Church Planting Wisdom - From Bruce Chant

Bruce Chant, whose blog you can find at Hismethod.Com, is lead pastor of NORTHSHORE Church outside of Perth, Australia. NORTHSHORE Church was planted by the same denomination that will be planting harmony church, the Assemblies of God. He’s got some great advice for us as church planters from the pastor of a relatively new church plant.

• Confirm your call. If you aren’t sure that God’s calling you to this, don’t do it. Yes, it’s hard work, but spiritually it is work at the “pointy end” of God’s Kingdom and you will encounter difficulty, hardship, opposition. That stuff can either shape you and mold you into someone more fruitful or it will kill you. I would definitely recommend getting your call to plant confirm by more seasoned and wise men - via a network or denomination or the like - before you launch out.

• Don’t compromise your vision. If you believe you have a vision for a church from God, hold on to it and don’t compromise it for short term gain. What I mean is this, in the early days you will have some Christian folk come across your path who will want in, but they will want in on their terms or with their agenda. The issues might not be huge, but I can’t tell you how important it is to ensure you are absolutely clear and upfront with everyone on where you stand. If it means a smaller core, or you wait longer before commencing a ministry or filling a position - WAIT.  We all want things done yesterday, but unless they are fully on board with the vision it is a false economy.

• Make your plans, but let God direct your steps. One verse has been huge for me - Proverbs 16:9 - In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. You need to make your plans and set out your strategies, but ultimately God will open doors or orchestrate things that we could never dream of. You need to know God is in control but also that we is working ahead of you to bring about His purposes for His church - and when He does people’s faith grows and it is incredible!

Wow. Great stuff from below the equator. Thanks, Bruce! Who’s next? Well, it’s funny. We’ve got two more planters, but they are sending some great stuff. We’ve been put on hold for a little while. It’s ok, I’ll keep some great posts coming (hopefully).

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