Many times I am questioned about what I am looking for in a church planter. Identifying, assessing and recruiting potential church planters is a challenging task. For me the process is both intuitive and objective. I believe it is reasonable to assess people intuitively especially when that intuition is subjected to the discernment of the Holy Spirit and validated by objective data. The objective component is often determined by behavioral interviews that are built around the assumption that past behavior is a good indicator of future performance.
ChristianityToday.com recently conducted on online survey that I found very interesting in light of the behavioral activities that can be assessed in potential church planters. The survey question was, “when planting a church the most important quality in potential leaders is?” Here are the survey results:
Passion for the unchurched and the lost: 26%
Vision: 24%
Ability to build relationships: 18%
Active Faith: 18%
Motivation: 4%
Resilience: 4%
Ownership of ministry: 2%
Community awareness: 2%
Ability to build group cohesiveness: 2%
It’s obvious from the survey results that when assessing potential church planters there are at least four qualities that cannot be overlooked. First, an incredible passion to see pre-Christian people introduced to Christ in a redemptive way. Secondly, they must have the ability to cast (articulate) a compelling and magnetic vision. Thirdly they need to have an ability to model how to build healthy relationships with others and empower others to do likewise. And last, an unwavering faith in God’s calling, God’s plan and in God’s provision for the creation of a new faith community is vital. I would add my affirmation and be in agreement that these are necessary characteristics of an effective church planter. And these are the kind of people we are looking for. Are you one?
His servant and yours,
Roger Stacy
Roger Stacy is a Leadership Coach and the Director of Home Missions and Ministerial Enrichment for the MN District Council of the Assemblies of God.
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