Church Planting Guide for Beginners – Part 4

Pray, and then pray some more

Jesus said, “No one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first bind the strong man” (Mark 3:27). “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). No great work has ever been accomplished for God outside of much time in earnest prayer.

Jesus new this truth. That’s why right in the midst of many ministry opportunities He “departed into a solitary place and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). If you can get others to join with you for times of corporate and earnest prayer it will help even more as there is great power in the prayer of agreement (Matthew 18:18-20).

Follow up on visitors and members

Follow up is extremely important. It seems it’s not practiced much anymore, but Jesus taught it (Luke 15) and Ezekiel condemned the shepherds of his day for not doing it (Ezra 34). If someone visits your church the first service or even after you’ve been in existence for a while, follow up on them. Write them a personalized letter right away. Call them and make sure they get a visit either in their home or meet them out for coffee, etc.

Also, if a member misses two or three weeks in a row someone should follow up on them. In Luke 15 Jesus states that people will fall away (Isaiah 53:6) and we should go after them. You never know what people may be going through – they could be discouraged or under attack. Let’s put personal ministry back into the church.

Plan special events

Special events can be a great tool to stir up interest along with bringing blessing to many within the body. Use guest speakers, musicians and whatever you can think of. Be creative. Special events are an easy tool for your people to use to get new people to visit the church. I like using music because it seems to reach people in a way that a lot of other things won’t. Use as many different styles as you can.

Let your people know if they’re not crazy about one style of music, you’ll get one they like sooner or later. Using diverse styles enables you to reach different kinds of people. Whatever you do make sure the people that you bring in to minister are the best at what they do, and most importantly can operate under the anointing. You will begin to build a reputation for bringing in people of quality.

Don’t give up

Remember, planting a church is not for the faint hearted, but it is one of the most exciting and rewarding things you can do to advance the kingdom. Even when it seems like you are not making any progress, don’t give up!

About the Author

Gary Linton is a writer, teacher, church planter and preacher with over 30 years of ministry and church planting experience. As founder of GSL Ministries, Gary trains and encourages pastors and church leaders from all walks of life.