I wanted to bring it down to some basics in this blog post. I have often heard it said that if you can master the basics, the foundation will be solid, and moving forward you have something you can build upon. This principle applies to football, golf, and even church planting.

One of  the foundational elements to have settled prior to launching your church plant is:
 
 

You Must Know Your Calling

 

The reality is that not everyone is called to start a church. And while this is true – everyone can be involved in planting a church. DOVE USA has a church planter assessment that can help you discern where you fit in the church planting team.

One of the biggest mistakes we have seen is people who are called to support a primary vision carrier try and plant as the point person. This happens for many reasons but you can save yourself (and your family) years of frustration by taking the assessment.

The hard truth is that many who “felt called” have crashed and burned after just a short time. Why? Because ministry, in general, is tough. Organic church planting maybe even tougher, especially when starting with no members and $0 finances. When the church starts to grow numerically, various issues will pop up because people are in progress (some further along the road of sanctification than others).

 

If you don’t know what God has called you to do and be… you will not be able to endure.

 

Spiritual warfare is real! Whenever you attempt to do great things for the Kingdom of God, then you become a prime target. If you don’t have your calling settled, you will most likely quit rather than battle. I’m not trying to scare anyone, but you deserve to know the truth.

Church planting statistics vary with regard to longevity. I have read that only 68% of all church plants make it to year four. I saw another stat that was even more troubling – 50% of all church plants close within 5 years.

There are many reasons that church plants fail, including lack of training, personal failures, and poor financial stewardship. I however believe that a large part of the problem goes back to the calling.  A person can be trained, mentored, and coached. The one thing that a mentor, trainer, or coach cannot do is change a person’s call.

Your calling from God must be settled. It’s foundational. 
 
 
If we can help you discern your calling, especially in terms of church planting, connect with us by clicking here: