Every new endeavour brings excitement and optimism. Church planters understand this well. Planting a new church brings that karlo duniya muthi mein wali feeling, as the Reliance slogan goes. It makes you feel like you can go out and conquer the world. But it is not long before reality hits. The excitement and optimism give way to self-doubt, disappointment, discouragement, and despair. New endeavours can only produce lasting hope and joy when we have realistic expectations.
As church planters, we need to remember what they tend to forget. The success of the church of Christ does not depend on us. Jesus promised, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).
So, what should pastors expect after they plant a church?
Expect Spiritual Attack
Planting a new church is an all-consuming task. It involves casting vision, building a core team, preaching captivating sermons, finding a place to meet, chasing newcomers, pastoring old-timers and everything in between. There is always more than you can manage yourself. In this chaotic busyness, we can forget that Satan and his invisible forces are busy scheming against us, our family, the core team, and the church.
Early in our church plant, we experienced a significant loss of leaders. Some left for good reasons, others due to life circumstances, and a few due to sin. Peace and unity are what we all desire. However, disagreements with family and conflict in ministry teams can make it difficult to focus, function, and keep the church plant moving forward.
New endeavours can only produce lasting hope and joy when we have realistic expectations.
Jesus taught us to pray “…lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13). Satan and his demonic forces are scheming against the church to see its harm and failure. We know the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, but our adversary will resist the church. He is the father of lies, who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. God does not want us to be outwitted by him or be ignorant of his designs (John 8:44, 2 Cor. 2:11, 1 Pet. 5:8).
The apostle Paul teaches us to prepare for spiritual attack. He wants us to put on “the whole armour of God” so that we may be able “to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:11–12).
Expect Fear, Anxiety, and Doubt
Starting anything new comes with risks and challenges that can lead to fear, anxiety, and doubt. Church planting is no different. A million questions run through your mind while planting a new church. “Will people buy into the vision? Will we have enough resources to launch? How will we grow? Will people invest their time to serve?” All these concerns may be warranted but they can also produce fear and anxiety.
Church planting is not a 100-meter sprint. It is a marathon.
A friend who is a church planter once told me, “During the first year, you will never know how many people will show up for a Sunday service.” Though church attendance is not the primary indicator of church health, the lack of visible growth can make you question everything. But even if people commit to the church, it does not quell your fears. You develop new fears. Once people join, you wonder if they will stay. You wonder if they will embrace the church’s teaching and culture.
As a church planter, you should expect constant fear, anxiety, and doubt, which can have adverse effects on your mental, emotional, and physical health. So build healthy rhythms for resting. Exercise your trust in the Lord to build his church by taking a day off and keeping the Sabbath day holy.
Expect to Bear the Cost
All the work, preparation, and people involved in church planting will demand a cost from your time, energy, and family. Like a mother tending to her newborn baby, it will occupy most of your time and take most of your energy. Everything you were able to do previously will be affected by this new responsibility.
While the cost of time and energy is obvious, church planting takes a more subtle toll on the family. It requires the whole family to be involved and willing to give their time and space to the planting process. Church planters should seriously consider the sacrifices their families will have to make when planting a new church.
Expect God to Build Your Character
Church planting is not a 100-meter sprint. It is a marathon. It requires patience and perseverance. As my senior pastor says, “Ministry is 90% perseverance.” I used to think that was just his age talking. But after planting, I realised the importance of perseverance.
Church planting can feel like an uphill battle filled with discouragement. The road ahead demands endurance, resilience, and perseverance to stay the course. But with the help of his Spirit, God can grow our character as we run the race set before us.
Many say church planters need to be visionaries, charismatic, and entrepreneurial. But what they need most is Christlike character.
Church planting involves working with many different people. Serving people requires tenderness, love, and care. They expect gentleness, grace, and love even when they show their anger, frustration, and disappointment.
It feels impossible to be constantly gracious and gentle while being firm on truth. Conflict and disagreements are part and parcel of working with people in the church. So we must learn to continually ask for God’s help and look to Jesus as he makes us more gentle and meek.
As Paul tells us, “The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:24–26).
Many say church planters need to be visionaries, charismatic, and entrepreneurial. But what they need most is Christlike character.
Expect to See God at Work
Church growth often involves multiple factors such as sound teaching and a welcoming congregation. A church must love and obey God’s word and build on the foundation of the gospel. But ultimately, God is the one at work through the church planter.
We can expect God to be faithful to his promises.
One of the greatest joys in church planting is experiencing the work of God. It is witnessing God bring people from death to life and conforming them into the likeness of Jesus. We should expect God to work like this because he wants people added to his church. He wants more people to experience fellowship with him. God desires for young followers of Christ to grow as disciple-makers and for many to join in serving his kingdom.
Jesus has promised he will build his church and we can rest assured that all growth comes from God (Matt. 16:18, 1 Cor. 3:6). Whatever we build on the solid rock of Christ will stand the test of eternity (1 Cor. 3:11-13). We can expect God to be faithful to his promises.
