Church Planting 101

10 Things I've Learned About Church Planting in 7 Years

1) Things don't always goes as planned; sometimes they go better, sometimes worse.

2) You better have a proper (biblical) definition of success, because if you don't you may feel like a failure at times.

3) Don't compare yourself to the rare few awesome church plants that went from 4 people in the basement of the pastor's house to 10,000 people in 90 days. These are special cases, rare cases that can not be explained and often can not be duplicated. A special act of God that we should be thrilled by! You can still do something super extraordinary!

4) Manage your relationships well.

5) Always put spouse and kids first (of course after God.)

6) Love the people God sends your way like crazy.

7) Make sure you don't lose your relationship with God while doing His work.

8) Be who God made YOU to be. Too many pastors, especially church planters, just copy the successful pastors.

9) Chose your close friends wisely; it's not just for anyone and everyone.

10) LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. There are 3 parts to the whole "location" issue; A) Who is there? B) What Churches are there? C) Are you bringing something unique to the area?

IMPORTANT PIECES TO HAVE IN PLACE
...to be continued