Comments on: Blaming the church planter http://www.movements.net/2006/05/15/blaming-the-church-planter.html The companion website to the new book by Steve Addison Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:33:46 +1100 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Brad http://www.movements.net/2006/05/15/blaming-the-church-planter.html/comment-page-1#comment-205949 Brad Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:02:32 +0000 http://www.steveaddison.net/2007/05/15/blaming-the-church-planter.html#comment-205949 I think it's a gross generalization to suggest that a church plant failure is the fault of the planter/leader. That may be the case occasionally, but certainly not always. I, for one, came into a church plant situation many years ago that had begun its work five years earlier with a highly successful church planter. It struggled to take off in this setting. A second church planter was brought in a year and a half later -- again, a man who had had much success in other settings. After 3 yrs under his ministry they were ready to close the doors. I entered the picture in the fifth year. I am not a church planter, but rather a shepherd of established churches. I was younger then and the hope was that I could attract younger couples into the church. I worked hard for 5 yrs and our church began to slowly grow. Then the devil entered the picture and caused a church split. We were a small church to begin with and the loss of key older families really hurt the work. We were left with mostly newer, younger families that had recently joined the church, but we couldn't make it happen financially, and after 8 yrs of my ministry we closed the doors. Does this mean that the first two church planters were failures, and that I too was a failure? I doubt it. In this case there were so many variables that it was a miracle it stayed open for 13 yrs. The reality is, sometimes (and apparently often) church plants just don't flourish and grow. Jesus Himself warned His disciples that there are different soils when the seeds are planted. To always blame the leader is to ignore some spiritual realities, and places a terrible load of guilt on many dedicated and hard-working planters. I think it’s a gross generalization to suggest that a church plant failure is the fault of the planter/leader. That may be the case occasionally, but certainly not always. I, for one, came into a church plant situation many years ago that had begun its work five years earlier with a highly successful church planter. It struggled to take off in this setting. A second church planter was brought in a year and a half later — again, a man who had had much success in other settings. After 3 yrs under his ministry they were ready to close the doors. I entered the picture in the fifth year. I am not a church planter, but rather a shepherd of established churches. I was younger then and the hope was that I could attract younger couples into the church. I worked hard for 5 yrs and our church began to slowly grow. Then the devil entered the picture and caused a church split. We were a small church to begin with and the loss of key older families really hurt the work. We were left with mostly newer, younger families that had recently joined the church, but we couldn’t make it happen financially, and after 8 yrs of my ministry we closed the doors.

Does this mean that the first two church planters were failures, and that I too was a failure? I doubt it. In this case there were so many variables that it was a miracle it stayed open for 13 yrs.

The reality is, sometimes (and apparently often) church plants just don’t flourish and grow. Jesus Himself warned His disciples that there are different soils when the seeds are planted. To always blame the leader is to ignore some spiritual realities, and places a terrible load of guilt on many dedicated and hard-working planters.

]]> By: What about the church planting failures? » Steve Addison’s blog » World Changers http://www.movements.net/2006/05/15/blaming-the-church-planter.html/comment-page-1#comment-10285 What about the church planting failures? » Steve Addison’s blog » World Changers Tue, 12 Dec 2006 10:21:11 +0000 http://www.steveaddison.net/2007/05/15/blaming-the-church-planter.html#comment-10285 [...] Blaming the church planter Why church plants fail: Todd Hunter Why church plants succeed: Todd Hunter Characteristics of effective church planters Church planting lessons from the Southern Baptists [...] [...] Blaming the church planter Why church plants fail: Todd Hunter Why church plants succeed: Todd Hunter Characteristics of effective church planters Church planting lessons from the Southern Baptists [...]

]]> By: Steve http://www.movements.net/2006/05/15/blaming-the-church-planter.html/comment-page-1#comment-938 Steve Thu, 18 May 2006 04:18:19 +0000 http://www.steveaddison.net/2007/05/15/blaming-the-church-planter.html#comment-938 hamo, it was our second plant that we eventually closed. a long story. might be worth writing it up as a post. I'll give it some thought. hamo, it was our second plant that we eventually closed. a long story. might be worth writing it up as a post. I’ll give it some thought.

]]> By: hamo http://www.movements.net/2006/05/15/blaming-the-church-planter.html/comment-page-1#comment-937 hamo Thu, 18 May 2006 02:11:02 +0000 http://www.steveaddison.net/2007/05/15/blaming-the-church-planter.html#comment-937 This will sound like a smart arse emerging church question, but its not. Why was your first a failure and second a success? What did you fail to achieve in the first and why? This will sound like a smart arse emerging church question, but its not.

Why was your first a failure and second a success? What did you fail to achieve in the first and why?

]]> By: scott http://www.movements.net/2006/05/15/blaming-the-church-planter.html/comment-page-1#comment-905 scott Mon, 15 May 2006 06:52:11 +0000 http://www.steveaddison.net/2007/05/15/blaming-the-church-planter.html#comment-905 I came to the same conclusion as you Steve. But as a church planter you should take the responsibility. Its completely differnece to taking the "blame". I'm glad you responded to the post. I came to the same conclusion as you Steve. But as a church planter you should take the responsibility. Its completely differnece to taking the “blame”. I’m glad you responded to the post.

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