I typically just post my own musings, but, I found this post to be extremely interesting about church planting. It’s written by a guy I met and hung out with for a couple of days at GMA several (probably 10!) years ago. Matt Conner. I’ve been intrigued with the idea of church planting for years. My parents were/are church planters. So, it’s really uno wonder that I find the topic of great interest to me. Here’s what Matt posted:
Picture someone who, when he sees a group of strangers, thinks “They could all use more of me in their lives.” Now you understand 90% of the thought process behind most Evangelical church plants.
Most cities aren’t lacking for churches at all. They’re on every corner where you and I live. But, let’s say here in Nashville, there are myriad churches obsessed with putting more and more locations of their brand of church in places already surrounded by more people doing the same. They are providing answers to questions no one is asking. In fact, they don’t even bother with questions in the first place because they consider themselves the answer. Hence the above illustration.
Picture a person so in love with who they are that they think that every one around them naturally needs to know them and you get the thought process behind most churches wanting to plant. They’ll use terms like “advance the gospel” but what does that say about the other churches in the neighborhood they are going to? What they are saying (without words) is, “We do church better. Those churches aren’t effective.”
Most of the time, these churches come in without even having a presence there in the first place. They use their incredible amount of wealth and resources to further a brand. It’s easy to spin in church circles to sound holy, Godly, good, etc., but it’s lazy, egotistical, immature, and offensive to be honest.
If a person really feels led by God to go somewhere and plant a church, then he/she should put themselves there for a long, long time and do nothing but listen. Ask questions and don’t assume any answers. Get to know fellow religious leaders. Get to know civic leaders. Get to know school administrators. Get to know first responders. Get to know neighbors. Ask each of them what makes the place great and help them celebrate it. As them what is needed and help fill in the blanks.
Make the specific area’s problems your own. You won’t care about the needs of a specific school until it’s your own child that has to go there.
Then and only then, after ingratiating yourself into a specific place where you are a real, actual neighbor, should anyone begin to talk about organizing something to impact that neighborhood. Once you do so, you will know the real needs for they will be your own, and you will be rooted alongside the assets that can help you get the job done.
Unfortunately, everyone wants to start with some Sunday morning gathering, as if getting some already-convinced people to change their habits for a couple hours each week so they’ll face forward in the same direction and listen to someone (who is likely more interested in building a platform/tribe for himself/herself under the guise of “calling”) is going to change a neighborhood. It won’t.
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