The Hidden Treasures of Church Planting

At heart, I suppose I am and will always be a church planter. New converts and freshly minted churches are the lifeblood of our faith. I planted my first church in 1976 because that was what my hands found to do for Jesus. In subsequent years, I became more invested in this calling. Planting churches can be hard obedience. It will stretch your faith to the point of breaking while at the same time working spiritual muscles that few other things can or will. I would compare it at times to running backward! (Don't try either alone) I consider those days of "small beginnings" as the most formative and productive in a ministry that has spanned over forty-six years. In ancient crop-growing language, I saw things increase by thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold. I learned lessons of commitment, faith, and God's unfailing love that I could never know in any other way. Now, so many years later, my wife and I are worshiping with a ridiculously young and talented group of twenty and thirty-somethings in a new church plant. I pray they will have the same experience of blessing.

I am sure you know that church planting is not only a spiritual self-improvement activity. Even with all its benefits, it has to be more than that. It is an irreplaceable building block in the work of God for the world. Martin Luther said, "Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." We must have the same attitude for church planting because, as Warren Buffett says, "Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."

God is everywhere, but in some places, He is greater. Every newly planted church becomes a place where heaven meets earth, and it is at the Father's footstool we worship. There is no better place to be or experience to have. There is no better way to define church planting than with the words accompanying: go, others, and presence.

 I grew up singing, "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go, Dear Lord," so I arrived at the mission of Pentecost quite naturally. In a culture seemingly enthralled with adventure, "go" seems an enjoyable command to hear, and it is except for different reasons. "Adventure" is about collecting pleasurable experiences and pleasant memories in an invisible bucket so that you won't miss a thing in life. Mission is about having been found by someone who heard "go" and refused to say "no." It is also about never forgetting so that you keep going to tell one more person about God. My wife tried on winter boots while shopping with my family in Williston, Vermont. A sales lady spotted me perched in a chair nearby. Looking me in the eyes, she asked, "Are you on a mission or just looking?" "Just looking," I replied as I pointed to my wife, "but that lady over there is serious." Congregation planting is serious work. Full of adventure, yes, but so is tackling a 250-pound hog. A word of experience, don't try that, it's not fun! It is serious because starting new churches means going deeper into the Devil's Den. Warning! It would be best if you didn't go unless you are ready to leave some things behind.

Jesus commanded those he sent out to travel lightly, carrying neither "a purse, bag, or sandals."  Luke 10:3-4 Go and make the going to others of the utmost importance. The more baggage, the more care, the more care, the less we share with those for whom we travel. General William Booth, the Salvation Army founder, had his life's motto the one word, "others." It was the word on his lips when he addressed the worldwide Army gathering for the last time by telegram, and it left a profound impact on his followers and their disciples. For years, the church of Jesus has concentrated on the same 40% of the population already connected. But God is sending us to others who are "hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places." Isaiah 45:3  If we go to these "others," the Lord will give them to us.

As a church planter, I realized the poor worked the fields' edges to glean something left to eat after harvest. Likewise, the assemblies we need to plant are in "the ghettos of Lo-debar," where outsiders reside and where there is no pasture, no word, or communication. 2 Samuel 9:4 There is a Mephibosheth there who has an appointment made by mercy to dine with the King. Saul's grandson had come from a privileged background, but he lived broken and in shame on the other side of the tracks. Mephibosheth was shown mercy because of David's love for his father, Jonathan. Others will experience grace and mercy because of our love for Jesus as we go.

Being other-minded will facilitate others' inclusion into the life-giving benefits of covenant community; seeks to find a path, build a bridge, or open the door to those frequently left out of the spiritual community for any reason.

 To go to others invites the presence of the Lord in some unexpected ways. The Psalmist, whose priority was the presence of God in worship, said, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Ps. 34:18  In thinking of the presence of God, most Christians focus on large crowds, powerful praise, and Spirit-empowered preaching. But the Psalmist gives us an upside view of where God resides in saving power; he is near to those who are broken and crushed, those others who can't check the boxes marked: saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Spirit. I can recall numerous times through the years when I sat at my desk or in my car alone and wept at the goodness of God shown in the lives of broken and hurting persons. Those were Holy moments where God seemed to say to the spiritual Hagars of life, "I see you," and because I was standing close enough, I felt his gaze and touch. Doing "Church" can get old, but the nail-pierced hands of Jesus never!

Perhaps Charles Studd understood that proximity to the broken and lost is the means to divine presence when he said, "Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell." Grasping this truth will revolutionize our evangelism and discipleship efforts. Many seek His presence by shutting everything else out and shutting themselves alone with God, but for Jesus, those were only pitstops as he ran to the broken and lost. His glory is not found beneath a spire or shut up in a closet; in redeemed man, we best see His goodness, mercy, and compassion.

Go! In doing so, you will find others who will allow you to embrace God's presence in ways not possible alone.