5 Lessons of a Novice Church Planter

Well, I guess 15 years of travelling as an evangelist gives you some kind of perspective on Church. I’ve pretty much seen ‘em all. Big ones, small ones, good ones...and the other kind too. I’ve sat with hundreds of leaders and asked loads of questions – wanting to learn from their successes and failures. And that has proved invaluable to me. But there’s nothing like getting your hands dirty and getting stuck in! I’m doing just that. I’m a novice – but I’m enjoying it. REALLY enjoying it!

Ok...so after 4 months, what have I learned?

1) Its HARD work!

J24 was not planted out of a mother church – with the financial backing etc that brings. Nop...it was started from scratch. We don’t have a building. No-one is salaried. And most of the people who now come actually came to faith in Christ through it.

The thing is...when you want to model something that’s built on excellence, you can’t then just turn up at your venue each week and hope for the best it’s going to be a good service. You’ve got to do the very best you can with what you’ve got. So that’s exactly what we’ve tried to do. And there needs to be a mindset that says ‘WHATEVER it takes’.

Some mornings, I wake up feeling like I’ve gone 10 rounds in a boxing match. But the tiredness is worth it – and in a strange way, is a brilliant feeling when you put into perspective what you’re building towards.

2) Use whoever is journeying with you!

We are blessed at J24 church with lots of incredibly gifted people. And that’s so helpful in a pioneer situation. But the truth is, in a church plant, you’ve got to utilise EVERYBODY who is a part of what you’re establishing! Give them a job to do. Encourage them, help them, motivate them and CONSTANTLY remind them what they’re building towards is BIG.

But there needs to be MASSIVE flexibility so that people don’t get too comfortable in a particular role and then claim it as their territory. As new people come in, you find others better suited to doing certain things. So we’re learning to let people do a little bit of most things. ‘Whatever it takes’ is the constant reminder.

3) Enthusiasm

Negativism and cynicism need to be ruthlessly stamped out. It is simply not tolerated at J24 because its soooo not our culture. That’s not to suggest for a moment that poo doesn’t happen in life – it does (yes, I said ‘poo’). But faith is not about denying present realities – but believing and speaking blessing in the midst of WHATEVER we’re going through.

So we constantly encourage people to serve with enthusiasm. That’s our culture. That’s the way it is. It’s not everybody’s cup of tea. But it’s just the way we like it at J24. And I have a sneaky suspicion that many people are looking for a place that like that. Well, that’s what I think.

4) Shamelessly Evangelistic

I know this isn’t politically correct. But frankly, if a church doesn’t constantly reach out, it doesn’t deserve to exist. Think about it...the best salesmen are those who get out there and shamelessly plug their product. Yet somehow in church, it has become cool to be ‘seeker sensitive’. It’s RUBBISH! And...it doesn’t work. RESULTS are what it’s all about.

So at J24, we have people out on the streets regularly – telling people about Jesus and shamelessly plugging J24. And the new Christians are the BEST evangelists. Once they ‘get it’, they want everyone else to get it too. So the vast majority of salvations that we’ve seen at J24 since our launch have been friends, family and colleagues of the NEW Christians. By the way, since our launch on September 26th, 57 people have made decisions at J24 services. Have they all stayed? Nop. But many of them have. And I want to see hundreds of decisions during 2011. We will.

5) Take responsibility

As a leader, I’ve learnt not to blame anyone for anything. I will challenge – but I will NOT blame. Some battles just aren’t worth fighting. In the end, the buck stops HERE. I am responsible for leading J24 church in the direction I believe it should go. That’s both the privilege and the responsibility.

If I see that someone can do something in a way that’s better, then I journey with them, mentor them, help them and empower them. It doesn’t always work. Some ‘get it’. Some don’t. But whatever happens, it is never helpful to become cynical about people. If someone needs to move onto another area of serving, then our flexibility allows that.

The leader sets the tone of the church. The church, in effect, becomes a reflection of the leader. So it is important to maintain a healthy spiritual life and to be the EXAMPLE of everything you’re seeking to establish. Don’t just preach a great message – BE a great message. And thats what leadership surely is....being the example of how you want things to be.

Conclusion
Alright...that’s your lot. Bye!