10 Church Planting Mistakes and the Lessons Learned

When Kerrick and I wrote Launch a couple of years ago, our goal was to share the process that we saw God bless at The Journey and in countless new churches around the country – it’s a book full of lessons learned.

Some of the best Church Planting lessons are learned in the form of the mistakes made along the way. To that end, it’s prudent to listen as people share what they’ve learned in their journey of starting a new church.

Here’s a re-print of a recent post from Shaun King, church planter & Pastor of Courageous Church in Atlanta, where he shares just that:

Every day I get people to ask me for secrets and tips and pointers for things that I’ve done well as a church planter and pastor of Courageous Church.  My wife and I giggle because so many people treat us like we’re experts, but we usually feel like bumbling, idiotic amateurs most of the time!  Don’t get me wrong, we’ve done some things well and the grace of God has really been on us during these first three months, but I’ve made a ton of mistakes! A TON!

If you are as bull-headed as I am, you church planting types will probably makes these exact same mistakes in spite of my warnings because church planters are notorious for having to learn from mistakes they were warned against (and for reinventing the wheel), but you won’t be able to say that I didn’t try to help save your sorry butt some heartache.

10. I completely, totally, absolutely (did I say completely) overestimated how much money we would be raising from week to week.  50% of the people that are a part of our church are unemployed.  A huge percentage of the employed adults that attend are either in a financial crisis or are a bit skeptical about giving to churches.  We’re working on solutions for all of these things, but I made many decisions based on these estimates and soon found myself in a bit of a leadership crisis without the financial resources to support the decisions I made.

9. While I would give our team a big ‘ol A+ for creating buzz and momentum leading up to our Grand Opening on January 11th, I channeled nearly 100% our early attention to creating this buzz and gave almost no attention to putting in place the programs, systems and structures that would keep our momentum going. While I am glad that we had a huge grand opening, I regret not putting in place simple things like information cards, follow up emails, a clearly defined system for baptism or membership/partnership, etc.

8. I was told by a few gazillion people that launching and pastoring this church would be like working two full-time jobs.  I thought that was stupid.  Turns out I was a bit stupid!  I did not properly plan for just how much time and effort it would take to plant and lead this awesome community.

7. I made a few really bad hires and put some people into leadership positions that I would not wish on my worst enemies.  Because we are a brand new community, we just didn’t have time to get to know some people that we put a lot of trust into.  This is very, very tricky.  From this point forward, I will make sure that we are very, very picky and much more intrusive before we make any hires.

6. I underestimated the need for office space.  I have heard a lot of different opinions on this and regularly read that it is not advisable to jump right into having an office, but we need it.  With a family of 6 in a small urban townhouse, my home is a terrible makeshift office space.   We will still make use of public space, our house, other homes, etc., but a dedicated office space is pretty essential in my opinion.

5. I really regret not having a very clear, well conceived definition of what it means to be a member/partner of our church.  Some of this really stems from my own personal hangups on the idea of membership.  However, I am thinking that I through out the baby with the bathwater on this and we are now working hard to define what this means in our context.

4. We spent way too much money on our first Sunday morning facility.  Nobody in the world could have convinced me of this. Nobody.  Even though we have some very legitimate reasons for creating poor projections for our income, I still think that our first facility simply cost too much money.  If we were raising more money maybe I would be thinking differently, but I doubt it.  With all of this said, it was really the only choice that opened up for us in January and we had to do what we had to do.

3. We didn’t launch with a functional assimilation system that would really channel excited attenders into committed volunteers.  We are just now starting to get this together, but I think we burned out a few volunteers in the process.

2. We weren’t courageous enough and being courageous is essential to who we are as a community.  Atlanta really doesn’t need another church doing the same old stuff that reach old people.  When we started to have some stress and systems challenges after our launch, I started to fall back on default church mode and lost touch a bit with the unique call that God has for us. I feel strongly that SERVOLUTION helped us get our mojo back!

