The church is not just a building where we worship, it is the people who come to worship.
When you view it in this light, you then see how pivotal a church is to any community. How do we establish churches? We plant them.
Church planting isn’t an easy process, it takes a lot of hard work to get a hall for worship, acquire the necessary equipment, and bring people in. The question that begs an answer is, “how do you plant a church successfully?” There is a right answer to this question. However, there are tips that help make the process easier.
Top Church Planting Tips for Pastors
Here are some tips to help you make the church planting process easier:
Be open to learning new things
This is probably the first thing that you must put in place before you set out to plant a church. You must open up your mind and increase your learning agility. What this means is that you need to open up your ministry and mental state to new ideas.
No two churches you will plant are the same. The circumstances and people are different so you must be ready to adapt. What worked some years back, is very likely going to be obsolete now. Ideas may be similar but their applications will certainly be different.
Everything else you will do in church planting and all the other tips find their base in this principle. Instead of sticking to a particular ministry idea or model, be ready to bend where necessary. Ask questions, learn from past mistakes, look at other ministry models, etc. The more open you are to learning, the easier the process will be.
Resist the urge to rush
According to Stewart Ruch, you must “go slow first to go fast.” In simpler terms, resist the urge to rush. Church planting is a very interesting process that requires you to birth something from nothing. The challenge is that it leaves you in a place of vulnerability.
There are so many questions seeking answers. “What is the latest milestone you need to conquer?” “How fast are you going?” “What results are you bringing to the table?”
All these questions create a desire to rush the process. However, you must be open to the direction of the Holy Spirit. Also, you need to develop trust in your new community and inspire your team despite the surrounding challenges. Every one of these tasks takes time. We aren’t saying you should go at snail speed. What we mean is that you are not in a race to set a new world record, follow God’s leading.
Spend time praying
You must have heard the phrase, “Prayer Changes Things.” It has never been truer than in church planting and church administration. From setting the foundation of the church in place to congregation management, you cannot do without prayers.
You will come in contact with several obstacles during the church building process. A common challenge is finding a place of worship. The space you choose influences the development rate of your church. As such, choosing a worship space is more of a spiritual battle than you think.
Spending time praying opens you up to the direction of the Holy Spirit. He unravels ideas on how to overcome the challenges you come across while planting a church. There are certain challenges that you can’t solve by being logistically sound. They’ll only bow to prayers.
Identify and communicate your motives
It is no secret that church communication is a key aspect of church administration. Before you even move to communication, you must first identify your motives for engaging in church planting. Why are you planting that church? What do you want to achieve? What are your milestones?
The easiest way to gain trust from your team is to be clear with your communication. People will never understand your intentions if you don’t communicate them. If they don’t understand your intentions, then they cannot provide the help you need. What this implies is that with zero or poor communication, you could be failing even before you begin. Always state your motives before giving people instructions. It makes it easier for them to respond to you.
Collaborate instead of competing
When you begin to view church planting as a kingdom project, you will realize that it isn’t a competition. The idea is to set up a new church that will extend the frontiers of God’s kingdom. You aren’t trying to make a name for yourself or set up a new business.
According to Philippians 2:2, we shouldn’t do anything out of selfish ambition. Instead, we must work together in unity. When you get into a new region, reach out to other pastors here. Introduce yourself and tell them your mission. Doing this helps you make new allies with whom you can share ideas and resources.
Ask for help when necessary
Church planting requires a lot of money. You are likely not to have all the money or resources at hand. Don’t be afraid to ask for help in such situations.
Set up channels through which people can donate to the cause. A ChMS like Churchpad could be very helpful in this regard as it facilitates digital donation. Asking for help shows your vulnerability which makes people trust you more. While doing this, ensure that you are as transparent as possible.
Set up a reliable team
Church planting isn’t a journey that you should embark on by yourself. You need help to make things work. What this means is that you need a team.
Finding a team isn’t so easy. Figure out the roles that you need to fill and source for reliable hands. Ask God and pastors around for help. Recommendations come in handy at this point. Once you have a team, share your vision in clear terms so that they can run with it.
Conclusion
Church planting is hard work. However, we believe that the tips above should make it far easier. You can also visit ChurchPad and use its features to help your church grow.
