Why You Shouldn’t Join a Church Plant
This is a weird way to spread awareness for a church plant and generate interest in joining it…
5 Reasons You Should Not Join a Church Plant
For some, the prospect of a church plant can seem really exciting! Our brains are conditioned for novelty, plants require a certain measure of grit and creativity, it can be a dream come true. In it’s infancy, or gestational period rather, the church plant is vulnerable. When a group comes together to commit themselves to this work, a bad egg can have devastating effects on the team. Because of this, there are lots of reasons why joining a church plant might be bad for you or bad for them. Here are a few.
1 | NOVELTY
Perhaps you’ve been a part of a church for some time. You know it like the back of your hand. All the same people, all the same things. You want something new!
Let’s assume this is the only real substantial reason for your interest in a new cool super exciting rad church plant. Ask yourself, what will you do when the church plant finds its rhythm? Perhaps it goes from mobile to stationary when the church acquires a building for permanent gatherings. The culture settles down. It’s not as rag-tag and there’s more long-term thinking than on your feet problem solving. Novelty identifies what might be motivating us is an appetite rather than an affection. We’re hungry for something that make the jets of dopamine fire off in our brains. However, a church that’s required to be reactionary for too long will suffer, just like an established church risks lethargy or stagnancy. The fruits of the labor of a life lived for the church is that there’s stability and legacy in the relationships. We’ve walked through an enormous amount of life together, which means we are more useful for each other. Boredom is an insufficient reason to find a new spouse after a few decades. It is equally insufficient for jumping ship from an otherwise healthy church.
“Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.” - Acts 17:21
2 | HURT
"Church hurt" is a common phrase these days. At times, it results from a serious and very real wound that took place, where sin was tolerated and the consequences left unaddressed. Other times, this label of "church hurt" gets applied by a disgruntled church-goer who was confronted with something they didn’t like. Let’s assume that the hurt you’re motivated by is bonafide and it’s driving a wedge between you and your church family."
People hurt people. This is simply the reality of sin. However, sin doesn’t have to find its end in pain. It is not outside of God’s redemption. In the church, hurt will happen and if the church is healthy (meaning it has a framework for reconciliation, discipleship, and discipline) the sin doesn’t have to end in hurt but can push through to forgiveness. This is where we see the sanctification of believers take place and the church become more Christlike. We of all people, as Christians, ought to know and embody forgiveness and humility. It was, after all, our sin that necessitated Jesus’ death on the cross. Facing pain requires discipline and trust in God to do something unexpected with something ugly. However, leaving pain unaddressed only allows it to fester. Pain is always buried alive, it will find its way out one way or another. This means that what started at one church can affect the next church because the pain hasn’t been dealt with and freedom hasn’t been acquired through forgiveness.
If pain you’ve experienced at your current church is motivating you to jump ship, seek reconciliation. Seek to forgive so that the pain has no chance to decay into bitterness. You may very well have experienced an injustice that caused pain, but so did our Savior.
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” - Ephesians 4:32
3 | LEADERSHIP
You just learned about a new church plant and saw that it was going to be pastored by someone you really liked! They’re funny, enjoyable to be around, or clever. You think about how well spoken and intelligent they are, they always know the culturally relevant references and just make you feel great when you’re around them.
Liking a leader, for the above or other related reasons, is a poor measuring tool for whether you should follow them. A pastor’s duties do not include being liked, per se. They ought to conduct themselves in a worthy manner of the office, however, their priorities must be far from being a pleaser of man. A pastor must be measured and found sufficient in the qualifications that God has placed on him from Holy Scriptures. They must be qualified, because the pastor is following Christ and you are following the pastor. A leader’s charisma may initially be attractive, but it won’t replace integrity. Neither will it endure when a leader has to correct or counsel you in a way you don’t initially like.
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” - Hebrews 13:17
4 | SHOPPING
You’ve tried every church in town. They’re all bad. They don’t hit the spot. The people are fake, the preacher is boring or harsh according to you. Your kids aren’t satisfied. So when a new exciting thing hits the market, by George this might be your chance to have all your needs met!
I can confidently say that there are good churches in our area. There are a lot of bad churches here, but we’re not at a loss for Gospel-centered and biblical churches. Every church has weaknesses and oversights (we will too), but there are options. While it’s possible you found only the bad ones, it has to be asked, what stopped you from ever putting down roots? Non-commitment or consumeristic attitudes are not going to work in a church plant any more than they do in an established church. If anything, a church plant is going to ask considerably more from you than a church at which you can fade into the background. This doesn’t mean there aren’t legitimate reasons to join a church plant, but do so soberly and with the right expectations.
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,” - Philippians 2:14-15
5 | SANDBOX
The church you’re in is established. It’s doctrine is concrete, the programs run like clockwork, and you’ve got ideas! You want to tweak this and adjust that. You think they should talk more about this or that, participate in this way of doing this rather than what they’ve been doing since the dinosaurs. Maybe you can be in charge of something at this new church plant!
The prospect of a church plant may seem like a sandbox that nobody has laid claim to. You could finally have that ministry you’ve always wanted. However, those expectations might not always become a reality. If you’ve sincerely labored to see change in your church and it hasn’t happened, is it possible it’s because wise men have weighed it with Scripture and decided it’s not a good idea? A church plant is a place in flux. There is certainly going to be lots of problem solving, trying new things when other things fail. However, much of the bones are already set, the foundation is established. We believe that God has given us the recipe, the blueprint. Because of this, there’s as much that is not up for debate as is. So your mileage may vary.
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” - Acts 2:42
Conclusion
A church plant requires dedication, grit, endurance, and sacrifice. It asks its people to anchor themselves through Christ to the local church in a way our culture does not value. We work hard, our expectations aren’t always met, we see each other at our weakest, all for the glory of God and that the lost might be saved by the Gospel.
If you’re interested in joining a church plant, just know it will cost you something. But, I would argue, that it won’t cost you anything more than what it means to be meaningfully committed to any local church will cost you. While the examples above are broad, they do characterize some of the bad motivations for jumping ship where you’re at and joining a church plant.
I feel legally obligated to write to you the reasons why you should join a church plant now that I’ve covered reasons why you shouldn’t.
We’ll see…
“How lovely is the sanctuary in the eyes of those who are truly sanctified.” - Matthew Henry
Prayer Requests
Pray for the Lord to reveal any areas above that might be sinfully motivating your own heart and repent.
Pray for us as we continue to seek out planting partners for prayer, funding, and joining us.
Pray for a sister church (Trinity Baptist Church) as they navigate pastoral change.
Don’t miss out on our last interest meeting.
