How do you Plant a Church?

“So what do you actually do, anyway?”

Has that thought ever popped into your head when you hear someone is “planting a church”? 

Many people ask this question when they learn that Kristy and I are planting a church.  Few have experience with a project like this. 

How do you plant a church? 

Get a building?  Start a Bible study?  Lock yourself in an upper room and wait for the Holy Spirit to blow the lid off like He did at Pentecost?  Or do you do what our social posts look like – taking a lot of hikes?!!?

I’m not sure there is any single, right way to plant a church.  There are probably some wrong ways.  Some practices, plans, and motivations are certainly healthier than others.  At least that’s what we’re learning as we trust God to use us to plant a church for the second time. 

The More You Learn About How to Plant a Church, the Less You Know

Rewind to August of 2013.  Kristy and I had just moved our three little kids across the great state of Wisconsin to plant a new church in Milwaukee.  (Fear the deer!!)

At the beginning of December 2013, we hosted our first preview service for the new church.  That’s just four months in!  😐

Fast-forward to April of 2024.  We’ve been in Portland for about four months, now.  We haven’t even invited a single person to join our church planting team. 

What’s the difference? 

Perspective. 

Humility.

Patience. 

Wisdom. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying we are wise, patient, and humble.  I’m only saying we were absolutely NOT wise, patient, or humble the first time around!

And where you may see some of those fruits budding in our lives now, it’s because of lessons we’ve learned the hard way. God has pursued us with an unrelenting, persistent, never-giving-up, fervent, passionate, sweet, tender, healing, transforming love.  

But What you do Know About Planting a Church, You Know with Far Greater Confidence

That’s why we’ve been intentionally slow.  And why have we invested so much time learning what we love about Portland. 

Consider planting a church like building a friendship.  Don’t you like being friends with people who enjoy you?  Who know you?  Who believe the best about you and won’t let you settle for less than every good thing you deserve? 

Conversely, do you like being friends with people who try to fix you?  Save you?  Who act superior towards you?

Churches – new and old – should want to serve their city and love their neighbors sacrificially.  But healthy churches, I think, also enjoy their city and love loving their neighbors. 

God’s intention for the church is to be something far more than functional.  Or pragmatic. It’s to be a community, empowered by His Spirit, that breathes life and beauty into the world around it. 

Sometimes, it can be challenging to remember that the Bible starts in Genesis 1 – with God creating everything and saying: IT IS GOOD! 

He loves what He made!  He loves YOU!  He loves enjoying you enjoying the creation He enjoyed creating for you to enjoy with Him.  (Yes, you read that right 😉)

We aren’t here to save Portland.  We’re here because we believe that God has invited us to love loving Portland with Him. 

Of course, there is work to do.  God isn’t going to let this city He loves settle for being anything less than all He desires for her to be. 

God has placed SO MANY inspiring dreams in our hearts about how we believe He wants to lavish His love on Portland!  There are days when we feel like we’ll BURST trying to hold in all this goodness.  We are beyond eager to put those dreams into motion. 

But at this stage in our faith journey, we have learned that we don’t need to force anything.  Instead, we can pray and follow Jesus as He leads us one step at a time.  So, for now – we wait on the Lord.  We fully believe that God will have His way in His time, and it will be good. 

Church Planting with Co-Vocational  

Kristy and I are co-vocational, co-pastor church planters.  Yes, it’s a mouthful.   And it’s even more stretching than it sounds. 

I continue to write content for some amazing people to support their wonderful businesses.  Writing is an introvert’s paradise.  The problem is, it’s hard to meet people when you never have to leave your house or put on real pants!

For this reason, I recently started going to coffee shops for work.  I’ve met a number of people who seem eager to chat about life, work, Portland, and more. 

Kristy is continuing her work as an interior designer.  This provides her a remarkable opportunity to journey with people in deep and meaningful ways.  Whether designing a commercial space or a home – she is invited into some of the most personal spaces in people’s lives. 

