''For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you...'' Titus 1:5

 

What are some common reasons why church plants and church planters fail?

• The ‘wrong’ church planter.

• Inability to work on a team, having a weak team or conflicted team.

• Inadequate strategy, no plan, or a poor plan.

• What other church planting problems have you observed?

 

Important questions to ask in assessing or evaluating church planters:  

• Is the leader called by God to plant churches? Does their spouse (if they have one) also feel called?

• What type of church is being planted? Do they have the gifts and abilities needed?

• Are they of sufficient spiritual maturity to begin a new church or churches?

• Are their beliefs and vision compatible with the church planting team or the movement?

• These questions represent four major areas to assess: CALL, CHARACTER, COMPETENCIES, & CHEMISTRY .

 

Discerning if a person is gifted and called to be a church planter is the most critical single decision in church planting.                           Craig Ott, Seven Fruitful Practices Training Manual

 

Four Distinct Types of Church Planters have been observed:

• House Church Planter

  • Plants church in a home.  When does this type of planter need elder qualifications?  Will they be a part of a broader network of house churches and receive supervision and training?

• The Pastoral Church Planter

  • Plants and then pastors the church for a period of time.

  • Strength: can train highly qualified leaders, brings stability.

  • Weakness: this type may lead to church addition, but rarely leads to church multiplication.

• The Catalytic Church Planter

  • Plants and then pastors the church, but also produces strong daughter churches.

  • Strength: multiple churches planted, this becomes a model for other churches, other pastors.

  • Weakness: fewer planters are gifted enough to do this; it may produce only one generation of new churches.

• The Apostolic Church Planter

  • Does NOT plant and pastor a church, but equips local leaders to plant a number of churches, then moves on to do the same elsewhere. 

  • Strength: facilitates multiplication and local ownership of ministry.

  • Weakness: initial slower progress, lay leadership may be weak, some churches will not survive. 

​

Go to Q2: Training

Go to Assessment Methods