A Call to Church Planting

Calling. That's such a huge word in church planting, especially, but also in any full-time ministry pursuit. I have heard that word used for pastors, missionaries, and pretty much any ministry situation, really.

There are all kinds of definitions of the "calling" concept. I'm not the guy to define the calling of God a person's life--there lots of guys out there with lots of letters (mostly P, h, and D) after their name who've done that. One good, exhaustive list of questions to ask yourself if you think God is calling you to plant a church is found on the Acts29 Network website. Surely there are others; most church planting books provide some definition of the concept of a call to ministry, or church planting, or both.

So, anyway, how do you know when you're called by God? My suggestion is that you check out the list! I'm not you, so I can't know your heart or the tug that God may be placing on it. I can speculate, but that's about it.

However, I can vouch for the fact that my wife and I are called to plant a church in NE Knoxville, Tennessee. Why? Because I know my heart, I trust her claims about her heart (sort of a perq from being married to her for 10 years this June), and I've answered the questions on the calling list! :)

So, let's say you know that you are called to plant a church. That's great, but there are places that need churches all over the world. Where to plant is a tough question, that can only answered by lots of prayer (and fasting, one day soon I will fast for the first time--it just wasn't part of my growing-up experience) and following the path God lays out for you. Also, I recommend including the counsel of others who are more experienced in ministry and wiser than yourself. Those type of men are alot easier to find than you think! :)

I have been fortunate to speak to Neal McGlohon, who planted a church a few years ago and now is a church planting consultant. The one big thing he made sure I understood during our first conversation about church planting was to make sure that Emily and I were called to the town we were considering moving to, and that we were also called to the people of the area.

We have been to several countries and lived in several cities, but the only place we have a true burden for is Knoxville, Tennessee. Specifically, the NE area where there is much growth, but not many 22-35 year-olds in the established churches. We long to share Christ with the people there, help them grow to be mature believers, and provide opportunities for them to follow Him. God is providing a way for us to get there, including folks to come along on the journey as prayer and financial supporters, members, and staff. That's why we're going to Knoxville.

The story is much longer, but I think this is enough for one post... :)