1. I wasted way too much time either thinking about & engaging my critics.  This not only got me distracted from the work of God, but really put me in an unhealthy place emotionally.  I think I was surprised that the public criticisms started so soon and regret even caring in the first place.

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I hope you can learn something from these mistakes!  I’ve made more than these and will definitely make more in the future.  The key, in my opinion, is not to make the same stinking mistakes over and over again.  My hope is that making these public will cause me to fix these and move on!

These are some great thoughts from Shaun.

Are you a church planter who has learned a thing or two along the way?  Click the “Ask Nelson” button on the right side of this blog and share some of your lessons learned – I’d love to read them!

P.S. If you’re starting a new church, I’d like to give you Over $85.00 in Church Planting Resources for FREE – Click Here to Download Yours Now.

Field-Tested Advice for Church Planters

I’m always on the lookout for solid church planting wisdom to include in the Church Leader Insights Newsletter (click here for your free subscription).

I recently read just such an article from Jimmy Britt, a friend and coaching alumni.  Jimmy is the Founding and Lead Pastor of Rocky River Community Church in North Carolina and he gave me permission to re-print this article for you, so enjoy!

I was thinking today that I have not written anything in a while to the church planters who read my blog. I’m in the mood so let me just give you some stuff rapid fire style. ☺ BTW, I think this is pretty good info for church goers everywhere.

- If you can’t raise money, go do something else. You are not a church planter if you can’t raise money. Seriously. You can be on a church planting team – you may even make a great Executive Pastor, but if you can’t raise money you are NOT a church planter. I know some of you are thinking that sounds too harsh so let me tell you why this is true. If you can’t raise money it means that you can’t talk to people, sell your vision (you can’t sell what you don’t have), or people just don’t feel confident enough in you to give you their money.

Note: You need at least one or two guys (or gals) in your church that you can go to and ask for money when you really need it. God has blessed me with a couple of men who will help me when I need it. They are not “money bags.” They just have some resources and are willing to help when we’re really in need, or just have a great opportunity and no cash. These folks are as valuable to you as your worship pastor. If you don’t have these folks who can have your back financially, you should question your call as a planter. I am FULLY convinced that God puts these people in your life. Everyone doesn’t agree with me on this, but they aren’t church planters either (they just teach it in seminary). ☺

- The latest, greatest technology is NOT the most important thing about your new church plant. Seriously, I’ve gotten some great deals on projectors and other great stuff from the coolest church plants that didn’t make it.

- Effective is better than cool any day of the week.

- Everything in “traditionally modeled churches” is not all bad. Know why you do what you do.

- People want to know what is in the Bible. It’s the Bible they need. Help people understand it and apply it to their life and they will beat a path to your door. They will find you!

- If you’re lazy, go to seminary, don’t plant a church. Planting a church is NOT for lazy people.

- If your wife thinks that you and her got married just to sit on the couch and snuggle every night after dinner until time to go to bed, find something else to do. A church planting couple has to understand that they were married for the mission. You two are partners in the Kingdom first and if she doesn’t get that then your life is going to be miserable.

I’m not saying your wife is bad. I’m really not. I’m just saying that your church plant has to be her church plant too. She doesn’t have to be the pastor, but she’s got to be called to the church plant. And if she’s not, she will not give you the “kitchen pass” you need to get the flywheel of your church going. PLANTING A CHURCH IS NOT A 9-5 JOB!

- You have to know “who you are” and “Who’s you are” and “where” you intend to lead your church. There are a number of reasons why these things are important, but chief among them is this. People are going to come and go. You love to watch them come, and they rip your heart out when they leave. Well, most of them that is. You need to let some people go and if you don’t know that now, just wait. You may call them “your” people now, but one day you’ll be ready to give some of them back to God. ☺

Anyway, if you don’t know who you are, some people will do everything they can to make you into what they want you to be. If you don’t know “Who’s you are,” there will always be someone around to try and make you “theirs.” And if you don’t know where you’re headed, someone else will take the lead.

