This article was originally published at Three Streams.
A seed had been germinating inside me for a while: a new church plant in Arlington, Texas. Why not me? Why not now?
After being assessed by All Saints Dallas, I decided to go for it and try to plant St. Barnabas the Encourager in Arlington. My initial goal was to build the nucleus of a church plant. All Saints Dallas knew that I might struggle to gather people but graciously allowed me to try regardless since I felt certain that God was calling me to begin this work. I had a heart for Arlington. I knew that there were solid churches in Arlington but a need for more.
I reached out to local pastors to learn from those already doing gospel work. Our group chipped in and bought Thanksgiving dinner for a single mother and her three children. We gave the same family Christmas gifts. People were encouraged. God’s Word was unpacked. We prayed for each other. Those were good memories of St. Barnabas the Encourager.
We had about 40 people either come to events or express interest in receiving our correspondence. It was my job to gather people, provide a spark, follow through on prayer needs, and all the other things that a church planter does. I spread the word about our plant, sent regular emails, and created a Facebook page.
Some nights, we had just one other family show up. I underestimated just how stretched people are when choosing how to spend their time. Married couples with kids, when both parents are usually working outside the home, are tired. No, they are exhausted. They are tired of constantly moving, and they are concerned for the future of their kids. They want to pay for college, save for retirement, go on vacation. Nothing wrong with those goals. We have three kids and know how much work it is. If you are planting a church, you should be aware that it will be hard to get consistent attendance at anything other than Sunday morning worship.
Facing Failure
In the end, the church plant did not last. After thousands of dollars raised and about fifteen months of effort, it failed. I simply could not get enough traction when gathering. I was underfunded. I lacked experience. I was alone. I had heart, and I had zeal.
Heart and zeal are good. But heart and zeal alone are not enough to build a self-sustaining church. One key that I missed was confusing God’s calling with a desire to see something happen. I have a heart to see another faithful, biblical church in Arlington, Texas. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I am the man called by God to plant it.
People express their sympathy to me when I tell them that the church plant failed. I appreciate this sympathy. I went through a period of grieving. I was sad that my efforts did not bear the fruit I desired.
Looking back, I am still glad I tried it. I grew as a person and certainly have a much deeper respect for church planters than ever before. I was forced to reflect on the reason why my plant did not make it. Why did my Father let me fail like this? The story of Moses was a great encouragement to me. Moses spent most of his life preparing for his prophetic ministry. Who am I to question God’s timing? We live in a culture of instant gratification. Our God stands outside these infantile demands.
A grateful contentment has welled up in me to replace the temporary pain of a church plant that failed. God has blessed me with many gifts, and I have done my best to exercise those with the time allotted to me. All the results are up to him.
Was It All About Me?
I also wonder just how much I wanted to plant a church in South Arlington for my own selfish reasons. Maybe I wanted that church to exist because I must drive 45 minutes each Sunday to my sending church in Dallas. I believe that motivation, as much as it pains me to admit it publicly, was part of why I wanted to plant this church.
If you are thinking of planting a church, why? Do you want to live in a certain city? Do you like the rush of adrenaline you get from preaching? Church planting is too hard to be just a convenient job or a project to increase your self-esteem.
We do many things that appear to be for the glory of God, but we know at their genesis they are planned to please ourselves first. Our starting point must be surrender to God. What is the alternative? Telling God our plans for his church? Ultimately, selfish motivations will not thrive in his kingdom.
In the end, planting a church is like any other learning experience in life. While the actual plant itself never made it past the embryonic stage, I know that we had success reaching many people with the love of Christ. We served poor families, encouraged participating families, and prayed for those in-between. I grew in humility, learned when to follow my gut and when to trust the guidance of others. I realized how critical God’s calling and Word are in church planting.
If I could do it all over, I would wait. I would assemble a prayer team. I would surrender my entire catalog of wishes to the Lord and ask him to lead me to the right place, the right people, at the right time. I would not act until he gave me that direction and peace. I would hold that calling close to my heart and refer back to it often. And I would plant again.
Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?
In an age of faith deconstruction and skepticism about the Bible’s authority, it’s common to hear claims that the Gospels are unreliable propaganda. And if the Gospels are shown to be historically unreliable, the whole foundation of Christianity begins to crumble.
