This list of seven qualifications of a church planter is comparable to other lists, but serves as a reminder of all that church planters are called to do and be. This post was written by David Nicholas, the founder of The Church Planting Network.
- Has a working knowledge of God’s Word.
- Godly Character
- Communication skills
- Evangelistic fervor
- Leadership abilities
- A good fit for the area
- Self-knowledge of personal giftedness and personality
This week is our second Re:Train class, Missional Christology, taught by Dr. Bruce Ware, a professor of Christian Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Our pre-class work included reading four books
by John Piper
by Bruce Ware
by Jeffrey, Ovey, and Sach
edited by Sanders and IsslerThis class will be intense, but I’m really looking forward to learning more about Missional Christology. But, you may ask, what is Missional Christology? Well, here’s Dr. Ware’s explanation from TheResurgence.com.
“Missional Christology” focuses on aspects of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ which are central to the mission he fulfilled, by the ordination of the Father, in the power of the Spirit. Christology is relevant to the mission of the church because we are called to express and extend the mission of Christ. His mission is now ours.
The Father’s Plan
Understanding the Person and Work of Christ as missional is crucial and central to understanding Jesus and his work correctly. The mission of the Son began long before his going to the cross, or his baptism, or even his incarnation. The mission of the Son began in eternity past when the Father devised his plan by which the Son would be preeminent over the created world the Father designed, planned, and willed to create.
As the Father chose the Son to be his Agent by which creation would come into being, so the Father chose the Son to be his Agent by which re-creation also would come to pass. The Son’s mission, then, was from eternity past the mission of one thing—he sought in all that he thought and felt and said and did to do the will of his Father.
Divine Empowerment
But to accomplish this mission, the Son had to take on human nature and live as one of us. While he was fully God, he also was fully man. And as man, he needed divine empowerment to obey the Father, resist temptation, and fulfill the mission the Father sent him to carry out. The Spirit’s indwelling presence and power on the Son was necessary for the Son to accomplish what he did. Only as the Spirit-anointed Messiah could this Christ be our Savior.
To see the mission of the Son correctly requires that we see him in Trinitarian context. Both the Person and the Work of the Son are fully inexplicable apart from seeing the Son’s relation to the Father and the Spirit. Getting the Trinity right is crucial to getting the mission of the Son right.
Christ’s Mission
So, the Son was sent by the Father and empowered by the Spirit—but to do what? Here we realize that the Son’s mission was about regaining the lost creation through the salvation of the elect and his victory over the powers of darkness. At the core of the Son’s accomplishment are the dual biblical themes of penal substitution and Christus Victor. His payment for sin and victory over sin constitute the basis for the fulfillment of all that the Father sent the Son to do.
Spirit-Empowered Disciples
Amazingly, the mission of the Son does not end, though, with his efficacious death for sin or his victorious resurrection from the dead. Rather, this is where the mission of the Son moves more clearly from “singular” to “plural.” His singular sinless life and singular substitutionary death now give way to plural ministry as he now completes his mission with, and only with, the joint-work of his followers. Jesus’ last words to his disciples instruct them to wait in Jerusalem for what the Father has promised. They will be granted the very same Holy Spirit invading their lives as had been indwelling and empowering Christ throughout his life and ministry. They will proclaim his message, display his character, perform his deeds, and further his mission only as they are Spirit-empowered followers of the Son.
The Great Drama
In the end, he will return to complete his mission of remaking everything such that it becomes more glorious and magnificent than it was originally. Just as the second Adam surpasses the first, the new Eden surpasses the original. Christ will take his rightful place as Supreme Victor over all, and we, his saved followers and friends, will reign with him forever and ever.
What a story this “missional Christology” is! What drama. What majesty. What glory. To see the mission of the Son as his-mission-become-ours should result in stirring within us the longing to do as Christ did. As his mission was the mission of one thing—to do the will of his Father in the power of the Spirit—so ours likewise should be the mission of one thing—to follow our Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit, doing all we do in obedience to him, to the praise and glory of the Father.
A church in a college town that doesn’t minister to college students falls short of all that the local church is called to be. This doesn’t mean that a church needs to specifically target college students to the exclusion or slighting of non-students, but it should seek, as Paul did, to be all things to all people that some might be saved for the sake of the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). One of the challenges at Ambassador will be our willingness to invest in, and minister to, college students while not catering to them.
