Church Planting Basic Training, Part 7

How Do We Convince a Pastor to Count on Our Core Group?

A pastor candidating in an established church is a bit like dating toward a marriage. But the “wife” (the church) has an proven track record of faithfulness which the candidate can look to for reassurance that the church will be a good match.

Countless bad matches have resulted in churches chewing up and spitting out a new pastor or a new pastor not grasping the established church’s values and situation and causing harm. But if candidating in an established church is like dating a “woman” with a proven track record, candidating as a founding pastor is more like an arranged marriage sight-unseen. The risks can be high if the core group and the founding pastor are not previously familiar with one another. In some situations, a core group in a remote area may need to look outside its own sphere of influence to find a founding pastor. So how does the core group convince the man they’ve identified to count on their commitment and faithfulness?

Take the Time, Money, and Effort Necessary to Develop a Relationship

I’m astounded at how many pastors take on a new church or church-plant after two meetings, a single visit, and one sermon. That’s like getting married after two dates! Instead, a core group should trust the Lord through the process of taking time and effort to get to know the potential pastor and his family. This means demonstrating love by spending the money necessary if travel arrangements are needed, hosting meals together, and giving many preaching or teaching opportunities.

Outline a Plan for the Core Group’s Commitment

Remember, the core group is not just assessing the pastor; the pastor ought to have the opportunity to assess the core group. The group should communicate in very concrete terms their level of commitment. Let me give you two opposite examples.

On the negative side, many years ago I was on the verge of committing to a core group. During a phone meeting with some of the leadership of the group, one of them mentioned that this was a no-lose proposition for them because if the church plant didn’t work out, then everyone could just go back to their old churches. At that point, I immediately lost interest. I was not moving my family across the country for a group that could not commit beyond six months.

On the positive side, a group ought to be convincing. Something along the lines of: All the families in the group have been in the area for at least 10 years, all are financially stable, all have been preparing spiritually for a church plant by educating themselves in proper ecclesiology, and the group has saved enough money for two years’ salary with regular giving over the past months.

Demonstrate Your Love for Christ, His Word, and the Gospel

By means of long conversations, meals shared, and worshiping together, the core group must communicate and demonstrate their yearning to follow their Savior. They must show a hunger and eagerness for the preached Word of God. And they must love the doctrines of grace, the biblical gospel. This is a recipe for a core group any founding pastor would be proud to lead.

“Church-Planting Basic Training” is a series of 15 short bullet-point style articles aimed at encouraging Christians in the appropriate situation to consider engaging in a long-term church-planting project.