Through this, she has the honor of demonstrating God’s love for people who may not yet know how much Jesus loves them. 

She also started working for an incredible organization called Transitional Youth.  Get this – she upcycles donated items,  transforming them into something beautiful. 

And she doesn’t do this alone. 

Kristy mentors and disciples at-risk youth apprentices in this work, investing in them personally and professionally. She helps them learn job and life skills while demonstrating God’s love. 

This is a PERFECT fit for her!

Learning from People Who Know How to Plant a Church

For over a year, we have been working with and learning from Sean Thome, the executive director of our church planting organization – Expand Northwest. 

Sean has led a disciple-making, church-planting movement since the last time the Packers won the Super Bowl. 

That’s 2011, obviously.

Here is the path he has laid out for us: 

·        Place: What geographical location is God leading the planting couple/team to usher in the kingdom of God?

·        Prayer: What is God’s perspective on the needs, desires, and kingdom opportunities in a potential geographical location?

·        People: What is people's perspective on the needs, desires, and kingdom opportunities in this potential geographical location? 

·        Perspective: What is God already doing in this geographical area? How is he inviting us into his work? How is Jesus leading the planting couple to make disciples and build his church?

·        Plan: What is the strategic roadmap and timeframe that will be implemented to make this church become a reality?

Sounds pretty healthy, doesn’t it?  That’s some of what we’re seeking God for. But wait, there’s more! We also just began being coached by Micah Dodson.  He’s the leader of Thrive, a different church multiplication ministry in the Portland area. 

Here is some of what Micah has for us:

·        Developing a Clear Vision

·        Determining the Place

·        Connecting the Plan and the Place (Values and Vision)

·        Discovering the People (Who will you serve and who will you serve with?)

·        Prayer

·        Fundraising  

See?  We have a lot to learn!  One of the sweet opportunities we’ve been given to learn has been granted to us by The Bridge Northwest.  Stephanie and Bob Johnson, the leaders of the Bridge, continue to provide coaching and ministry opportunities for us. 

Part of our process is engaging in a church planting fellowship at The Bridge, under their leadership, so that we can learn more about how to plant a church in the Portland area – while being a part of a sweet, loving church family.   

We meet weekly with Bob and Stephanie, serve on the prayer team, preach monthly, help with various ministry tasks, and engage in the life of the church. 

Do you Want to Engage with Planting a Church?

In December 2013, we hosted a preview service four months into our first church plant.  This was because of the ministry model we had in mind.  It wasn’t necessarily bad or wrong.  But it also wasn’t THE ONE RIGHT way to do it. 

Ultimately, planting a church isn’t about establishing an organization, worship service, or getting a building.  Planting a church is about following the leading of the Holy Spirit to demonstrate God’s love in a particular way, in a particular place, among particular people. 

Kristy and I desire to BE the church with people who want to be in God’s presence.  Experiencing the tangible, personal presence of God is what the human race was designed for.  We won’t give our lives to anything else. 

If the shape that takes is micro, mega, or multi – we don’t care.  We just want to experience the fullness of God’s love.  As we do, we know His amazing grace will overflow, and people will taste and see just how good He is. 

Is that something you’re interested in learning more about? There are a bazillion resources you could dig into! But I recommend you open the Bible to the book of Acts and ask the Holy Spirit of God to open your heart, eyes, and mind. I am confident that the Spirit of God would love to invite you to join His work in breathing life and beauty into the world around you. 

If you want to engage with this with us, there are a few steps you could take today. First, please consider praying with us. Second, please consider financially supporting this work. You can follow this blog, and we’ll keep you posted on our process. 

God is at work in many beautiful, worthy ways in this world.  Whatever you choose to engage in, whatever steps you take, commit them to the Lord.  He will lead you to green pastures and still waters and chase you down with more mercy and goodness than you can contain!  Be blessed!