Yesterday I was asked a familiar question, “why new churches?” This is typical from two groups: 1) The church member that seldom imagines life outside the walls of their church, unless they are bribed or begged to try to think of an unchurched friend that they can invite to a special event or Easter service. For this person, a new church is either a threat or is unneeded because “our church can handle that area on our own.” 2) It is also typical for the guy who has been begged and bribed by those church members and then found the church to be irrelevant or uninterested in him or unwilling to answer his questions and unable to meet his souls deepest needs. For this guy, church is a waste of time, space, and energy. Weekends are better spent in entertainment that medicates the soul and those questions are deferred until they’re forced to be dealt with or until an apostolic believer or church comes along and does the work of the evangelist and in love, makes time to share an authentic witness of Christ. 

These two groups represent for me the greatest joys and the greatest challenges of church planting.

Greatest Challenge. As a young church planter I encountered the first person early and often. Honestly, I was not prepared to persuade church members that the world was lost, new churches are part of the New Testament plan for reaching that world, and it is there duty to “Go” into that world with said plan. In a community and nation devastated by addictions, divorce, suicide, and false teaching I have had to accept the fact that many church members are unaware or unwilling to see the needs and do something about them, like host a Bible Study, help with a block party, volunteer for a community org., start a church, etc. More challenging has been to watch the church we planted begin to take on some of the same characteristics. One of the challenges for the church planter who wants to start a church focused on the needs of people is to keep that church, including himself, focused on the needs of people instead of their own likes and dislikes. I believe that this is what the Apostle Paul sought to do with his letters to the churches he had planted, now found in our New Testament.

Philippians 2:2-4, “… make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also the interest of others.”

1 Corinthians 1:10, “…agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.”

Ephesians 4:3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

1 Corinthians 10:33, “I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.”

Greatest Joy. Seeing people get it. The greatest joy has been to see Terry, who found Christ, brought a friend who found Christ, married that friend and now serves together with him at Hope Church. To see Flint and Jennifer, who left jobs to move four hours to help start a church that was meeting in an unairconditioned fire station. To see Greg who overcame personal tragedy and hurt from former church relationships to become a minister to young people at Hope Church. To see the people who have given up vacation time, money, and comfort to travel around the world on mission trips to reach others for Christ. To see those who are willing to put aside personal preference and in obedience to God, and out of love for others, serve instead of seeking to be served, so that people can know His joy in their lives.

I’m praying for a lot more joy at Hope Church in the coming years.  

In 2001, God led my wife Heather and I to Southeast Louisiana to start a new church in St. Tammany Parish. This weekend that church – Hope Church of Waldheim – will celebrate its 6th Anniversary. Though words can’t describe the experience it has been for our family, I’ve got to try anyway. And lucky for you I’m going to do it with pictures. Today, a little history…

 Hope Church began with four people in a home Bible Study in December of 2001. 

The spring & summer of 2002, we conducted a number of Block Parties, preview services, & informational meetings across the region to seek to build relationships & get the word out to our community that a new church was coming to the area. 

 In the Fall of 2002, we launched public worship services in an unairconditioned fire station in rural north Covington, LA. We met there for over two years. Yes, I said there was no air conditioning.  

In June of 2005, with the help of partners, we were able to purchase this 4,000 square foot cafe/bar on 16.6 acres in the middle of our target area. For the first time in the church’s history we had A/C and clean floors. We also had for the first month at the new location our own bar equipped with daquiri machines.

In August of 2005, Hope Church found itself in the way of Hurricane Katrina’s winds. Our community was devastated by falling trees, our church body was cut in half, but we were loved well by the body of Christ as we hosted near 30 mission teams from around the country assisting with cleanup, rebuilding, and outreach.  

Today Hope Church, holds two services ministering to hundreds each year, has sponsored 10 new churches in Zimbabwe, co-sponsored one new church in Louisiana, traveled to assist the Tzotzil Church Planting Movement in Chiapas, Mexico.

Where today there is a body of worshippers of Jesus, seven years ago was a cafe/bar and a community in need of a witness to the glory of God. 

I am thankful to the hundreds from around the country who have prayed, given financially, and sweated for the sake of the Gospel’s influence in South Louisiana. I am also deep in prayer for the leaders of Hope Church as a new door is opening in her history and what lies before her is the opportunity to influence Waldheim/St. Tammany/the world for generations to come.

Next – Greatest Joys and Greatest Challenges.

Every now and then God reminds me of the importance of church planting. Matt D. walked into our church in 2007, with hair in a pony tail, cutoff blue jean shorts, not a few tattoos, and a lot of baggage from his fair share of reckless living and sin’s consequences. I watched as God worked in Matt’s life and remember well the afternoon that he shared with me that he knew he needed God and that he wanted to make Christ the boss of his life. A few weeks later he was baptized in a similar pair of cutoff blue jean shorts, demonstrating to the world his new life in Christ. What we didn’t know at that time, was that cancer cells were slowly taking over Matt’s body and would lead to illness and death just six months later.

Rewind back six months – How would your church respond this Sunday if a guy like Matt walked in?

This question is one I will think about every week now for a couple of reasons:

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Am I called to church planting or do I just want to do church in a cool way? Read here.

What can I expect as a church planter? Read here.

Are your priorities in the right order as a leader / church planter? Read here.

These articles have informed me about the past six years I have spent planting a church. These are some things I wish I would have read seven years ago.