Let’s begin with a generalization: most church planters are young, independent, critical thinkers who are disappointed with existing churches and—out of passion for the gospel, whether misguided or not—seek to establish new churches. This generalization helps us to direct our attention to the particular misfortune of many young church planters who, despite their utmost sincerity, have no idea what the hell they’re doing (I’d throw myself into this category as well).

As of late, I’ve been pondering a certain quote (thanks Michael) by one of the most influential English authors of the 20th century, G.K. Chesterton. It appears in an essay entitled “The Revolutions of the Young” in his Collected Works¹:

“The reformer… is always right about what is wrong. He is generally wrong about what is right.”

Chesterton, who converted to Catholicism toward the end of his life, was a brilliant man with an uncanny ability to be quite humorous and quite subversive at the same time. While his mention of “reformers” is not necessarily a reference to reformers of the Church—much less the Reformers, men like Luther and Calvin, with whom we in the Protestant tradition are so familiar— it most certainly does apply. Those who have a mind for reform can easily point out flaws in a given system; they know what is wrong, as Chesterton says, but they often lack the wisdom to demonstrate what is right. Great men like Luther and Calvin wrestled over such things for most of their lives. But certain reformers in today’s church—that is, church planters—often seem to expect things to change overnight, go exactly according to plan, and behave like clockwork. This is why Chesterton’s quote provides a very appropriate caution. We must be careful not to foolishly put our faith in our the assumption that because we, as church planters, know what is wrong with churches these days, we necessarily know what’s right as well.

Most often, church planters are good at recognizing problems in existing churches. However, being that most of us are young and immature, we often jump to conclusions and insist the only way to fix the problem is by starting a new church—one that does things right. There is a problem with this reasoning;  just because a man has the ability to recognize and diagnose a problem does not automatically qualify him as a leader or  justify planting another church. When your car breaks down, buying parts and building a completely new car is not usually the best solution, especially when you aren’t a skilled mechanic.

I am not saying that there are not situations in which church planting is justifiable. I think there is a need—a very great one—for communities that embody the gospel, preaching in both word and deed, and viewing all of life through the lens of the cross. Furthermore, I am not saying that church planters have bad intentions, nor that they are stupid. It takes an insightful and passionate man to point out some of the most detrimental problems in the contemporary church. However, most of us, being young and zealous,  must be very careful in what we do. So, I’ve come up with a few guiding principles which should help us avoid the most common mistakes and maybe, just maybe, get things right.

I am not saying that these ten tips provide a sure-fire way of succeeding, nor am I suggesting I have things “figured out.” These are only some of the conclusions I have reached; if there’s anything I left out, please, let me know. I would love to learn from you all, especially those of you who are more experienced than I. Ultimately, however, we must all recognize that we alone can’t get anything right, despite our most complex formulas and guidelines, and that’s why we find such hope in the gospel. Though we be helpless and blind, incapable of leading anything (much less the people of God) by our own ability, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, remains victorious. 

¹G.K. Chesterton, Collected Works of G.K. Chesterton (New York: Ignatius P, 1989) 475.