No, I am not planting a church (hallelujah!).
But I have a good friend that wants to and he is likely to do it sooner than later.
The problem is that he is a tireless worker. While I understand this is one of the needed traits of a church planter, he is likely to personally take on every task that comes along. His plan of action for the church plant is to rent a facility and work like crazy to get it filled.
This is not very strategic.
So here is what I need from you church planters:
If you could recommend one book to a future church planter on the current successful trends in church planting, what would it be?
I am actually going to be sending this to every church planter I can find but please either comment your recommendation or use the contact form.
Thanks!
Popularity: 30% [?]
Launch by Nelson Searcy. Go Big by Bil Cornelius.
That’s two. But, who’s counting?!
Elmer Towns has a good selection of books online for church planters etc. Check them out at http://elmertowns.com/index.cfm?action=bksonline
… there is even a book there on successful biblical youth work Carl !
Sorry to do this on another post….but:
http://www.newchurches.com/public/resources/reading/index.php
also has a good selection.
I responded to your question via my blog.
But, I think the best book for a church planter is “Unstoppable Force” by Erwin McManus.
by Erwin Raphael McManus
Got this email from eric:
Carl,
You are right in helping your friend. The worst thing you can do as a planter is take on everything yourself. Sometimes you have to do more than you should, but it should be as a last resort. But this is also the Church Planter's vision, and he or she will often care more about that local church than anyone else. Probably the most important piece of advice I can think of is to gather a team around you. This isn't easy, and may only be one or two other people, but it is important.
There are several good books:
Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch
by Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas
Planting Missional Churches
by Ed Stetzer
Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age
by Ed Stetzer
Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century,: A Comprehensive Guide for New Churches and Those Desiring Renewal
by Aubrey Malphurs
There are are more, but I have already given you more than you asked for. There are a lot business type books that help Guy Kawasaki's Art of the Start and stuff like that.
Also Mark Driscoll, despite what many think of him personally, has a lot of resources on his blog (Resurgence) and through the ACT29 website.
The Church Planter's Toolkit is also a valuable (very!) resource
http://www.churchsmart.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=1007#
If I can be of any further help, feel free to contact me anytime.
Peace,
Eric
I am in the midst of my 7th church plant as a plant team member. The idea to rent and fill is so wrong on so many levels. The problem with the tireless worker is that he forgets that work is no substitute for the Holy Spirit’s presence.
The Church Planter’s Toolkit was very helpful to me a plant or two ago. It was very practical. It is also a resource that Four Square used at one time for its own plants.
If anyone is interested in a humorous look at the ongoing insanity that is a church plant, you can follow the adventures of my current church on my blog. I lovingly call the plant the Church of the Amorphous Mass. Anyone who has been involved in a plant for long understands the need to take a step back from it and laugh.
Blessings to your friend in his plant. I have the highest respect for anyone crazy enough to launch out on that adventure.
@Patsy - I simply could not imagine 7 church plants. I was in one and unless the Lord calls me to start my own church, it will be my last!
Thanks for the feedback.
You can check out a book I wrote on church planting called “20 Elements of the City Church”. It addresses some of the wrong ways to start a church, and some of the important signposts we need to look for along the way. You can get it at http://www.r180.com.
Leadership transitions for growth by michael fletcher is a good one to look at.
In general it’s a lot better to find some like minded people, and/or a fellowship to be a part of because it makes a lot of things easier.
Got this from Chris Elrod:
Carl
–
Two books I’d recommend are “Rediscovering Church” by Bill Hybels and “Planting Missional Churches” by Ed Stetzer.
The first one is rather old…but tells the story of Willow Creek. In the book Bill is very open about the early successes of the church and how it almost destroyed his marriage. It did cause many of the leaders to have failed marriages and near nervous breakdowns. It’s a pretty honest book about the pitfalls of planting. The Amazon link is:
http://tinyurl.com/yvqat5
The other…more newer book is “Planting Missional Churches”. This is a MUST READ for anyone planting a church today. The purpose-driven and attractional models are not as successful as they used to be. Newer churches must be missional in their approach to launching…even if it means creating a church you are not comfortable in…but is reaching the local culture. The Amazon link is:
http://tinyurl.com/yvqat5
In your initial email you said…
> The problem is that he is a tireless worker. While I understand this
> is one of the needed traits of a church planter, he is likely to
> personally take on every task that comes along. His plan of action
> for the church plant is to rent a facility and work like crazy to get
> it filled. Since he is such a hard worker this plan of attack has
> brought him much success in ministry but I believe there are more
> strategic ways to expend your personal efforts in planting a church.
If his only “plan of atack” is to rent a building and then work like crazy to fill it…then he is an idiot!!! Yeah…hard work is part of the game…but the two main inredients in church planting is a tireless prayer warrior and a tireless visionary…in that order. While I appreciate that he may have experienced success in ministry with that method before…he will crash and burn miserably in church planting doing that. Church planting is nothing like normal church ministry…or any normal ministry at all. To apply what is successful in one area to a completely new area…is just plain stupid. If that is his only plan of attack…he should go flip pizzas instead of screwing up his life and the Kingdom of God with a half-baked planting strategy!!!
I know this is blunt…but it sounds like your friend needs a swift kick in the pants. Actually it sounds like he is totally clueless on how to plant a church. Feel free to post any of this email on your blog. I hope it helps.
–
chris elrod // lead pastor // compass point church http://www.compasspointlakeland.com // http://www.chriselrod.com