1. To expand the Assemblies of God. If you discover that there are a group of Assembly of God people in an area and they have to drive a long way to go to an Assemblies of God church. This may be a by-product of the right reason to start a church, but it should not be the primary reason.
2. To create a church you want to attend. You have a vision for a particular style of church and you want to make it a reality. The problem with this approach is that it is focused on the institution of the church and not on the Mission of Christ.
3. To demonstrate the best way to “do” church. You believe that you have discovered the “right” way to plant a church. You believe other methods are inferior to yours. Pride always precedes a fall. God uses many styles and forms. There is not “one way” to plant a church.
4. To be relevant. While it is certainly important to communicate the never changing Gospel in a “relevant” way, pursuing “relevance” for its own sake is a faulty strategy. Being relevant is more than just using modern communication tools, etc. Real relevance flows out of an authentic relationship with God communicated through a genuine life transparently lived.
5. To bring back the good old days. You want to revive the church as it used to be back in the glory days of the 1950’s. This is a variation on the “relevance” theme except it works in the opposite direction. Equating true spirituality with worship modes of days gone by confuses methodology with theology. They are not the same thing.
6. To leave a legacy. If you mean a building and property, then it’s a dumb reason to plant. If you mean people, then you might be on to something.
7. Because you’ve tried every other door and planting is your only option left. This might be the dumbest reason to plant.
8. To provide another option for Christians. You think all the other churches in town are lame and if you start a really good one, everyone will come to it.
9. To demonstrate that God has anointed you. Some people plant churches because no one else will affirm their calling. Starting a church to prove God has called you is setting yourself up for a very rough ride.
10. To be part of a denominational church planting initiative. It’s good to be a team player, but planting a church because somebody else said you should or because it’s trendy and popular is a recipe for disaster.
This list is probably not exhaustive. These are just some of the short-sighted reasons I’ve heard from people who aspired to plant or from people who did plant and it didn’t go well. Feel free to comment and add your own “dumb” reasons.
So what are the right reasons to plant a church? Here are a few reasons I think are headed in the right direction.
To build a bridge to lost people and help them become followers of Christ.
To obey a clear calling of God.
To tangibly fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples who make disciples.
Because it’s not OK that millions of Americans are sociologically disconnected from a community of disciples and God has called us to go where they are and help them find him.
Feel free to respond with your own thoughts.
