Two Kinds of Church Plants

There are two kinds of church planting situations - harvesting and cultivating. Some geographic areas are spiritually fertile for church plants, and others need years of cultivation. Harvest plants take off quickly and evangelism comes easily for them. Cultivators have to work with tough soil and spend years, maybe decades, nurturing receptive hearts through prayer, Gospel sowing, and relationships.

Most church planters don't consider these factors before they start, so it becomes a success / failure issue for them, citing every possible reason except spiritual fertility. "It just didn't work out" is a bad excuse by cultivators when God's whole purpose for the plant was to tenderize a community. Likewise, when harvesters make headlines without acknowledging the yeeears of cultivating work that went-on before them in their cities... they strip God of credit.

At a Catalyst Conference pre-lab session, Matt Chandler of the Village Church started his speech by saying that the only reason he was invited there was because of his church's quick growth. He was acknowledging he was a harvester.

Comments

[Russell Knight]

This is such an enlightening perspective, and a biblical one as well. Thanks for the insight Ben.

[Andrew Conard]

Ben - I also appreciate the distinction that you make here. I think that there is a great deal of pressure on church planters - either external or internal and likely both. This is helpful. Thanks!

[D-Plum]

Ben,

This is so true! It would save some guys a WHOLE LOTTA trouble by considering those distinctions. I've had to learn that... and I've been fortunate. It's not a "do or die" situation for us... simply "do, no matter how long it takes."

However, some don't learn this... and are rattled, almost to a point of no return. In January, an area church planter just "closed the doors" of his church AFTER ONLY 1 1/2 YEARS, because of a lack of numbers. His situation was one of cultivation... but no one told him that before he came, and he never understood it.

[Steve Markle]

Great post! It's something every planter needs to understand. We can all so easily get caught up in finding our self-worth and "success" in the number of people in worship this past Sunday.

[Clayton Bell]

Ben, another great post. I hope this is the kind of stuff we can hope to see more of in the future...

[Chris Gensheer]

Hey Ben,
I've really appreciated your thoughts here. This is something similar to what we have been discussing in a class at seminary, but haven't made the connection to church planting. Thanks for helping me remember that its not about the "success" of the outcome, as much as glorifying God by being faithful wherever you are and whether or not He's allowing you to cultivate or harvest.

[Ben Arment]

thanks for the feedback guys. Great stuff.