“In the church in Antioch, there were” people the Holy Spirit would call to start new churches. Just like Antioch, there are church planters in your church. It is a bold statement. You might be thinking “he doesn’t know the people in my church.” I don’t need to. I know the God who turns blasphemous, Jesus-hating persecutors into bold, unstoppable messengers of His good news. I’m convinced there are people within your church, right now, who could become church planters. You just need help recognizing them. You need a church planter scouting guide.
Every professional sports team has scouts. Their job is to find the best players for their team. Every scout has a guide – a predefined set of qualities they are looking for in future players. You are a kingdom scout. Your job is to find people to complete Jesus’ mission to make disciples in your Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Here are some ideas to guide your search. Potential church planters:
- Have a tribe they thrive in and want to introduce to Jesus
- Introduce others to Jesus and teach them how to follow Him
- Are overcomers
- Have a faith in Jesus that both guides and energizes their life
- Are great with people and love being with them
- Have emotionally healthy relationships
- Are guided by intuition
- Have an energizing passion and optimism
- Are compassionate towards the needs of others
You aren’t looking for all of those things in one person. That’s probably a better indicator of readiness than potential. If you see 3 or more of those characteristics, that’s potential worth paying attention to. If you see the first 2 plus a few others, that’s potential worth calling out in an I-C-N-U conversation.
In my experience, you are likely to find future church planters among people like:
- James: A successful entrepreneur who built a thriving tech startup from scratch. Known for his problem-solving skills, he has a knack for bringing people together and creating a collaborative environment. His deep faith in Jesus drives his desire to use his business acumen to expand God’s kingdom.
- Emily: A high school teacher who not only excels in the classroom but also leads multiple extracurricular activities, including the student ministry group. Her ability to connect with students and her passion for mentoring them in their faith journey make her a natural leader.
- Liam: A top-performing sales representative who consistently exceeds his targets. His enthusiasm for meeting new people and his gift for building relationships translate seamlessly into his commitment to sharing the gospel and nurturing new believers.
- Sophia: A manager of a thriving community outreach program. Her empathetic nature and organizational skills have transformed the program into a vital resource for the neighborhood. Sophia’s unwavering faith and compassion for others make her a beacon of hope and a potential church planter.
- Ethan: A university student who maintains high academic standards while actively participating in campus ministry and sports. His ability to balance multiple commitments and his leadership in faith-based activities showcase his potential to inspire and lead a new church community.
It’s your turn. Who are the potential church planters in your church?
We’ve created a scouting guide you can download and share to help you and your team see the potential church planters in your church.
Great article, Craig. You implied but did not specify some of the things that aren’t required to be found in potential church planters: theological expertise, credentials, and degrees. Some serial church planters are never “the pastor” of any of the new churches, and in microchurches sometimes the “pastor” who planted the church is only a couple of week ahead of what they teach!
Chris – Yes! We want to help churches and individuals re-imagine what a church planter looks like in the American context. I am not opposed to credentials and degrees but they are not a requirement and often not even indicators of a persons potential for church planting. Thanks for reading and commenting!