Confessions of a Church Planter

I have been corresponding lately with several church planters who are at different phases of planting. Some are building a team, others are fund raising and some are just a few short months away from the BIG DAY! I have been thinking a lot about what to say to these great couples. Here are a few thoughts: I cannot stress the importance of having a great team in place. The team will determine how many people you can hold and how quickly you can connect new ones. Make sure they are "healthy leaders". Next i tell them to start raising money asap. We have some outside monthly partners that have really made the difference. I tell planters to ask big. Big vision needs big money but big money needs a big vision! And lastly i spend time talking about fighting discouragement. This is a big one. Most of us have had our expectations blown away. It usually isn't what we picture in our minds. While God is building a church He is at the same time doing a great work IN us. You must have a no quit attitude. Early on i felt like if we just pulled off a service (even with everything going wrong) it was a win. There were Sunday's that i didn't want to go. But that has all changed because of our consistency and His faithfulness. I am still learning so much about myself, leadership and life! I am loving the journey.