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Fifteen Things I Wish I Had Learned Before I Planted My First Church

Naive Planting 101. I was so naive when I first planted my first church now some twenty six years ago! The sheer tons of stuff I didn't know then that I know now could fill volumes of books. However, there are a few things that come to mind as an enormous encyclopedia I learned the hard way. Now

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Fifteen Things I Wish I Had Learned Before I Planted My First Church

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    1. Fifteen Things I Wish I Had Learned Before I Planted My First Church! By Dr. Tom Cheyney

    2. Naive Planting 101 I was so naive when I first planted my first church now some twenty six years ago! The sheer tons of stuff I didn't know then that I know now could fill volumes of books. However, there are a few things that come to mind as an enormous encyclopedia I learned the hard way. Now having planted or sponsored a rather large number of new works my reflection might assist you in your own church planting journey.

    3. Half & Half is Not the Creamer of Choice! No matter how likeable your are, half of your core team will leave you in the first year! I heard other church planters say this, but I didn't believe it. Going into my second year I had already experienced it. In each of my plants I have seen only a small amount of original core group stay with it. Some moved out of town...others lost the vision... others never got the vision in the first place.

    4. Develop Leaders Within Never pick staff from outside the church. I kept trying to bring in staff members from the outside. They were already bruised and entrenched" by other churches and just couldn't grasp the concept of what God called us to do. We have had much better luck by recruiting staff from within. Once you learn the art of apprenticing early within your plant it will be much easier. Never go it alone.

    5. Build on the Stable You can't build a church on college students. Our first year we had almost 60% college students...almost all unchurched. They were great....they worked hard...they grew spiritually...they developed into good leaders...they left town when they graduated. Christmas and summer got pretty lonely the first few years! College students are wonderful folks to have on a church plant team...they add much energy and excitement! Just recognize they are momentary at best.

    6. Dont Cash Promises! Never count on the money until the check arrives. We met with the pastor of a mega-church (the parents of one our core team went there) and he did the whole "dog and pony show" while we were there. He kept saying that the church "would help us out financially" to give him a call when we needed it. We called...no reply.

    7. Dont Cash Promises! After a bunch of calls, emails and a few snail mail letters I finally got a note from his secretary telling me that they were tight on money and couldn't spare any. Two Sundays before she contacted me they had raised millions of dollars (it made the state denominational paper) in a single day to fund several satellite video-venues in order to perpetuate the pastor's "personality".

    8. Bird's of a Feather Flock Together! Recent church planters are your best resource. The greatest advice, financial gifts and friendship I have ever received is from guys that planted within the last several years. They will cry with you, rejoice with you and sacrifice for you. As long as I live I will remember the day that the pastor of local church plant handed me their last $500 because another church didn't come through and we couldn't pay rent (God bless you Bruce Allen).

    9. Love Your Spouse More! (AKA: Cheryl had blue eyes first!) You can always plant another church... you can't always have another family. As much as I love church planting...I love my wife Cheryl more. Nothing...especially ministry...should ever get in the way of your family.

    10. Need Does Not Equal Calling! Successful church planters will always have other options. Just because there is a need does not equate into you being called to plant that plant! Your sense of Gods specific call will often be all you have on some days so be sure you are called to that place first. That also reminds me...if your wife is not on board with planting a church....don't plant!!!

    11. Walk within the Pages of the B-I-B-L-E! Spend more time reading the Bible than other books. Church growth, church planting, church strategy and church leadership books are great...but I spent way too much time pouring into them (at the beginning) and not enough time in God's Word. The best church planting practices, strategies and leadership ideas can be found within the pages of the Bible.

    12. Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder! Get out of the pulpit every once in a while. Paanters have this idea that the world will fall apart for their church if they don't preach every Sunday. I must tell you...preaching week after week without a break will dull your abilities. Taking a break every now and then gives other leaders a chance to step up and you a rest to get fired back up. Nothing makes me preach better than being out of the pulpit for a week or two. Nothing grows our leaders like me being out of the pulpit for a week or two.

    13. Plant Trees You Will Never Sit Under! Everyone thinks I am crazy when I say this but hear me, please. You are planting trees you will never sit under as a church planter so a wise planter invests in his craft and seeks even deeper skill development. If you are a catalytic church planter you will plant trees again and again! But watch God, seldom will you do it the same way you just did!

    14. Run with the Runners! My friend Fred Hewett reminds us also that as a planter you must run with the runners! All of us quickly realize that it is much healthier to shepherd sheep instead of herding goats. Work with the ones who will help you grow the church. Pastor everyone but draw along side of you those who can help you achieve gods goal for that work.

    15. KnockKnock, Whose There? We live in a day where planters and pastors are looking for the quick fix and the easy solution. There are none! Here is one that works. Going door to door still works and is part of becoming part of any community! Do not listen to planters who have not done it and say it does not work. Pray the Lord of the Harvest!

    16. Gather Now Preach Later! While the goal is to move a new church towards preaching, it is advisable to gather as long as possible on the front end as you target a strong number of adults. Once you begin preaching weekly your time for gathering will be cut to less than 30%.

    17. It is better to Send Out than to Split Up! Sometimes an apprentice needs to be cut loose to grow and take flight. A wise church planter will send out and commission rather than let ones own plant split and go splat.

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