- The people you start with are not the people you’ll end up with. They won’t stay. I don’t care how much they love you right now; eventually they will realize that the church plant is not what they thought it would be. And slowly, they will remember back to the good ol’ days when they could just “go” to church, back when no one depended on them or needed them. There will be all kinds of reasons why people will leave (some of them are your fault), just trust me when I say that the people you start with will not be with you at your first year anniversary.

NOTE: December is a hard time for a lot of church planters. Here’s why. The people on your launch team probably came from another church. At Christmas time they forget about the reasons they wanted to leaver their former church and help you start a new church. Why? Because they get home sick for children’s pageants and Christmas carols. People walk away in December.

- Do the ministry (serve people) because it is the right thing to do – it is what God has called you to do, not because you’re trying to create loyalty. Some of the folks you do the most for will be the ones who will walk away from you. Yep, after ten years it still hurts me. It will hurt you. But it is something you have to get used to.

- Build disciples. Build disciples. Build disciples. If you’ll do this even half-butted, it will payoff BIG TIME. These are the folks who will help you grow a church because they will reach other people. They will also be the people who you can count on when things get tough. And things WILL get tough!

- LOVE PEOPLE! Do life with people and enjoy them. Let them enjoy you. Don’t try and create a “safe” distance between you and your people. There’s no such thing. If there is, you’re not doing your job.

- Being a jackass is not a requirement for being a good planter/pastor. You only have to look at Rick Warren to know that. He’s absolutely one of the most inviting, hospitable, personable guys I’ve ever known. He’s also planted a pretty successful church – Saddleback Church.

- Youth Pastors who start a new church just because they’re pissed-off at their senior pastor are usually terrible church planters. It’s not as easy sitting in the front seat as you might think.

- When you are putting together a team of people to help you lead the church, remember that chemistry matters. The guy with the most talent may not be the best hire. Let me say that again. THE GUY WITH THE MOST TALENT IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST HIRE!

- Get you “some” mentors. Yes, I mean more than one. And choose guys who have been there and done that, usually NOT a seminary professor or a kid straight out of college or seminary. Why? Because they think they know everything!

- Remember that you have the greatest, coolest, most rewarding job on the planet! Don’t take it for granted.

Thanks for the great advice Jimmy!

P.S. If you’re pursuing God’s call to plant a church, check out The Launch Conference on CD.

How to Find a Meeting Location for Your New Church

Last week I shared some thoughts on raising funds for a new church plant (click here for that post), and today I’d like to tackle another issue that’s vital in starting a new church… LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.

Once you’ve confirmed the call of God to plant a church, securing a meeting location is one of the most important – and sometimes most challenging – tasks on your agenda.

Here are a few “do’s and don’t's” to finding just the right place for your new church to meet:

• DO clarify your target area. Has God called you to a specific community or neighborhood?  Is there one part of town where you just know you’re supposed to be?In searching for a meeting location, you don’t want to venture much further than 5-10 minutes outside of your target area, so you need to have that target area fairly well-defined.
• DO look for locations that are familiar to the people you’re trying to reach. Ask around and observe people’s patterns, then use that to give you some ideas.Since you’re brand new, people won’t be familiar with you so you want to make sure they’re at least familiar with your location.  The familiarity factor is why some of the best meeting locations for a church plant are schools, movie theaters and community centers.
• DO ask God for eyes to see beyond the “obvious.” Sometimes an answered prayer for “fresh eyes” is just what you need to find your next meeting location.There is a tendency to lock in on one or two potential meeting spaces to the neglect of dozens of others.  Block out some time, take a drive and ask God to open your eyes to the possibilities.
• DON’T make a rush decision on a meeting location. Your new church’s meeting location is very important and not to be decided lightly.If God has called you to this area, then He has also picked out just the right meeting place for His new church!
• DON’T ever stop looking for meeting locations. It’s a good idea to keep a running list of potential places to meet for as long as your church is portable.You never know when a sudden growth in attendance, a school board policy change or an excessive rental rate hike might have you scrambling for a different space, so it helps to stay ahead of the curve.

