Life After Covid: Think Like a Church Planter
This fall, when Covid restrictions are lifted, we will see the largest opportunity for Gospel impact that we’ve seen in decades. People, young and old, have been relationally starved after 18 months of virtual house arrest. Once the gathering restrictions are relaxed, we are going to see a flood of relational demand hit our communities. Churches who are prepared for this are going to reap a harvest of salvations. Churches that fail to prepare will also reap a harvest, but one of excuses and regret. Which harvest you reap will entirely depend on the seed you sow.
The mindset that will best prepare you for the fall will be to think like a church planter. Why? Because in many ways, you ARE a church planter. During the pandemic many of your programs, systems, traditions, and teams have been decimated. Just like a church planter, you are in a position where you’re going to have to rebuild from scratch.
The good news is that you already have a faithful core. You already have a base of financial support. And you probably have a facility to meet in. Quite frankly, most church planters would be envious of your advantages.
So, what do you do?
1. Seek the Lord
Before we act and before we plan, we need to connect with God. We should never make Martha’s mistake of spending so much time doing things FOR God that we neglect spending any time WITH God.
So, what should we pray for?
Pray to know God’s heart. 90% of the people in your community don’t give God a second thought. What does God, Himself, think of these people? He loves them. In fact, He cares for them so deeply that He sent His own Son to die for them. His great heart breaks for those who are lost. If we are going to actually KNOW God’s heart, we need to feel as He feels. Our hearts need to break for our communities. And only God can make the needed changes in our hearts before we are able to truly act like the body of Christ.
Pray to know God’s power. One problem that many of us have is that we read Acts chapter 2 backwards. We think that the upper room was the end rather than the beginning. Because we’re always try to go backwards to the upper room, we look at spiritual gifts as toys in a toybox given to us for our own personal enjoyment. Biblically, the upper room was the beginning “and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” was the end. Spiritual gifts are given to us a tools in a toolbox to accomplish a job – and that job is to go into all the world and make disciples. Are we to seek God’s divine empowerment? Absolutely. But this is empowerment for action, not amusement.
Pray to know God’s mind. While God has indeed given us minds with the expectation that we use them, we must also bring every thought captive to Christ. Before we design our grand plans and strategies, we need to seek the mind of the Lord. His guidance, His inspiration, and His plans will always be better than ours.
2. Cast Vision
No church plant gets off the ground without a white-hot conviction to reach a community for Christ. Even though the pandemic has scattered many of your sheep, you still have a loyal core – now is the time to rally them. Unfortunately, this isn’t going to happen by accident. Social distancing has turned our entire civilization inward and people are thinking about themselves ten times more than they’re thinking of others. If we think everyone is going to automatically “get it” just by magic, then we’re going to be very disappointed. Casting vision means you are going to have to carefully craft your message, and then deliver it using every available opportunity.
So, what do your people need to know in order to get them on mission?
They need to know the mission of Christ. In Genesis 2 God creates the human race for the purpose of friendship: friendship with God, friendship with each other, and friendship with creation. In Genesis 3 we rebel and replace friendship with conflict: conflict with God, conflict with each other, and conflict with creation. Jesus came to Earth on a mission of reconciliation so we can be reconciled with God, reconciled with each other, and reconciled with creation.
They need to understand their identity in Christ. Ephesians 2:10 says, “You are God’s masterpiece, created anew in Christ, destined to do great things.” They need to know that they were created ON purpose, FOR a purpose. That their lives have meaning because their lives have an author. That they were created at a time such as this, to live lives that matter, lives that make a difference.
They need to know the challenge of Christ. Jesus didn’t say “study me”, He didn’t say “admire me”, He said “follow me”. While the world promises a life of comfort, Jesus offers us a life of consequence. He saved us FROM a life of sin in order to save us FOR a life of impact. On the sermon on the mount, Jesus said you are the light of the world – you are the salt of the earth. Following Jesus means living a life of mission.
When do you let them know this?
