Planting Missional Churches – (CH 7) Planter-Pastor Leadership Issues

Stetzer breaks down the chapter into the following four categories that he says are unique to church planting leadership. I don't necessarily agree with the order these have been put in as I think not having a coach or mentor would help you avoid schedule problems or culture shock. I'm not convinced he put these in order of importance, but I think it would have made more sense in a different order. I'll simply share what I think are the best quotes under each heading.

Putting Prayer First

You cannot lead people to godliness when you are not regularly encountering God. Church planters are not particularly prayerful people.

Amen…put me in that corner. I know that I as go through this journey that my prayer life has to "seriously" improve.

Daily Responsibilities And Schedule

If pastors are to model leadership, a fifty-hour pastoral workweek is not unreasonable.

Stetzer then lays out what he thinks the breakdown should be for church planters in their workweek. Out of 50 hours, here is the breakdown:

• Evangelistic Outreach: 15 hours
• Sermon And Study Preparation: 10 hours
• Administration: 10 hours
• Ministry: 15 hours

So what do you think? Is the breakdown accurate? Off base?

Culture Shock And Fatigue

Stetzer says that even planting in your hometown is a challenge. This particularly applies to me as I am looking at precisely that scenario. Here's the quote:

You may be from that town, but as a Christian who's making the enormous effort to plant a church there, you're coming at this once-familiar place with new eyes and from a different culture.

Church Planting Mentors And Coaches

Meeting with a mentor has a similar positive impact on attendance. Planters who met weekly with a mentor, perhaps because they took seriously the process of learning from others, led churches that were almost twice the size of those who had no mentor. I believe a supervisor should focus on work issues, and a mentor should focus on personhood issues, providing encouragement and nurture to the church planter.