5 Mistakes Church Planters Make

At MAG Bookkeeping, we love serving and working with church planters. We just flat-out love church planters in general, especially their hearts for God’s people. In a lot of ways, they are the spiritual entrepreneurs – risking it all with very few resources, trying to make a significant difference for Jesus and following the passion God placed in them. We love their energy and willingness to be bold.

1. They tried to do it alone. Don’t assume, church planter, that you can create an army right out of the gate. Be wise and save up money/capital before your launch so you can hire people/organizations that will help you “power” your ministry – resources such as bookkeeping/payroll, virtual executive assistants, etc. Don’t just assume you have to suffer through this early on. You can save for this sort of work before you launch your first worship service. We have plenty of examples of pastor(s) who did exactly this and were so glad they did.
2. They thought the reward(s) would be bigger than you received. Sure, we all want some jewels in our heavenly crown – but you really want to see significant results here on earth with your efforts. We get that. However, don’t get derailed because your “reward” was smaller or not yet fully present like you envisioned during your pre-launch days.
3. The goal was unclear – or worse, undefined. What’s the win for your church-planting effort? Did you find something to actually measure? Without definable goals the game is over before it begins. This is true for businesses and churches alike.
4. They underestimated how hard it would be to plant your church. No one said it would be easy. Before you start, make sure you (and your family) can survive. The worst church planters begin and then quit at the first sign of real pain. By doing that, they’re showing everyone how little their God is.
5. They didn’t own the goal. You, church planter, made the assumption that God was with you – but you failed to see your part in the effort. Working hard for the Lord does pay off. If God filled your heart to plant you must, without looking back, OWN your effort 100 percent. Partnering with the Lord doesn’t necessarily mean hiding behind Him.

We love church planters, but we hate broken dreams. We are here to help your church if you need it.

Lead Worship Well is a can’t miss event for all pastors, administrative staff, musicians and worship leaders.  With speakers like Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, Mac Powell, Israel Houghton, Andy Stanley and Louie Giglio, this FREE online conference will take the quality of your services to a completely different level.  Click HERE or on the image to the left to get signed up TODAY!