Justin Holcomb, our dean at Re:Train, has written a list of “the top six things you need to know if you’re doing college ministry.” I pray that churches in college towns would take up the challenge to reach college students for Christ and that lives would be transformed by the gospel.
- Don’t confuse the gospel with religion
To prevent doing this, talk about Jesus (who he is and what he has done) all the time. If you don’t, students will think Christianity is really about something else, like morality, philosophy, piety, social justice, or a religious experience. If you start talking more about what they should do instead of what Jesus has done, you’re preaching another gospel (Gal. 1:6-9), which is to put heavy burdens on them (Matt. 23:2-4).- Learn about sexual assault
The prevalence of sexual assault is staggering. At least 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men are or will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime. And the numbers are much worse for college students. These young women and men feel crippling shame, deep guilt, and painfully alone because of what has been done to them.- Teach students how to read and interpret the Bible for themselves
This means being clear on the relationship between the law and the gospel. The law is “perfect, true, and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:7-9) and “holy, just, and good” (Rom. 7:12), but it does not effect what it demands (Gal. 3:21). The good news is that on the cross Jesus took our penalty of law-breaking and fulfilled the law, so he could give us his righteousness. God then works in us to will and to do his good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). The very law that condemns us becomes the very thing that God fulfills in us through the power of his Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:18-23), not through our effort (Gal. 3:1-3).>- Be prepared to comfort students because of divorce and death
College students are at a phase in life where their parents seem to get divorced, if they aren’t already, now that their children are leaving home. This is also the age when grandparents begin to die.- Study apologetics
Many students still have brain cells left, and they’ve been reading and thinking about their world. They have legitimate questions about who Jesus is and what he did and why he isn’t just a good example. They want to know why they should trust the Bible as reliable. The immense suffering in the world makes them doubt either the goodness or power of God or both. They think Christians are hypocrites and bigots, so why should they become one?- Be prepared to counsel students about what they’re really facing
You must be prepared to counsel about eating disorders, pornography, cutting, abusive relationships, and the lingering damage of sexual sin. College students tend to be the shock-absorbers of the myths our cultural sells. Idols are brutal slave masters.
Yesterday was a pretty big day for church launches in the area. Mosaic Ann Arbor, a church plant out of Oak Pointe Church in Novi, MI, had their launch service. NorthRidge Saline had their first services at Saline High School. Grace Ann Arbor, where Julie and I attend and where I am the Church Planting Resident, had it’s official relaunch service. It’s been a long time since Ann Arbor, much less Washtenaw County, had so many church starts. I’ve been praying for all three churches, that God would be glorified, that there would be a commitment to preach the Word without regard for social approval, and that our communities would be impacted by our imitation of Christ.
I have been a little surprised, though, that none of the churches have posted anything on their sites about how yesterday went. Because Malachi was sick yesterday, I can’t even post here about gathered worship at Grace Ann Arbor. It seems like the best way to build on the momentum of a launch service would be to write about it and share your thoughts and gather other people’s thoughts. Maybe create a live feed of any Twitter hash tags (#northridgesaline). Maybe post pictures. Maybe just a “thank you” to the visitors and volunteers who gathered and worshipped. Reflecting on the momentous day that just passed reminds people of just how important church planting is and provides an opportunity to edify and educate. It can also serve to remind people of past, present, and future challenges that come when we are committed to being Wholly In, Of, and For God.
Praise God that churches are rising up in Ann Arbor and the surrounding area. It’s my hope that all the churches in the area will pray for God to work through both these new bodies of believers and through their own churches. We aren’t competing against each other, we are cooperating for the Kingdom.
Update: As of 10-13-2009, I’m no longer the Church Planting Resident at Grace Ann Arbor
From PlantingSpace.com, which is sponsored by Church Planting Solutions (CPS), a Passion for Planting (P4P) ministry.
- Money Follows Vision – nail your vision. Learn to tell your story in a compelling way. Tell life change stories that you can use in fundraising. Nothing will be more important than your vision.
- Money Follows Trust and Trust Follows Relationship and Competency – work to build relationships with your potential donors. Give them a professional-looking launch plan and action list.
