1. Church planting should be done by seeking God’s face, for it is His eternal plan, work, and glory. Psalm 67 begins, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.” First and foremost in church planting, we should seek the Lord’s blessing and presence so that, in turn, we become a blessing to others. A strong emphasis on prayer is a must in any church planting endeavor.
2. Church planting is not a work that you should do alone. Back in my first church planting experience, we were supported tremendously by our denomination through the support of our mother congregation in Lafayette, the giving and counsel of our Home Mission Board, and the prayer support of hundreds across the country. In our current situation, College Hill is overseeing and supporting us, Hope Community has sent a wonderful family to join us, and others are praying for us.
3. Every church planter needs a faithful mentor. For thirty years, the Lord blessed me with a lifelong mentor in Dave Long, and that friendship corrected and sustained me when I could easily have gone astray or given up. Almost every successful church plant I have witnessed has been one where there is strong mentoring taking place, where a Paul is encouraging a Timothy (2 Tim. 2:2). Reciprocally, the ones that have failed have often lacked this provision.
4. The need for godly elders cannot be overemphasized. From the elders in Lafayette who guided me through those early years of borrowed leadership to the local elders the Lord raised up in Kokomo, the church planter should plead in prayer and earnestly labor in training to see other men unite with him in leadership. Local shepherds for local flocks is a clear pattern we see in Paul’s church planting ministry in Acts (see Acts 14:23; 20:28). Read More»
Barry York | “Ten Lessons Learned in Church Planting” | February 6, 2023
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