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July 4, 2011
Webster’s dictionary defines a principle as a fundamental or primary rule, or general law from which everything is derived.
Most of the debate in the church planting world centers around process not principles. How do we plant a church? Large launch, organic, missional, attractional, house church, etc.. While focusing on these issues are important, it's more important to focus on a principle-driven plant rather than the process of planting. What does a principle-driven church plant look like?
Five Key principles:
- Gospel-centric. - If a church is driven by the gospel, the debate of missional, incarnational, and attractional are settled. In fact, a church, by it’s nature, as an extension of the work of Jesus Christ, must be all three. If not, it should be questioned whether it is really a church or not.
- Know your community. - Planting a church is not about what you like but reaching the community God has called you to reach. A principle-driven plant will be focused on the needs of the community.
- Know your culture. - The culture in which you plant will determine the best process to use for launching a new church. For Instance: Planting in urban America is different from planting in rural America. To use the same process for both is shear insanity.
- Know your target. - Who are you trying to reach? I know we all want to reach everyone, but we can’t. Bird of a feather flock together. Ever heard that? While we would like to be able to reach all the homogeneity principle is hard to break.
- Know yourself. - This is should probably be number two in the list. We will reach who we are, not who we wish we were. Know who you are and how you were designed. What environment you grew up in, what life experiences you have had, and what context you grew up in will all indicate your calling to a people group. Very few leaders have the skills to cross cultural, socio-economic, and racial barriers.
If we are to find success in church planting, we have to focus on planting principles not processes. Processes will come and go, but principles will last forever. Regardless of what process you decided to use, these five principles will keep you on track.
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