Church planting is an exercise in faith… And sometimes it’s in that moment just before you give up that He’ll lead you to the location you were hoping for all along!

P.S. If you’re starting a church I want to give you more than $85.00 of Church Planting Resources for FREE.  Click here to download yours today!

How to Fund Your Church Plant

I get the distinct pleasure of investing in a lot of church planters through our ministry here at Church Leader Insights.  In fact, we give away thousands of dollars worth of resources to church planters every week (click here for more info).

That means I get to hear all sorts of stories – some good and some bad – and answer A LOT of questions.

One question that we’re asked pretty regularly involves funding a new church plant – especially in a “less than ideal” economic environment.

Here are a few tips that will help you raise the funds that your new church will need to launch and become healthy as soon as possible:

• Pray over, plan and polish your vision and strategy before you start trying to raise funds. Nothing says “I won’t be a good steward of your financial support” like not having a plan.  The more serious you are about the process, the more likely others will be to take you seriously.
• Put together a list of everyone you think might possibly have a heart for what you’re doing, complete with their contact information. You never know who might be willing to support the new work until you begin asking. Intentionally carve out time on your calendar to call, call, visit and call some more.
• Ask clearly and boldly! Remember that you’re giving people an opportunity to invest in God’s Kingdom work – don’t back into the question about financial support or say no on their behalf. Paint the picture of what God is doing, ask boldly, and await their answer.
• Don’t let ‘no’ defeat you. If God has called you to start a new church, He has also made available just the right resources to fulfill that calling.  When you’ve clearly and boldly asked and someone says no, move on to the next person on your list.
• Be creative to expand your list of potential supporters. When someone says ‘yes’ and agrees to support your new church, ask them if they know of two or three others who may be willing to partner with you.  When someone believes in you and your work, they may very well know others who will too.
• Don’t burn your bridges. That church that wasn’t willing to partner with you two months ago (before you had anyone else on board), may be willing to help now that they see others doing so.  A ‘no’ today doesn’t necessarily mean a ‘no’ forever.
• Over-communicate your gratitude. When someone agrees to partner with your new church send them a handwritten thank you note immediately.  That shows that you truly are thankful and serves to reinforce the commitment they just made to the new church. And send another note (with an update on the work) each time you receive a check from them.

A mentor of mine told me many years ago that, “If you’re the lead pastor (or church planter), you ARE the chief fund raiser for your church… Get over it!”

If you truly believe in the new church that God has called you to start, then you’ll be asking people to come to your church, give their lives to Christ, give financially, serve in the church, join the church and so on and so forth.

You might as well use this time to learn to be a “Master Asker.”

P.S. My friend and Coaching Alum Jimmy Britt mentioned this and a lot of other good tips for church planters in a recent post on his blog — Click Here to Read.

P.P.S. If you’re planting a church right now (or in the near future), I want to give you more than $85.00 in Church Planting Resources – including “Funding Your Church Plant.”  Click Here to Get Your Resources Now.

How to Get to Know Your People (Demographics)

Since we planted The Journey and especially since my book Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch came out, I’ve gotten a lot of inquiries and questions about what’s involved in starting a new church.

One of the more frequently asked questions is about Demographics.  It’s normally asked something like this: “I know I need to learn more about the people in the area where we’re starting a church (age, family makeup, income, etc.) but how do I get that information?”

Here are four solid sources of demographic information:

1) Your denomination.  If you’re affiliated with a denomination, you can check with them to see what’s available — many denominations will provide you with demographics free of charge.  For example, Southern Baptist churches can obtain free demographics through the North American Mission Board.

2) Another free source of demographics is ZIPskinny.com.  This site is helpful for seeing basic demographics and projections.