- Share Stories – tell your story of why you are planting a church. Also rather than give demographics about the area, tell a story about a person or family that you have met from the area that illustrates the need for a new church.
- Budget Cycles – it is generally best to raise funds from churches in the early fall (August – October). This is their normal budgeting cycle and when they are determining what projects/missions they will be willing and able to support for the following year.
- Tax Cycles – for individuals you will want to consider soliciting year-end gifts
- Know Your Contributor – find out anything you can about the individuals and organizations you are soliciting. Generally speaking, an existing church’s budget will be about $1,000 per person (e.g. church of 250 members will likely have an operating budget of $250,000). If they are “tithing” on their budget that leaves $25,000 for missions. Keep that number in mind as you determine what your specific “ask” will be for that church. Whenever possible, be as specific as you can when asking.
- Be Bold – you often don’t get what you don’t ask for.
- Be Specific – make a specific and concrete ask. Ask when you should follow up.
- Try to Meet in Person – your first step is to start a conversation that leads to a personal meeting. Individuals and committees are more likely to say yes when you make your pitch in person.
- First Impressions Can be Misleading – you can’t judge a person’s gift of generosity by their looks.
- Multiple Touches Make a Difference – send several letters to potential donors. Follow up with a call. Send them your written launch plan.
- Find out Who the Decision Makers Are – every church, organization or family unit has a decision maker. Learn who the person is in each organization and learn as much about them as possible. Try to build a relationship with them.
- Get Advice From Those Who Have Given Large Donations – find a mentor or coach to give you advice on how best to talk with potential donors. Who better to get advice from than those who have a history of giving large donations?
The Point Community Church in Frankfort, KY is a member of Acts 29 and committed to planting churches. Here’s an overview of what they do
Church Planting Initiatives (CPI) is our focused and intentional effort to be a church planting church. Church planting is a key strategy of The Point Community Church.
Through church planting we aim not just to plant a church, but to plant churches which are committed to our Core Values of Teaching Truth, Worshipping Jesus, Living in Community, and Missional Living which are expressed through members and extended to the community.
Our church planting vision is to plant new churches led by a plurality of male elders who share our mission and vision, who gladly embrace our statement of faith, and who are committed to identifying with being evangelical, reformed and missional.
CPI includes
Their residency program is something that I would love to model someday at Ambassador. Here’s their description
The Church Planting Residency is a specialized training track focused on developing an appropriately gifted and qualified man into a lead church planter. Success in this leadership development endeavor requires:
- Identifying the core competencies that are crucial to successful church plant leadership
- Assessing the resident’s current capacity in these areas
- Implementing an customized action plan tailored to the specific needs of the resident
Pray for The Point Community Church as they seek the kingdom’s growth in Central Kentucky
A tip of the hat to the Sojourn Church Planting blog for this link.
Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY recently hosted a conference called The Gospel, Counseling, and the Church. There was also a pre-conference “family track” for leaders in children’s, student, and family ministry. Patrick Aldridge, Pastor for Children and Youth at Redeemer Fellowship Church, St. Charles, IL, took notes for the SojournKids.com blog and here are some highlights.
For an example, read how Sojourn keeps their children’s ministry Gospel-centered.
Also included in Patrick’s excellent notes are thoughts on youth ministry and family-equipping ministry. Check out the whole post, it’s incredibly helpful.
Nate Navarro, Director of Missional Community for Austin City Life, recently blogged about changes to their City Group (missional community) leadership structure. They went from a single leader in each CG being responsible for everything to the following
- CITY GROUP LEADER – facilitates a community that is growing in Gospel, Community, and Mission.
- MISSIONAL LEADER – We serve our neighborhoods together monthly. This leader takes the lead on all the details: the when, where, and how of the monthly service project.
- PRAYER LEADER – This person records all the prayer requests and sends out a weekly update, reminding the community to pray for one another and the city.
- HOST LEADER – This leader opens their home/apartment/dorm room to be an inviting place for the community to share meals, discuss life and truth, and to pray for one another and the city.
- HOSPITALITY LEADER – We eat together. This leader coordinates the meal schedule and the “who is bringing what?”
This is an excellent model and one that is worthy of being copied by every church. Nate lists a few of the benefits
- Fewer leaders will become casualties of burnout.
- Five leaders gives your group more people, with more buy in, creating a stronger core.
