(My friend Eric gave me permission to tell this story in the book, which I share with great sensitivity...)
A good friend from seminary moved to Ashburn, Virginia to start a church one year before I did. Eric was an incredible communicator; I know because I shared a preaching class with him. It was all we classmates could do to keep up with him.
He was so good that the professor often invited him to speak at his own church. Only five of us could preach practice sermons per class, and we all prayed to God that we didn't have to go on the same day as Eric.
After graduation, we all went our separate ways. But I was ecstatic to hear that Eric planted a church just eight miles from where Ainsley and I were headed.
Trouble is, Eric was struggling. His church launched with an impressive trajectory, but then things started falling apart. His worship leader abandoned him just one year in; a close family member died at a young age; his daughter was born with a disabling condition; and even more, his church's leaders were not standing by him.
Attendance began plummeting, and Eric couldn't muster the energy to go after more. What was once a church of 140 had been whittled down to 40 and dropping. After several years of struggle, the church closed its doors.
It was a case of No Good Ground, No Rolling Rocks and No Deep Roots.
Eric was an outsider to the area. He had no history, no connections, and no long-standing relationships. His leaders were not "spiritual sons and daughters" but transfers from other churches. They had never "lived" the vision Eric was advocating. On top of this, northern Virginia is the wealthiest area in America with tremendous spiritual resistance.
Today, Eric is a powerful teaching pastor at a church in Florida. He's one of the most gifted leaders I've ever met. But when it comes to church planting, it's the context that matters most.
This is a series of posts based on my book Church in the Making (B&H, April 1) which explains what makes or breaks a new church before it starts...
1. GOOD GROUND
2. ROLLING ROCKS
3. DEEP ROOTS
I'm ready to read this book now...
Posted by: Stephen Bateman | March 12, 2010 at 04:42 PM