Being Comfortable with the Call
There are few callings more contested, misunderstood, or sometimes resisted within ecclesial life than that of church planting. Some leaders, while affirming the value of mission and evangelism, remain reluctant to use the term church planting itself, preferring instead to describe such work with softer language, “forming communities,” “missional hubs,” or “exploratory networks.” Behind this reluctance often lies an unspoken fear: the fear of failure. Planting a church comes with the risk of visible, communal disappointment. After all, most Christians can imagine what a “church” should look like, a structured, stable body with rhythms of worship and recognised leadership, but the term “missional project” can feel vague, nebulous, and lacking clear benchmarks for success. How does a denomination measure fruitfulness in such contexts? Who defines the legitimacy of these other forms? Where can we find out how their success is measured? If you want to know how a church plant is measured on the other hand, all you have to do is look on the Baptist Union website, and we can assess some of the metrics used for church plants, but what about those that refuse to be called church plants? This ambiguity of those who call themselves missional projects causes many to be quietly sceptical about them. Church planting, on the other hand, is not an optional innovation or branding exercise; it is a missional imperative rooted in the very DNA of the Church. Is a denomination called to plant churches? Can a denomination plant churches, or is it the job of churches, apostles, prophets and evangelists?
The pictures I have included are of recent church plants in Zambia over the last six months. Over the past 30 years, I have been directly involved in or supported scores of church plants. The programme I use to help churches that are struggling thrive once more, or to help churches plant new churches, is called In-Reach. Why do I invest my time in such endeavours while at the same time pastoring a growing and multi-site church? The answer is simple: I am called by God to help pioneer and rejuvenate churches. The truth is that while pioneering in some countries can be done quicker and easier, there is no nation you cannot pioneer in, and no context in which a church cannot be established. In this article, I want to weave personal testimony alongside theological reflection, focusing on the need for church planters, or those who want to see churches rejuvenated, to be comfortable with such a call and to embrace the challenges and risks associated with it. I am also willing to help coach those who feel called to this.
It took me a while to understand what my calling was, but once I discovered that God wanted me to learn how to build community, I felt a real sense of peace. However, I want to be clear: church planting is not fundamentally a church growth strategy; rather, it is the outcome of a balanced and healthy church that has adopted a mission-driven approach. Church planting is about the building of vibrant communities. Although I now pastor what in the UK might be considered a larger church by some, I have never been preoccupied with numerical growth as the rationale for church planting. Rather, it’s always been about building the family of God.
Church planting is, by every metric, a demanding vocation. Yet its generative nature sits at the heart of God’s redemptive purposes. Creation itself is an act of planting. The new creation brought forth in Christ begins with a sending, a sowing of the Word. Church planting is not an institutional tool; it is a Spirit-led extension of divine hospitality to bring many sons and daughters into the family of God.
A Personal Narrative of Calling
Armed only with a sense of call, Fiona and I accepted the promptings of the Spirit to engage in church planting. Twelve months later, we had planted our first independent church in rural Wales with over seventy conversions and a church of over a hundred and twenty people, all accomplished by spending just three days a month on-site.
One key leader judged the approach “misguided.” He operated with a construct of church planting that left no room for short-term visitation as a viable model of community formation. But God blessed the work, and it rapidly multiplied. The divine endorsement that followed confirms Wright’s dictum that, “Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission.”¹ This echoes Jesus’ commission to His disciples: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21, NIV). The disciples’ boldness in Acts, despite persecution and criticism, underscores reliance on divine calling and endorsement (Acts 4:29–31).
When Fiona and I engaged with church planting, we had no formal training and had to learn as we embraced the call. Learning was forged en route, a pattern mirrored in Acts, where Paul and Barnabas dynamically adapted to context and opposition (Acts 13–14). This demonstrated to me that practical experience has a significant impact on theological understanding and missional strategy.
The Framework
Church planting is a divine calling. Mission begins in the heart of the Triune God. Throughout scripture, we see God as the initiator of mission, from His call to Abraham (Gen 12:1–3) to Christ’s explicit commissioning of believers: “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21, NIV).
As Fiona and I went out, we were clear that we were simply being obedient. The mission is not owned by the church planter, nor by the sending church. Rather, the planter and the church that sends are guests in God’s mission, reflecting the truth of Psalm 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain” (NIV).
I have always lived as a church planter and pioneer with the understanding that the calling and the work are derived from the heart of the Father. This is true for all pioneers. The planter’s vocation is derivative, not originative, reflecting Paul’s assertion: “For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor 3:9, NIV).
In the church planter’s arsenal of virtues, faithfulness in the pursuit of building community outranks everything, even innovation. Yet innovation remains a stewarded necessity on the frontier, especially when reaching those who do not yet know Christ. This parallels Paul’s radical adaptability: “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor 9:22, NIV).
Alongside this sense of call is the need to find emotional resilience. Opposition, misunderstanding, and reversals are not uncommon in the journey to create a new community; overcoming such problems is an integral part of the planter’s formation. Paul’s extensive sufferings, as described in 2 Corinthians 11:23–29, illustrate the need to work through emotional pain. If a church planting community is not accustomed to facing setbacks, it may misinterpret them as divine abandonment, potentially causing it to withdraw prematurely. Emotional resilience is very much a function of faith. When an individual holds a resolute conviction that God will see them through the difficult contexts of church planting, they are better able to persevere through the emotional valleys.
When faced with difficulties, Fiona and I found ways of encouraging those who were working with us. It was important to frame our journey within the context of the New Testament’s biblical narrative, to see our story as a continuation of the Spirit’s movement in history. I have found that effective church planters are excellent at reinterpreting their experience through the lens of God’s larger missional purpose, echoing Paul’s encouragement: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28, NIV).
Vocation and Recruitment
If we are to effectively support those who join us in the journey, then as Miroslav Volf warns “faith does its most proper work when it … gives meaning to each step we take.”² While innovation is a valuable partner to church planting, the formation of a contextualised plan, understandable and adoptable by others, is essential. Such planning defines success, guards against deviation, and keeps the community aligned with a Spirit-led vision rooted in both prayer and purpose.
Finally, in judging the health of a church plant, it is vital that the focus not become the project itself. Obsession with the project may lead to burnout. Nor should it be overly denominationally centric, which can cultivate territorialism. Nor should the planter become the focus, which risks fostering a culture of celebrity. Instead, the framing of a church plant should reflect the desires of the Father, be grounded in Kingdom vision, and executed in team spirit, much like the commissioning of Paul and Barnabas in Antioch (Acts 13:1–3).
Footnotes
- N. T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is (InterVarsity Press, 1999).
- Miroslav Volf, A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good (Brazos Press, 2011),
