Acts 29

You’re reading this because in some way you have become involved in the wild-and-wooly world of Church Planting. This piece has been put in your hand because you’re trying to decide if this is really what you’re supposed to do. Before we go any further, let’s get one thing perfectly clear.

You are not Belshazzar the King.

Seriously, if I meet one more would-be Church Planter who’s waiting for God to ‘write on the wall’ before he and his wife take the leap into the great unknown, I’m going to have to quit doing what I do and become a ‘motivational speaker’.

You are not a King. You are not a Prophet. You are not an Apostle. You are one simple soul who’s feeling called to walk out the Divine Missional Partnership with God in a specific manner, that being: to copy the Creator in the smallest of ways by creating ‘something from nothing’ a Church where previously there was no Church.

You are about to reap the whirlwind.

Or, maybe you already have. Either way this little letter from the front’s heart is to help you know what to do, even when the walls of your life remain resolutely unwritten-on.

I’m not interested in helping you know when to ‘pull the trigger’ and get out there and plant. I’m interested in suggesting to you some ways in which you might know that you are not supposed to plant. And I’m not talking here about your particular suitability to being a Church Planter. I assume that you’ve already been screened, preened, tested, coached and yelled at by two or three Church Planting ‘gurus’ at some ‘boot camp’ you spent way too much money on, and have realized that you are part of the very small percentage of men who are built to plant Churches.

So how do you know that this Church plant, in this location is the one you’re supposed to dedicate the next 5-10 years of your life to? How do you know when a ‘closed door’ is really a closed door and you should move on to the next opportunity God brings your way?

It’s my belief that you don’t ever really know. You have a sense of what God is leading you to do, but you’re not sure, as in; absolutely, totally, 100%, could get a Banker to buy into it, sure. That realm of certainty is denied the Christian and the Church Planter especially.

Whatever is not from faith is sin.

God demands that we trust in Him. The sad fact is that most people have very little occasion in their daily lives to actively trust God. When you merge out of the mainstream and into the Church Planting rapids you begin to engage in ‘master class’ level faith and trust. Have you considered that mastering this extremely difficult way of life (and the requisite Godliness that accrues in the process) is the only real qualifier there is for Church leadership? Really, what makes you special? How come you get to lead all those people, make all those decisions, engage in an hour of impassioned monologue while dozens, hundreds, or thousands of people hang on your every word? How is it that you get paid to spend time reading your Bible? How is it that going for a walk to listen for God in the Creation is actual work for you? Why will people twice your age look up to you, and love sitting under your teaching? How come you get to set your own salary and never once in your career have to put up with an unruly Board Member?

‘Cause you planted that Church, and nobody else in the World can make that claim. And along the way, as you were bashed about by uncertainty, financial insecurity, impossible obstacles, difficult people, intense pressure and kept going, you became a man worth listening to.

Faith is the currency of the Kingdom and you are supposed to be a leader in God’s Kingdom. If you don’t know faith, you don’t know jack. All that to say this: don’t beat yourself up about being unsure about this. If you were sure, you’d be certifiable. In fact, I think a healthy skepticism is required for objectivity. You must be able to look at your potential plant, turning it over and over, examining it from every side in order to be able to pray wisely, and act according with your conviction.

If faith is the currency of the Kingdom and of the Church Planter in particular, then what you buy with it is conviction. Say not, “I’m sure” but rather, “I’m convinced.” That’s what we’re looking for in Church Planters, conviction. Believe me, that sense of conviction; “God has called me to do this so I’m going to do it” is often the only thing that will keep you going in the process of your Church plant. Are you convinced that this is the place and this is the Church that you are supposed to plant so as to see the Gospel of Christ communicated to this specific group of people? You must be convinced.

If you’re not, your Church Plant will fail.

I was convinced when I planted my first ‘Youth Church’ in the mid-1990’s. I was convinced when I helped my long-time associate plant a second ‘Youth Church’ in Florida. We were convinced that ‘Youth Church’ wasn’t going to cut it and that we had to plant our own Independent Church. We rode that conviction to the planting of a successful, thriving, downtown Church in 2001. When my Planting-Partner left six months in to our Plant, and I was left holding the bag alone, it was my conviction that God had called me to do this, and nothing else, that allowed me to survive the next three-and-a-half years it took to see that Church through to self-sustainable viability. When God gave me a ‘moment’ where I realized my job was done, I became convinced that I had to move on to the next leap of faith or die. I am a man convinced.

Yet, I walked away from planting a Church today.

Why is that? I’m going to try and distill it into ‘principles’ for you, not ‘cause I like principle-based teaching (I’m a little more narrative and artistic) but because the Man who commissioned this piece from me (a man I highly-respect and to whom I owe a large debt) likes ‘principles’ (he’s nearly twice my age) and knows what he’s talking about so that’s how you’re going to get it. If you ever want to ‘talk’ with me to dig beneath the principles email me: .

