How many church plants survive? - Church Leader Insights

The following post comes to us from Steve Addison, church planter and author of Movements That Change the World; What Jesus Started; and Pioneering Movements.

I often get asked, “How many church plants survive?”

It’s the wrong question.

I remember being a first-time church planter. I understand the angst. You hope for more, but you fear failure. It’s only natural. So sooner or later God has to go to work on our mixed motivations. Painful, but better than living with a desperate need to succeed.

In our second church plant, I learned that God has other agendas than just the survival of one church plant. After two years, we closed it down to the glory of God.

Later I became a coach of church planters. I soon learned that when it comes to success or failure in planting congregational churches, selecting the right planters was everything. Get the selection right and the rate of survival improves dramatically.

Still the wrong question.

Here are the questions you could be asking:

How many people, who are far from God will hear the gospel today?
How many believers can you train to connect, share, and disciple others?

Click here to read the complete list of questions.

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

P.S. – I love church planters and I want to help you start your new church healthier and more effective than you thought possible! In fact, I’m so serious about helping you that I’d like to give you over $149 in Church Planting Resources – FREE!

Click here to receive your FREE RESOURCES!

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.