Subverting the Loneliness of Church Planting
Discovering how healing it is to be @ Regent – to talk about life, vocation, spirituality with other ministers-to-be. There is healing happening here in the context of community. But as I look back in my life I have not always had such support; where the resources of community have been made available to bring restorative listening and “life coaching”. I think of my recent foray into church planting, which has potential to be one of the loneliest periods in a pastors life. So I wonder if there is a way to strategically subvert the alone-ness inherent in planting a church. I’ve already concluded after the failure of missio that if I were ever crazy enough to attempt planting again I would…
- intentionally go about it with a starting community; planting as a team (duh?) – but it’s actually a lot harder than it sounds. I will never in my life plant again unless I have a group of 30+ people with me from the very (pre)beginning who are viable, contributing members of the target community (or well on their way to becoming members of said community).
But here’s an idea that’s forming in my mind:
Perhaps the answer is not so much to plant as individual churches but rather as regionally-based clusters of churches. Planting as regional teams with regular regional meetings. There is the opportunity for cross-pollinization here; and the sharing of resources. But most importantly, there is a network of support. A tightly-knit team of planters working together not to plant one church but a cluster of churches. Is this a good idea?
Like
Wayne,
I’ve looked at a few of your articles, and find you interesting. But what caught my attention was this statement by you:
“…I will never in my life plant again unless I have a group of 30+ people with me from the very (pre)beginning who are viable, contributing members of the target community (or well on their way to becoming members of said community)…”
Make a copy of this and put it in your Bible. Then, every once in a while, look at it. At some point in the future, you will rip it up because the Lord has called you to plant churches as an apostle, not a pastor. Your struggle was because you were not in your full calling as yet. When the fullness of time comes for your calling, you will be able to plant churches like the Apostle Paul did. You won’t need 30 people. You’ll just need the Master to point where you need to go. That will be enough.
God bless you. Believe it not, I pray for the city of Vancouver, but yet, I live in Southern California.
Thank you for this Larry.