- New Christians can begin to serve right away. Last I checked, your theology doesn’t have to be nails to be in charge of the meal schedule. New Christians can become involved in leadership early on, and can grow along the way, instead of standing on the sidelines watching all the tired people lead.
- Future City Group leaders emerge as they thrive in their roles leading MISSION and PRAYER, etc……
- We avoid the “personality-driven” City Group. Gospel Community is center and forefront in our groups, rather than the talent, charisma, and drive of a leader.
Nate closes with the following line
More Leaders; Less Work. Share Leadership; Grow in Community. Strengthen Mission; Advance the Gospel.
I couldn’t agree more. It’s encouraging to see churches rethinking leadership as they seek to equip more believers and reach more people with the Gospel.
From Mike McKinley, who was sent by Capital Hill Baptist in DC to replant Guilford Baptist Church in Leesburg, VA. This answer was to the question How important is the assessment process and should the sending church be involved?
The assessment process is extremely important, but there is a danger here. Some church planting organizations have so elevated the work of the church planter that it seems like some dark art that can only be performed by those with a certain mark on their soul. While the failure rate for church plants is very high, I think that many (probably even most) qualified pastors could be church planters.
There are special pressures involved in church planting, and so the assessment process is important. I would suggest that you evaluate him along six lines:
- Motivation — Why does he want to plant a church? Does he resist authority and just want to be his own boss? Does he have delusions of grandeur?
- Independence — Can he work well on his own? Is he disciplined, entrepreneurial, and self-motivated? After all, no one will be looking over his shoulder on a day to day basis.
- Home life — Planting will be stressful on the family. Is his marriage solid? Does he understand what it means to love his wife and children? Is he open to being held accountable in these areas by the sending church?
- Teaching and evangelism — Is he qualified as a teacher to be an elder in a church? If not, he’s not a church planter. Can his teaching build, feed, and sustain a church? Is he passionate about reaching the lost? Is he comfortable around non-believers?
- Discouragement — Does he exhibit abiding trust in the Lord’s providence and guidance? Is he easily discouraged? How does he deal with apparent failures and set-backs?
- Godliness — Is he qualified morally to be an elder? If not, he’s not a church planter. Are there secret sins in his life? Is he faithful with money? Is he humble and open to criticism? You are not going to find the perfect guy with respect to these six categories, so you need someone who is constantly growing in Christ and changing in areas of weakness and sin.
Acts 29 has the best assessment process I’ve seen, and it is certainly appropriate to use the expertise of groups like that to help with the process. Ultimately, though, I think the local sending church can’t outsource their responsibility to assess, call, train, and launch the planter.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to be the Church Planting Resident at Grace Ann Arbor because it gives Sung lots of opportunities to see into my life and provide me needed correction and rebuke. It’s a little nerve-wracking looking forward to the Acts 29 Louisville Boot Camp in November and our plan to get assessed, wondering if I’ll “pass the test”. I know I shouldn’t look at it that way, as a “dark art that can only be performed by those with a certain mark on their soul” as McKinley writes, but it sometimes feels that way, especially as I take lots of tests with no real idea of what the results actually mean. What I need to trust God to continue to do is give me confidence in His sovereign plan. He may not be calling me to plant a church, but if I am faithful to Him and His call on me to cling to Him, then I need not worry.
Update: As of 10-13-2009, I’m no longer the Church Planting Resident at Grace Ann Arbor
As quoted by Mark Dever, of Capital Hill Baptist, from Richard Bewes’ The Top 100 Questions – Biblical Answers to Popular Questions
- Does the Bible actually get opened here?
- Is this the kind of church you could take an uncommitted friend to?
- Is there a recognisably New Testament feel to the church?Here’s what he meant in this question: “Is it Trinitarian in its emphasis on Father, Son and Holy Spirit as equally God? Is the saving death of Christ at its centre (I Cor. 2:2)? Do the hymns reflect this? Are baptism and the Lord’s Supper . . . a proper part of the church . . . ?”
- On the whole, are the arrows pointing outwards from the church?
These questions are extremely helpful. Julie and I asked similar questions of the churches that we visited during our church search. I would also hope that people are able to ask these questions of both Grace and, Lord willing, our future church plant and would respond in the affirmative.
