Migrant Worshippers

Once you've been a church planter, you can't "shop" for a new church the same way again. There's greater empathy, a greater understanding of the plight of a new church. You don't "take a snapshot" on one visit and make a judgment. After all, a church plant is always in flux.

I used to tell our congregation in Reston, "If you don't like the people here, stick around a few weeks, it'll change" [seemed like we had a whole new congregation every two years]. "And if you don't like where I'm at as a pastor, stick around a few months... I'll change" [God was continually shaping me].

You don't look the church's position as though it were permanent. Because it's not. Church plants can be radically different year after year. You look at the journey, and decide if it's worth joining.

Comments

[b/]

I wanted to leave a one syllable response, but that sometimes bothers people, so I added all of this. Being a part of a few myself, and struggling to ever be at a church that "has it all together"......

word.

[Bryan McKnight]

That ever changing environment can be good for people like me that get bored quickly.

However, I am finding that you wish some things wouldn't change so quickly...like your launch team.

How do we do that...we're just trying to l-o-v-e people the old style way. I'm not sure how that looks yet, but mostly just slowing down and paying attention when someone is hurting.

[Ben Arment]

I think it was Steve Sjogren who said that God uses a launch team like scaffolding to erect a building. They're invaluable to getting the church off the ground, but once the walls go up, God has to take them away

[Michiel]

Good post, Ben! We're in the midst of planting a church in one of our neighboring cities, so in a couple of weeks we'll lose like a third from our congregation. I'm amazed how many church members take this change to move back from our church and start looking to other churches in the surrounding areas...

[Mark Rampulla]

Very true...Amen