip, but they certainly don't match up with the planting journey I've been on for the past 4 years.

Here are just a few of the lessons I have learned:

1) Church Planting is hard work. Plain and simple. First and foremost, successful planting requires an undying commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It also requires a commitment to telling your story over and over again...to neighbors, to friends, to partner churches. It requires soul searching, pavement pounding, door knocking, personal confession, ceaseless praying, vision casting, initiative, drive, heart, guts, passion, sweat, blood, tears. It takes long hours and it takes grueling work!

Planting NorthStar Church has led me to wear the hats of accountant, secretary, worship leader, carpenter, nursery worker, sound man, painter, plumber, graphic designer, drummer, Sunday School teacher, greeter, coach, janitor, doorman, ad exec., marketing coordinator, and so much more. To all the "10 easy steps" sites, I offer this suggestion. Plant a church first, then tell me how easy it is.

2) Church Planting is a spiritual endeavor...not just a franchise or business model. As we began to prepare for our move to the Northwest and our first planting experience, we read EVERYTHING we could get our hands on regarding planting churches. Tragically, much of the information that we found on planting dealt with legal issues, tax status, mission statements, p.o. boxes, and checkbooks. Planting a church has an organizational component, but walking with God in a vibrant, interactive relationship is central.

On that same note, it is easy to fall in love with the calling and community of another pastor. One planter put it this way, "I got fired up by reading books by Andy Stanley and Erwin McManus. Unfortunately, I fell in love with their calling…and their community. God didn’t call me to shepherd the people of Los Angeles or Atlanta…he called me to shepherd the people of my community." I echo those sentiments and say that I wasted way too many days trying to be Mark Driscoll and Ed Young. Jr. when God just wanted me to be Scott Hanberry and to love on the people of Kootenai County, Idaho.

3) Church Planting is more rewarding than anything I could ever imagine.Church planting gave us the unique opportunity to start with a clean sheet of paper and build the thing from the ground up. In this process we've tried to focus on what really counts: evangelism and discipleship. We studied the book of Acts, then LIVED IT OUT IN A NEW COMMUNITY! We've seen lives changed, eternity impacted, souls saved, and the Kingdom advanced.

4) You can always plant another church…you can’t always have another family. As much as I love church planting and shepherding people…I love my wife and children more. In doing all of the necessary work to get a new church start "off the ground", I wish that I had focused far more attention on the development of my family.
Now don't get me wrong...Planting NSC has been a good thing for our family! My kids have learned lessons about God that no other experience could have afforded them. They clearly understand the principle of obedience = blessing. Yet, I warn any and all prospective planters, LOVE GOD & YOUR FAMILY MOST OF ALL! You won't regret it.

More lessons to come soon...