3) The Leavell Center of Evangelism in New Orleans offers a more comprehensive set of demographics for a very reasonable cost.

4) The best reports that I’ve seen can be obtained from The Percept Group.  They’re a little more costly, but they are easily the most extensive and useful on this list.

Church Planter: Let me encourage you – no matter where you get your demographic information – make it your aim to learn everything you possibly can about the people God has called you to reach.

This will have far-reaching benefits, from promotion and advertising to ministry strategy to planning your preaching, all combining to help you and your new church be as effective as possible!

P.S. Are you planting a church?  I’d like to give you more than $85.00 of church planting resources to help you in getting started.  Sign up for yours by clicking here.

9 Characteristics of a Church Planter (Part 3 of 3)

I’m wrapping up a my 3 part series of posts today about those characteristics that are essential for a church planter to be successful. You can read the first 2 posts here and here.

Drum roll please… Here are the final three:

7. Must be Motivated and Driven to Succeed

I spend a lot of time in my church planting resources (The Call of a Church Planter, Launch, The Launch Conference, etc.) talking about clarifying your CALL to plant a church.

I do that because – like every seasoned church planter I know – there have been many times, situations and obstacles over the years that would have served as the perfect opportunity to quit if it weren’t for knowing that God called me to do this.

And once you’ve clarified your call, you can harness that as motivation to do whatever it takes to make this new church a success.

8. Must be Willing to Embrace the “Inner Entrepreneur”

One of the reasons that church planting has had such an abysmal failure rate is that it requires a different skillset than most other areas of ministry.

You can be a great preacher, care-giver and Bible study leader and still fail at planting a church because you have to be able to start something from nothing.

There is no boss to set your hours, hand you a to-do list or scold you for slacking off — if you’re not a self-starter, your church planting experience is likely to be unpleasant (and brief).

9. Must be Enthusiastic about this New Church

Somewhere along the line, God called you to play a role in the frontlines of writing redemptive history, helping people cross over from death to eternal life by planting a church.

With that in mind, there is no excuse not to be passionate about what you’re doing.

This isn’t about a certain type of personality so much as it is about enjoying the work to which God has called you.

Be passionate about your city. Be passionate about the people God has called you to reach. And beyond all that, be passionate about doing whatever it takes to introduce people to Jesus!

What are some other characteristics that you think belong on this list? Click the “Ask Nelson” button on the right side of this blog and send me your addition to the list.

P.S. Are you currently planting a new church? I’d like to give you more than $85.00 in Free Church Planting Resources. Get yours by clicking here.

9 Characteristics of a Church Planter (Part 2 of 3)

Yesterday I started a series of posts (click here to read Part 1) about the characteristics of a successful church planter.  Here are the next few:

4. Must Display Confidence and Optimism about the Task at Hand

I am constantly amazed by how many church planters (and pastors) I meet who are pessimistic and insecure. It makes me wonder who they’re working for.

Church Planter, if the God of the universe has tapped you on the shoulder and called you to start a new church… walk, talk and act in the confidence that He knows what He’s doing (even if you’re not always completely sure)!

5. Must be Diligent

There are seasons in church planting where it feels like your church is never going to grow. Other times, you’ll wonder if there will ever be enough money to do what you think you need to do.

You need to develop the persistence to keep doing the right things and calling out to God to do what only He can do. The breakthroughs that follow these periods are some of the greatest joys of starting a new church. And you’ll only experience them if you’re persistent

6. Must be a Voracious Learner

In all of the hustle and bustle of starting a new church, one of the “easiest” ways to save a little time is to cut down on your reading and training opportunities. This is a move that will come back to bite you sooner than you realize.

If you’re not growing, your church won’t grow for long.

We live in a time when there are more books, resources, audio training and coaching available for pastors and church planters than ever before… now is the time to develop lifelong learning habits that will serve you for the rest of your ministry.