Sunday morning from the pulpit. Your biggest position of teaching influence comes every Sunday during your sermon. Craft a sermon series to reinforce your people’s awareness of their role in the Great Commission.
During leadership meetings. Whether it’s a board meeting, volunteer meeting, or a staff meeting, you should never get tired of keeping the main thing The Main Thing. Use these opportunities to cast vision and orient everything you do around the North point of the compass.
During times of public prayer. As pastors we are given many opportunities to pray in some kind of official capacity. During meetings, services, or ceremonies, you can intentionally include the mission to reach your community in those prayers.
During one-on-one conversations. We have many opportunities for leadership development and discipleship with staff, leaders, volunteers, and congregation members. Use those occasions wisely. It’s never going to hurt to include gospel priorities when you have those conversations.
3. Prayerfully Draw up Your Plans
I have never seen a church plant that got off the ground by accident. Prayerful and intentional planning is essential. If our mission is to make disciples, we need to carefully consider the discipleship journey we’re expecting people to take. What is it, exactly, we want to happen? The best place to start is where people in your community are at right now:
How do they know we exist? When people are looking for relationships, when people are looking for healing, and when people are looking for answers are they going to turn to you? Only if they know you exist. So how are you going to reach out and communicate to your community that you’re there for them?
Why should they care? While WE know Christ offers us a new life of forgiveness, healing, and meaning do the people in your community know? Have you told them; in a way they can understand? Right now, they think that churches are members-only clubs, how are you going to communicate to them that God has so much more for them, and they are welcome to come and find out?
What happens when they show up? Once you’ve invited people to come, have you actually thought through the reception you want them to experience once they show up? What’s going to happen to them when they walk through the door? What happens to them when they wander around the lobby? What do you want them to experience once they sit down?
How will they meet Jesus? Jesus, Peter, and Paul were able to communicate great spiritual truths to a wide variety of audiences. Are new people going to understand what you’re saying? Are they going to understand what you’re singing? Are you going to introduce them to Jesus in a way they can comprehend? This won’t happen by accident.
How do we connect them? New believers are just like new babies – they don’t know how to care for themselves. So how are you going to follow up with people? How are you going to get them into mentoring relationships? How are you going to get them into an appropriate small group? How are you going to take them under your wing as you teach them to serve? Failing to plan is planning to fail.
4. Build the teams
Just like a church planter, you’re going to have to build several teams of volunteers to fulfill the mission. People need to be recruited, trained, and led to create a functional discipleship pathway for people in your community to follow.
So, what specific teams will you need?
The Welcome Team. These are the people who will extend Biblical hospitality to everyone who walks inside your building. Their primary job is to create an atmosphere of love and acceptance before the service. They will include greeters, ushers, lobby hosts, kids’ check-in staff, etc. The fact is, you can preach standing on your head juggling fire telling people about the love of God, but if they didn’t experience it when they walked in the building no one is going to believe you.
The Service Team. These are the people that make the Sunday service work so people of all ages can have an encounter with God. This will include musicians, tech teams, Sunday school teachers, etc. Nothing should get in the way of people experiencing what God has in store for them in a way that they can understand.
The Connection Team. Once the service is over you have the best opportunity to reel in the fish. You’re going to need a team of people whose job it is to make a real personal connection with people and include them in the life of the church. This will include both people who will roam around the lobby looking to engage people and people who will man some kind of welcome booth to connect people to small groups, volunteer opportunities, and follow-up with new believers.
Small Group Leaders. Obviously, there’s more to the Christian life than going to church on Sundays. If people are going to dive deeper and experience mentoring and discipling relationships, you’re going to need to create a functional small group system. These leaders are going to require training and constant coaching if they’re going to succeed.
Remember that when you recruit people to these teams you will need to recruit with a passionate vision. People want to be a part of something significant, they want to play on a winning team. No one succeeds with recruitment campaigns based on pity.
The great fall harvest is coming much sooner than you think. The time to act is now. You only have a few months to prepare.