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There Are Different Types of Church Plants
- We plant and water, but it is God who gives the growth.
- God doesn’t need to be capped by our expectations of what can happen.
- Church planting is not an exact science. There is no exact formula, although there are some guiding principles.
- There are different ways to plant different types of churches, so the pace will vary from one type of church to another.
3 Things That Affect the Pace of a Church Plant
- Location– what is the place that you are planting into and what is the catchment area of that plant?
- Proximity– how far away is the plant from the sending church?
- People– what kind of people/leader are we planting? What is the experience of the leader? What is the chemistry of the team?
3 Stages of Planting a Church
- Preparation– getting a clarity of where you are going, and the preparation of the planters.
- The plant – when people start to arrive in the area and the community starts to get established. This is prior to the actual launch.
- The launch– when you start your regular Sunday meetings.
Planting a Local Church
- One type of church plant is a local plant where a church is planted close enough to the original church to remain connected and feel like part of something bigger.
- This kind of plant can happen relatively quickly – especially if there are already people on the ground.
- You can carry leadership into this type of plant for a season from the original church.
- If we’re not doing it to reach the lost, we need to question our motives. We should be doing evangelism even before we launch the church.
- True measures of success aren’t just numbers of people but salvations.
- This type of plant is relatively low-risk and has high support. Just have a go.
- It could take roughly 6 months, or maybe even less.
Planting an Indigenous Church
- This kind of church is often further away and has a greater need to stand alone.
- It will need a more self-sufficient leader.
- This kind of plant is higher risk and needs more consideration – especially as the movement of people is involved.
- The preparation phase of this type of plant needs to be extended – there needs to be lots of prayer and responding to prophetic words from God.
- There will need to be a very careful selection of the team and leader.
- The moving in phase will take longer.
- A right time will come for the launch. This should be a definite event and the sending church will be highly supportive of it.
- This kind of church will take a minimum of a year – possibly longer.
Planting an Apostolic Base
- This is planting with the intention from the beginning that it will be a significant base for a planting church and apostolic centre.
- You need to look for apostolic leadership.
- This doesn’t just come out of a prayer meeting, but as a key part of an apostolic strategy – so it is about getting the right people for that situation.
- These churches will mainly be in cities or towns that have a significant influence in an area.
- There needs to be a lot of vision casting about it and a clear sense that God has spoken.
- The preparation will be longer and more drawn out – but it is worth waiting for.
Final Thoughts
- It is worth taking the time to get it right.
- It is worth waiting for the right people.
- If you can get some momentum, this will make things much easier.
Q&A
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How can you help church planting leaders pace themselves so they don’t burn out?
- There is a responsibility on those who have apostolic oversight to help people set a sustainable pace.
- If there is an issue, it is often the children that feel it most acutely.
- There is also a responsibility on the planters not to bite off more than they can chew.
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How many people would you want to have before you launch?
- For a local plant, 20-25 is enough – you just need to create a worshipping community.
- For an indigenous plant, it should be more like 40.
- For an apostolic base, shoot for 50.
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What does the launch involve?
- It can sometimes be lower key, but it should be a defined moment for the church itself.
- It will also be something that other churches will be aware of.
- You can do evangelism around a launch.
- It can put you on the map a bit.
- In part, it is a question of your own style.
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What differences have you noticed in how older/younger leaders approach pace and what advice do you have for them?
- There is a group of people who are early retirers who have capacity and mobility and can play a big role.
- It’s often harder for younger people to be mobile.
- Advice for younger people is to be patient – it is worth taking the time to get it right.
- It will be a step of faith whatever you do.
- You need to be in it together as a couple/family.
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When a church plant is going really slowly, what advice do you have on whether to pull the plug or dig in for the long haul?
- When you go to plant a church, nobody wants to give up.
- Pulling the plug is a last resort.
- You need to pull the plug if you are worried about the health of the lead couple and there are no other leaders around.
- These are very sad moments.
- The impact of this lasts for a long time.
- If something is struggling, bring apostolic leadership in to look at how to breathe life back into it.
- It is worth fighting to keep it alive – even if you need to scale it down a bit and make it more manageable.
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What advice would you give to a church plant leader who is holding down a hard job in terms of pace?
- Leading a church is a consuming role.
- Look to find a way to release some time for the leader.
- If a leader is in full-time occupation and leading a church, the key is not to do too many things or launch too many projects.
- We often start too many things – we can’t sustain them but we don’t know how to stop them.
- You need to lead through your team even more so than usual.
- Burnout happens when you act as though you are carrying it all yourself.
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How do you keep up enthusiasm and momentum for planting an apostolic base when the preparation season is so long.
- If we’re called to be an apostolic people, as we are planting one, we are already looking to the next horizon.
- Enthusiasm actually builds over time, and as soon as the trigger is pulled, there is enthusiasm for the next thing.
- You can’t afford to let it come off the boil.
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How do you make sure you don’t appoint leaders too early?
- You want to dream that your future leaders are in the harvest.
- The lead person needs to know broadly who they are working with – but being too quick to appoint a leadership team isn’t wise.
- Some people might end up not making it, and God may add in some other people instead.
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Do you have any final words for church planters?
- The goal isn’t just to have a large church – it’s a movement.
- The fruit of a church is another church.