Church Planting Primer

What comes to mind when you think of a “church”? Before we discuss planting, we need some idea of what it is we hope to plant! This foundational session considers common types of church in Western Christianity, and defines both an essential ecclesiology and a church’s basic activity.

Why would someone want to plant a church? There are many reasons -- some good and healthy; others less so. This second session cuts through dangerous but common motives for church planting, and looks at God’s mission as the one best motive for planting a church.

One of the most common questions potential church planters ask is, “am I called?” While there is no 100% answer to that question, there is also no single personality type or gift mix that makes someone a planter or not. This session looks at the need for knowing our role on a team, plus six vital elements that have proven to be helpful in discerning whether you’re called to plant a church.

The church you would plant must sit at the convergence of three circles: your conviction, the leader and team, and the church’s mission field. This video considers the first element of this “trifecta”: knowing your mission field well helps you contextualize your church’s mission and ministry well. From the earliest days of Christianity, we see church planting as a primary way God’s people fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission, to make disciples.

The church you plant must be one you want to be part of, and would be glad to raise your family in. The reality, though, is that many churches could have the exact same vision statement, but either the beliefs behind that statement or the church’s ministry philosophy could feel 180 degrees different! This session dissects the second element of the “trifecta,” as we see that theological and philosophical convictions matter deeply for a church plant.

In much of Western church planting, the focus is on one planter, who has to operate alone and as a ‘superman.” This creates a ton of pressure as well as a pedestal mentality, leading to isolation, celebrity, and/or impossible expectations. In the third aspect of our “church planting trifecta,” we see why the best plants and most sustainable churches are led by a team, and consider that team’s various roles and how they can best work together.

This session defines vision and culture, and states that we cannot consider either without the other. We also see how everything in a church plant’s culture either promotes its vision or detracts from it. This is the first of three sessions considering systems and structures, and helps us see how these “big picture” elements of a church on mission matter to its day to day ministry and mission.

How have you become the servant leader you are today? This session considers one of the most overlooked components in churches today: developing others and equipping the saints for the work of ministry. As we continue looking at church plants’ systems and structures, this session considers a bottleneck in many churches’ formal and informal development processes, and looks at ways to see everything in your church plant as an opportunity to equip others.

“What do we do with the kids?” This is one of the top questions church planters ask in structuring their churches -- and it’s one of the top questions people ask when considering visiting a church too! In this video, we see every program and ministry in a church plant as part of its culture. We ask how each program can promote mission and discipleship, and invite you to create big picture strategies for a church plant’s varied programs.

Contrary to many claims, a church plant doesn’t have to lose 50% of its core team in its first year… but that claim can become a self fulfilling prophecy if the planter is not careful. This second-to-last session of the Church Planting Primer gets a little more tangible: we explain three common reasons core teams don’t stick, then invite planters into a better way to form one.

This final session looks at a different angle of church planting: the sending church. It is common for potential sending churches to be hesitant, or insecure, or unaware, regarding their ability to send a church plant and team well. This is also one of the biggest factors that slows church planting. The Church Planting Primer closes by weeding through common misconceptions, and giving churches five steps that can help them become a healthy sending church.