So here we go, some principles to help you know when to walk away from a potential Church Plant:

1. YOU’VE FULLY ENGAGED THE PROCESS AND HAVEN’T MADE A ‘SNAP DECISION’.

The plant I officially walked away from today has been nearly two years in process. I only officially closed the book on it in consultation with the same Coach/Mentor/Official who sat across from me in the first meeting where I broached the idea. The amount of work and number of hours I (and my various associates) have spent working towards our launch date between that first day and the last today is downright depressing if you think about it too much. You may have heard it said: “Hindsight is 20/20”. As a Christian I believe we are obliged to retort: “No, hindsight is idolatrous and self-indulgent.” What is the purpose of looking back? We are to press forward, towards the upward call of God in Christ. What man having taken up the plow and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of Heaven? “But shouldn’t we learn from our mistakes?”

That’s exactly the point I’m trying to make.

I do not see it as a mistake to fully engage in the process of working towards planting a Church only to realize two years later that the door is closed. “Well isn’t that a colossal waste of time?” Yeah, if there is no God. But, if God exists and if He’s Sovereign, then all our days, comings, goings, and all the work we do with the time we are given is caught up in the context of His Omniscience and we must believe that He is working all things together for good for those of us who love Him and are called according to His purpose. It’s like a courtship. How many years did you pursue your partner? How long were you engaged? When my Dad walked the isle on his wedding day my Grandfather (who was officiating) said to him right before they began: “Son, if you’re not totally sure, there’s the door. I’ll cover for you.” You are not committed until you have committed.

Now some of you might think: “Well I’ve given my word, spread the vision, told people all about this. What are they going to think of me?” If you’re worried about people’s opinion of you then you’re probably not reading this piece. Church Planters don’t give a rip what anyone thinks of them, they are internally motivated and actualized. And even if some people think less of you because you’ve decided to walk away, comfort yourself with this thought. They are not the ones who were going to have their entire life on the line in this, you were. They’ve probably never planted a Church, never will, and couldn’t preach a sermon to save their life. And you’re worried what they think? You know what I always say to extremely difficult people like this when they put up a fuss? “Well, hey you know, maybe God’s calling you to plant your own Church?” BAM! They clam right up and usually go totally pale. The hard truth is they’d never dream of taking the risk you’ve been working towards these past two years.

No, the guys you worry about are your peers. Men who have Planted Churches before. Mere Pastors (with no disrespect to them) are not your peers. Church Planting Pastors are your peers. They know in the very fiber of their being exactly what you’re going through and they are the only ones, short of God speaking to you audibly or writing on your wall, who can discern whether or not you’re doing the right thing.

So, fully engage in the process with those type of men, and after you’re walked through it with them (and jumped through all the hoops, and believe me they’ll give you hoops) and you find yourself feeling that it’s a closed door, book an appointment, tell them the truth and I guarantee they’ll rejoice with you and all will be well. “Won’t they be mad?” Heck no! They know what’s at stake, they’ve lived it and will be able to discern a right decision a mile away when it comes to this area.

2. YOU’VE HAD MORE THAN ONE CLOSED DOOR SLAM IN YOUR FACE.

Five locations fell through, count ‘em; ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, before the thought even occurred to me that I might be looking at a closed door here. Resistance to your planting a new Church is absolutely par for the course. It will be hard, count on it. You will have to surmount seemingly impossible obstacles time and time again throughout the first three years of your Church Plant’s life. If you are easily discouraged or have a great need of consistent outside positive affirmation in the work you do, you’re probably not reading this piece. So, you don’t turn tail and run at the first sign of trouble. At the first sign of trouble you remind the trouble who your Daddy is, and beat your chest and keep going. But if two years in, your fifth potential location falls through in nearly exactly the same way and at nearly exactly the same stage as the previous four, maybe God’s trying to tell you something. You don’t give up right then either, you start asking God and your peers: “Hey, is this a closed door?” And you keep moving forward until you (and your Coach/Mentor/Official) are certain it’s closed for real. Then, and only then you shrug your shoulders, give the door one last kick (‘cause it’s a rotten old closed door anyway) and say to God: “O.K Father. Glorify yourself, in the Son, by the Spirit in me, and this closed door. What’s next?”

3. YOU’VE FELT A GROWING CALL TO SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN WHERE YOU WERE PLANNING TO PLANT.

Man, if you’re working towards planting a Church in Minnesota and all you (and your wife) can think about is moving to Florida, maybe God’s trying to tell you something.

Seriously.

You’ve got to love (to some tangible degree) the place God has called you to plant in. God has promised us abundant life, with persecutions. He has declared that He has good plans for you, to bless and prosper you, to give you a future and a hope. I do not believe that God will call you to plant a Church in a place you are going to hate.

