Church Planting

A common challenge that every church planter will be faced with is the challenge of making “mountains out of mole hills.” I am not talking about blowing a given issue out of proportion, rather, I am speaking of providing majestic mountains on mole hill resources.

Travel to northeastern Uganda, and you may stumble across the village of Kaliro where Pastor Kasajja Fredrick and his family live and minister. Since the time of his salvation and calling of God, his burden has been to see independent Baptist churches started in his community.

I snapped the picture above as we were recently driving into Los Angeles. And my heart was gripped by the numbers on it. Four million people in this one city—just seventy miles from where I pastor.

The story of Crown Point Baptist Church begins with the directive of the Saviour to simply, “Go.” At the age of fifty-four, Pastor Mark Irmler and his family surrendered to the call to start a new independent Baptist church in the city of Simi Valley, California.

For thirty years, Dean Herring spent his life ministering in South Georgia. During that time, he spent eight years as a youth minister, two years in evangelism, and twenty years as a pastor. He had the privilege of preaching at numerous youth camps, marriage retreats, and conferences across the country each year. But after a visit to Treasure Valley in southern Idaho, God began to impress upon the hearts of the Herring family that He wanted them to move to the area and plant a Baptist church.

As we began preparations to plant Huikala Baptist Church, I read dozens of books on church planting, subscribed to blogs and podcasts, and became a student of other successful and unsuccessful church plants.

Any reader of the divinely-inspired record of early Christianity written in the book of Acts will note the attention given to numbers. Those who were saved in the days after the coming of the Holy Spirit were “added to the church.”

For years, a small group of believers burdened for an independent Baptist church in the Oakland Bay Area prayed for a miracle.

An annual feature of the Spiritual Leadership Conference is the Church Planter’s Luncheon where church planters and their wives enjoy a meal, fellowship with other church planters, and teaching on church planting.

Thirteen years ago, Anthony and Angela King sold most of their possessions to move from Hawaii to attend West Coast Baptist College and to serve the Lord. Now, they are serving the Lord as church planters in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii.

What is a missionary? I have been called one for twenty-one years, and through those years I have heard many different people use the term—from well diggers, to doctors, to school teachers, to veterinarians, to church planters, to orphanage directors, and some whose sole purpose is teaching good hygiene habits.

Pastor Tavv Shaver planted Evergreen Baptist Church in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. After speaking at the West Coast Baptist College 2014 Church Planting Conference, he spoke with The Baptist Voice about church planting.

The first anniversary of the church should be an exciting and memorable event. This special day will require planning and preparation well in advance. The first anniversary affords an opportunity for the entire church family to recall the goodness of God.

There are many different ways churches have been started. I am in favor of any honorable method that proves to be successful. Any method that works, you might say, is a good plan. However, my experience tells me that some methods are better than others. Unfortunately, many church plants are not successful, and there are reasons why they are not successful.

Momentum in church planting is wonderful when you have it, but not so good when you don’t. If you have it and lose it, it is especially difficult to regain. A good start to a new church can provide momentum, excitement, and a good spirit from the beginning.

Fifteen years ago, a story began to unfold in Northern San Diego County as Coastline Baptist Church opened its doors for the first time. Though circumstances were not ideal, it soon became evident that this story was a testimony of God’s power and provision.

How do churches grow and become strong? There are many factors, but the most significant factor for a church to become strong is the longevity of the pastor. Starting a church can be achieved quickly in a matter of months, but building a strong indigenous church requires hard work over many years.

Every pastor receives numerous calls from missionaries who are seeking financial support. The question of what to do when the missionary calls is an important one. When a missionary calls, if possible, answer the call and speak with them. They may spend valuable time and money by continually calling and trying to reach the pastor.