There is no better point of leverage than when someone runs up against a real-life barrier. That’s when they feel most motivated. Church planters are no different.
When they are just starting out, you can say, “There will be times when you feel overwhelmed, overworked, and are questioning whether you should give up. Here’s what to do then.” They may nod and take polite notes, but what are they really thinking? “That will never happen to me. I’m in a great place and I’m really excited about this new venture!”
When’s the best time to speak into that dilemma? When they’re facing it.
3 Common Sticking Points Church Planters Encounter
The way you speak to, or think about, yourself is a good clue to discovering sticking points. These are the places where church planters commonly get stuck. Along with the critical issues, you’ll need to coach them through in order to help them move forward effectively.
1. “I must be doing something wrong.”
This thought arises when the planter is not getting the positive response they expected from the community they’re trying to reach. There seems to be some kind of misalignment between the vision for the plant and the community.
In this case, the coach will need to help the planter slow down and address issues such as learning more about the culture, building relational bridges, and understanding the real needs.
2. “Maybe this is too much for me.”
Every planter will have this thought at some time or other. Planting a church is hard, and there will be resistance and even spiritual attack. Planters particularly face this thought when they feel overworked, when their personal relationships are strained, and when they begin wondering about long-term burnout.
At this point, some of the issues a coach needs to be able to surface and address include self-care, boundaries, setting expectations, dealing with conflict, establishing work/life balance, and practicing delegation.
3. “I don’t know what to do.”
For many planters, the end vision is clear, but the path from here to there isn’t. They just don’t seem to be getting the traction they hoped for and they’re not sure what steps to take next. The most common culprit here is a “ready, fire, aim” approach. Action is only good when it’s the right action.
Here’s when a coach will need to help the planter with specific and measurable goal setting and action planning. It doesn’t come naturally to most people, but is the only way to get from here to there.
Resources for Coaching Church Planters
You don’t need to have planted a church yourself in order to be an effective coach to church planters. That’s the beauty of coaching—it’s about their journey not yours. However, familiarizing yourself with what your church planter is up against is a wise way to come alongside them.
The Church Planting Journey is a fantastic resource to have on hand. It’s a one-stop-shop for looking up any of the individual issues that commonly arise during the journey of planting a church. Check out this listing of chapter titles to get a sense of all the issues you can quickly flip to on an as-needed basis when those in-the-moment problems arise for your planter clients.
- Developing Vision and Values
- Confirming Your Calling.
- Maximizing Your Learning
- Understanding the Planting Process
- Preparing for Challenges and Discouragement
- Building Your Core Team
- Knowing Who You’re Reaching
- Designing Effective Ministry
- Establishing Financial Support
- Developing Your Proposal
- Casting Vision
- Engaging Culture
- Making Disciples
- Multiplying Disciplemaking Communities
- Launching Public Worship
- Developing Leaders
- Organizational Evaluation and Development
- Planning Strategically
- Navigating Growth and Change
- Multiplying Movements
Christian Coaching Essentials
How many of the outcomes above could be accomplished more effectively using coaching techniques? Your church planter clients would benefit from learning coaching basics. Christian Coaching Essentials is easy to read, actionable, and biblically based. The perfect companion for ministry leaders.
Cover Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Photo by Harsh Gupta on Unsplash