In some small way a Church is a facsimile of Heaven; the Body of Christ on the Earth. Your new Church will infect the community in which it exists with the life of Heaven. Your new Church will make your community a better, and nicer, and happier place to live. You should expect your love for, and satisfaction in, the community where you’ve planted your Church to increase with time. So, if you don’t really like it at all to begin with and can’t see yourself there long-term, maybe it’s not the place you should be planting in.

If you love to sail, maybe you should be living near the ocean. If you love urban culture, maybe you should be living in a large city. If you love cows and fields, maybe yours should be a rural Church plant. Don’t go somewhere because the demographics look good. Go somewhere because your heart is there.

Which leads me to the next point.

4. YOU’VE TRUSTED YOUR GUT INSTINCT.

I cannot over-emphasize how important it is to just plain old trust your gut. You will ‘know’ in your heart what the right thing is to do. “But I thought you said we never ‘know’?” “Sure”, I said we’re never ‘sure’. Are you sure God loves you? What does your gut tell you? Are you sure you’re a good enough preacher to build a Church from nothing? What does your gut tell you? Are you sure she’s the one? What does your gut tell you? Are you sure he’s lying to you? What does your gut tell you?

At the end of the day all you’re going to have is God and you. Church Planting is ‘Patriarchal Work’ in that it pays homage to the greatest of great Biblical heroes as it sets off for; “A land which I will show to you.” Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Nathan, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah; Men alone with their God, wandering in uncertainty towards a promise.

All great men have done what you do, trusted God and walked in His footsteps for no other reason than their gut told them it was the right thing to do. I would not expect anyone, other than your wife, to understand what you do or to think it’s responsible, honorable or brave. Most people will think you’re a flaky, lazy, neo-hippie who just refuses to get a ‘real job’. Nuts to those people. They’ll be attending your Church someday saying: “I tell ‘ya, I always knew he had it in him.” And because you’re a Godly Man you’ll never take any credit nor rub it in anyone’s face ‘cause your gut tells you that would not be the right way to treat someone.

Trust your instincts.

5. YOUR POTENTIAL LEADERS ARE GETTING SIFTED LIKE CHAFF.

When you started out you had a pretty good idea of who was going to lead this Church Plant with you, right? Some of you (like myself) may have had five or more key leaders already in place, and I’m talking ‘key leaders’ as-in people who were going to be getting paid to do this. Then the weeks turned to months, to years sometimes and they started dropping like flies right? Some got better jobs and moved away, some couldn’t take the leap into the unknown with you. Some fell into depression or their marriages started falling apart. Some just lost their passion.

It happens.

You and God alone, remember? But you have to be willing to go it alone with God. The plant I walked away from today was to be my second ‘from scratch’ Independent/Affiliated Church Plant. I know what I’m doing and I had a good pool of people from whom to draw in getting it off the ground. Frankly, I didn’t want to do this one, nor was I called to do it, alone. My first time, I did it alone. My next time, I’d do it alone. I just know that the one I walked away from today was not one I was willing to do alone, so when my leaders started dropping I started asking God: “What’s up Lord? Are you trying to tell me something?”

As much as Church Planting is about God and the Church Planter and they alone, a Church (once it actually comes into existence) is a Body of Believers, many members, many parts. You should expect God to draw people to the work He is doing in you with this Church Plant. If the people you truly believed were called to embark upon it with you are sifted like chaff you should take a good hard look at things, ‘cause you’re going to be totally alone until God brings the next crop around.

6. THE ‘WORK’ OF CHURCH PLANTING HAS BECOME WORK.

Most of the time I feel like it’s a joke that I get paid to do this. Church Planting (for a man truly called to plant) is kind of like playing professional sports, it’s something you always wanted to do, for which you’re singularly gifted, that once you actually get to do, is a source of unending joy and excitement. If you’re dreading the process then maybe God’s trying to tell you something. When a Church Planter is ‘in the pocket’ or in his ‘happy place’ the work of planting a Church is a thrill. My good friend who pastors one of the hottest young Churches in America (which he planted) puts it this way: “If you’ve lost your joy, then worldliness has crept in.”

I experienced that with my last proposed plant.

I just wasn’t having fun anymore, and lemme tell you something; Church Planting is too hard not to love doing it. It’s harder than building a Fortune 500 Corporation from nothing and you don’t get a million-dollar salary once you’re established. You peak at a modest (by worldly standards) salary on which you can raise a family and build a careful future, but you’ve done and do the work of a high-powered CEO. I’ve often said to prospective planters; “Church Planting is like being a Lawyer without the fat wallet.” Your ongoing joy comes only from the satisfaction of doing with your life what you feel you were built to do.

So if you’re not thrilled to be doing this, don’t do it.

I hope those simple points help you a little in your process and salute your bravery in even thinking about thinking about planting a Church-

To the Glory of God the Father, in the Son, by the Spirit.

Peace to you,

Todd Cantelon