When the Cain’ts Come Rolling In

Why your church really can plant a new church after all.

The definition of cain’t

A cross between the standard English contraction "can't"(can not) and non-

standard English contraction "ain't" (am not). This combination of contraction forms

a powerful word encompassing "can not", "am not", "is not", "are not", and "have

not".

Presuppositions

That your issue is not a “won’t but a can’t

That you have already settled the question of whether new churches are needed

That you are on board with the value of church planting, but something is holding you back.

Objection 1: It seems too overwhelming.

Get a midwifeDepend on extended

family

Learn by making some

mistakes

Ask other parents for

ideas

It’s a little like having your first

baby.

There are all kinds of churches with different levels of complexity.

Consider small, missional type churches, churches without walls, churches that

meet in apartment complexes or mobile home parks, homegrown churches

among less reached people groups, or other kinds of churches that need fewer

resources to start.

Objection 2We have seen too many new churches

fail.

Approximately 85-90% of CSBC churches are still in existence after 5 years. That’s a much better success rate than most new business ventures.

What can we learn from failure? Typical reasons includeWrong match of planter, methodology, and resourcesUnrealistic expectations of sending churches or planterWeak or non-existent support systems for planter It’s a difficult group to reach even in the best of situationsLeader is not really wired to be a church planter

Remember: Failure isn’t all bad. It’s how we learn. Still, we want to be good stewards of God’s resources.

Objection 3We don’t know how to plant a

church.

Learn about church planting through books, seminars and workshops of all kinds. Talk to other planters, CSBC church planting leaders, directors

of missions and NAMB personnel to discover various resources.

Some Church Planting Resources Basic training for church planters. Call the CSBC for a

schedule of workshops near you.

Your local church planting catalyst or the CSBC website: http://www.namb.net/church-planting

NAMB’s site http://www.namb.net/church-planting

Ed Stetzer’s site has many free resources available at http://www.newchurches.com

And your Bible! Read Luke 10, the book of Acts, and read about the church planting journeys of the apostle Paul.

Objection 4We don’t have a leader for the new church.

Pray Luke 10:2 every day

Raise up planters from within your

church

Recruit from seminaries

Ask other church planters

for help

Finding a planter

Objection 5We don’t know how to select a planter.

Do a church planter assessment

Pray

for t

he P

lant

erHave planter register at MobilizeMehttps://www.namb.net/mobilize-me

The Planter can take a battery of assessments at that site

When the planter applies on line, he will fill out forms for references

Make it PersonalSome Common Attributes for Planters

Some things you may be able to discern relationally

Strong personal relationshipsLeadership attributesThe capacity to cast vision and think in future tenseAbility to lead groupsUsually a history of having started something from scratchA good team builder/ values teamRisk taker Faith in God’s capacity to work, and a pattern of prayerTeachablePersistence- doesn’t easily take “no” for an answerWilling to sacrifice

Objection 6We don’t have the resources.

Financial Support Facility Use

People-Power Expertise

Resources

Other funding suggestions

Not every kind of church plant needs money, or as much money

Some kinds of new churches can be financed differently

Partner with a group of churches to share the responsibility

Potential resources are available through the CSBC and NAMB

Good church planters are able to help raise funds from others

Funding can be through one time support, ongoing funding, or through avenues like new church baby showers

Time periods for funding vary from church plant to church plant

Remember: There are things church planters need more than

money.

They need care and prayer, They need advocacy and blessingThey need to know you believe in them and will walk through them in the journey.