Why I'm a Church Planter:

It just hit me this morning, as I was thinking about where God might be leading me and my family after seminary, and even during the next year and a half, as I finish. I graduated from college intensely interested in church planting, tried planting a church, technically did, but knew God was calling me away to seminary to deepen and broaden my knowledge and comprehension of His word. This entire time, I have hardly had so much as a doubt whether God has called and equipped me to plant churches (or at least, a church). Perhaps God will change my mind and direction, and if and when he does, I will follow him wholeheartedly wherever he leads.

When I sat down to think about why it is I'm so inclined toward church planting, I came to this stark realization: It's because I'm an idealist.

I know idealism can get us in trouble, and that seminaries breed idealists. But I was an idealist long before seminary. If anything, seminary has tempered my idealism by chipping away at my certainty that it's possible to know "the right way to do church". There some irreducible basics that I believe I have comprehended for some time and continue to affirm, as well as grown in my understanding of. But all in all, if there's anything the "missional church" conversation has taught me it's this: the "right way to do church" looks very different from community to community, because it must be indigenized... contextualized... translated to that community.

For any church planters who happen upon this blog, any of you share my idealism? How much influence might this have on your perceived calling to plant churches?

See this post on whether you're cut out for church planting.

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