» Blaming the church planter

I knew it—it is the Church planters fault. That’s an easy out. Just blame it on the Church planter. While he may often be at fault, it seems this list puts all the blame on the planter.

Something I vaguely remember in the Bible about GOD giving the increase.

Bruce

Bruce got me thinking. Eventually I concluded it IS about the leader.

What about God?

We look for leaders with a track record of trusting God in tough situations.

What about the team?

We look for leaders with a track record of building teams and mobilizing others.

Who’s to blame?

It’s not a question of blame.

Although we could blame:

1. Decision-makers who do a poor job of selecting the right people.
2. Observers who write off a leader because the church plant doesn’t get off the ground.
3. Driven church planters who can’t separate who they are from what they do.
4. Established church leaders who aren’t intentionally growing pioneers.
5. Denominational systems that deselect pioneers.

It IS about leadership. That’s what makes the challenge of church planting so attractive to the right sort of (crazy) people. Our job is to find them, grow them, select them, and get out of the way.

On a personal note, our first church plant was a “success”, the second one was a “failure”. God was in both. Without the second I would never have got my call to fuel church planting movements. The only certainty is God’s faithfulness. That’s what makes life and church planting so interesting.