Church Planting means Work
Over the last couple of years I have had the great opportunity to meet and talk with church planters from all over the United States. From being at Exponential in Orlando, Florida to the church planters boot camp that I was a part of at Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho. I have heard of many different vision statements and mission statements as well as processes to discipleship to marketing for events. I have heard church planters address the need for authentic worship and the need for fund raising. I have heard church planters talk about their ideas of being missional and of being leaders. But there is one thing that I have not heard people really talk about. That church planting means work.
It means that there are going to be days that you are meeting people way into the evening while your family is at home. It means that there are going to be days that you are painting and building different things for the needs of the church to get going. It means that you will be the one that is carrying the burden for finances and for the health of the people on your team. It means that you are going to actually going to have to get your hands dirty and maybe even get a couple of blisters. But it is work, hard work, sometimes back breaking work. But it is so worth it!
Proverbs 21:5 (NLT) 5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.