P.S. Are you currently planting a new church? I’d like to give you more than $85.00 in Free Church Planting Resources. Get yours by clicking here.

9 Characteristics of a Church Planter (Part 1 of 3)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – starting a new church is an heroic venture and, if God has called you to it, there’s nothing else like it.

I was reading this post and it sparked that there are also 9 Characteristics of a Church Planter:

1. Must Complement Vision by Working toward Goals, Setting Up Accountability and Maintaining Discipline

God-inspired vision is essential in starting a church that will make an impact for His Kingdom. However, vision alone (like talent) is never enough.

Church Planter, you must be able to set goals and work toward achieving them, hold yourself accountable (and enlist others to help you do so) and demonstrate the discipline to stay focused on doing the little things to pursue that vision in the midst of challenges and pressure from all sides.

2. Must be Willing to Change without Losing Determination

Show me a church planter who has never failed and I’ll show you one who has never taken a risk. The key to long term effectiveness is “failing forward;”

When something doesn’t work or circumstances change, you must be willing to adapt without losing hope or throwing in the towel. Like the old Timex watch commercials, can you “take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’?”

3. Must Understand and Embrace True Creativity

Creativity is sometimes pigeon-holed into how flashy your postcards are or how fancy your website is, but true creativity is essential to success in church planting. Inflexibility has been the downfall of many a new church.

You have to be creative in managing your time, solving problems, connecting with those you’re trying to reach and communicating God’s Word to your people.

Check back tomorrow, when I’ll be sharing the next 3 characteristics.

P.S. One of the best ways to hold yourself accountable is to be a part of a network of other pastors who are committed to growing as well.  My next Senior Pastor Tele-Coaching Network (it begins on February 18) might be a good fit for you – click here for more information.

P.P.S. Are you currently planting a new church? I’d like to give you more than $85.00 in Free Church Planting Resources. Get yours by clicking here.

Free Resources for Church Planters

Are you planting a new church?

Following God’s call to start a new church is a heroic task and I have a standing offer to give you more than $85.00 in church planting resources for FREE!

Your free resources include:

	The Call of a Church Planter ($23.95 Value)
	Funding Your Church Plant ($23.95 Value)
	Launching Large ($13.95 Value)
	Starting Small Groups from Scratch ($23.95 Value)

To sign up for your FREE Church Planting Resources, simply click on the link below and follow the directions:

FREE STUFF FOR CHURCH PLANTERS

When to Start Small Groups in Church Planting

This is Kerrick Thomas (Executive & Teaching Pastor at The Journey and co-author of Launch and Activate.

Nelson asked me to address a key question that we are often asked by church planters: When should we begin small groups?

Our standard answer to that question is to wait until you have over 100 people attending before beginning small groups, but I thought I’d go a little further today to elaborate on the “why” behind the “when.”

So, why wait to start small groups?

Reason #1 - When you are first starting a church, you should  not expend the energy required to get small groups started in the first 6 months regardless of how big you grow.

There is just too much to do for a church planter that early in the process.  We recommend get your other systems under control at the beginning of the new church before moving on to small groups.

Systems like the Worship Planning System, the Assimilation System and the Evangelism System are foundational to a healthy start of a church, and they deserve your focus and energy before Small Groups.

Reason #2 - When you have fewer than 100 people your church basically is a  small group.  Everyone knows everyone anyway – so the importance of  small groups is minimized.

It’s okay to start small groups if you are still under 100 if you’ve been going for over a year.  Ideally you would have grown past 100, but even if you are running 50-80 people you can begin small groups and see positive spiritual fruit.

The whole idea behind holding off boils down to this:  It’s best to wait to begin small groups until you can implement and facilitate them effectively, right from the start.

I hope that helps!

Blessings…

Kerrick

P.S. Adam Bishop and I are about to begin a brand new Small Groups Pastor Tele-Coaching Network in just a few weeks.  For more information and to download an application, CLICK HERE.