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Don’t Wait for Year Five: Vision Lessons for Church Planters Today

Noah Oldham

Don’t wait for year five to start leading like it’s year five.

In 2014, I preached a sermon at our church’s five-year anniversary. We celebrated all that God had done, but we didn’t stop there. We turned our eyes toward the future and asked: Who are we becoming? Who will we be in the next five years?

That moment wasn’t just a milestone—it was a mirror and a map. A mirror to see how far we’d come. A map to guide us to where we were headed next.

Now, with some distance and perspective, I believe the most important thing I said that day wasn’t just for our church. It was for any church planter wondering what to focus on during the crucial early years.

Here’s the big idea:
Don’t wait for year five to start leading like it’s year five.
The future of your church is being shaped right now.

Here are three focus areas you can build into the foundation of your church today—lessons from our five-year moment that will serve you well from year one to year fifty.

1. Worship: A Whole-Life Response to the Gospel

“I appeal to you … to present your bodies as a living sacrifice … which is your spiritual worship.” — Romans 12:1

In our fifth year, we called our people to see worship not just as music but as a lifestyle. Worship is the continual response of a heart awakened by grace—a life laid down in love because of love.

We wanted to be a church where worship was both upward and outward.

• Upward Worship: Marked by affection, obedience, surrender, and joy. We wanted to be known for our deep love for God, not just in songs, but in how we lived, what we valued, and what we sacrificed. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” (See John 14:15.)
• Outward Worship: Worship that overflows into evangelism, mission, and service. Our love for God would compel us to love our neighbors. Acts 4:20 became a rally cry: “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

I remember being shaken that week by a conversation with a church member who attended a funeral of an uncle who had died never hearing the Gospel. That sobering reality reminded us: true worship doesn’t just fill rooms with music—it fills the streets with witnesses.

Ask yourself now:

• Are you forming a church that marvels at grace?
• Is your worship shaping both affection for God and compassion for people?
• Are your gatherings stirring people to go, not just stay

2. Worldview: Renewing Minds for Mission

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind …” — Romans 12:2

We defined worldview as the lens through which we see and interpret everything. For a church to be healthy, its people must not only love God with their hearts but also think rightly with transformed minds.

We challenged our people to dig in two directions:

• Dig into the Word:
  To be shaped by Scripture, not culture. To let God’s Word test and transform beliefs, behaviors, and desires. Informed by 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we asked:
  • Am I believing what I should believe?
  • Am I living how I should live?
  • What lies am I unconsciously holding onto?
  • Where does the Gospel need to reshape my perspective?
• Dig into the World:
  A renewed mind isn’t retreating—it’s ready for mission. We wanted to equip people to live as salt and light in the everyday places God had already sent them: neighborhoods, workplaces, sports venues, coffee shops, and classrooms. A biblical worldview is never just inward-facing. It’s always on mission—calling people not just to do good, but to know the One who makes us good.

Ask yourself now:

• Are you forming disciples who know how to think biblically, not just behave morally?
• Are you training people to apply their faith in the real world?
• Are your sermons and systems renewing minds — or just reinforcing habits?

3. Welcome: Becoming a People of Gospel-Centered Community

“Let love be genuine … Outdo one another in showing honor … Seek to show hospitality.” — Romans 12:9-13

We told our church: If worship is how we relate to God, and worldview is how we relate to the world, then welcome is how we relate to each other—and everyone else.

Romans 12 paints a picture of the kind of community every church planter should be building from day one. It’s not flashy, but it’s powerful. We wanted to be known for:

• Humility (v. 3): A community where no one thinks too highly of themselves, starting with the leaders.
• Diversity in Gifting (v. 4-8): One body, many parts—each with a unique role that matters deeply. No spectators.
• Responsibility: We challenged every person to own their gift, their calling, and their contribution—not someday but now.
• Sincerity (v. 9): Real love. Not fake, not plastic, not polite. A church that builds people up, not drains them. A place where honor is a culture, not a once-a-year sermon.
• Tenacity (v. 11-12): People who serve with zeal, pray with persistence, and endure in trial.
• Generosity and Hospitality (v. 13): A church that gives of itself and welcomes the stranger, not just on Sundays, but in living rooms and at dinner tables.

We used this line: “If our faith is a house, we want to care deeply for those inside the house — and always be inviting others in.”

Ask yourself now:

• Are you cultivating a culture of belonging and contribution?
• Is your church known for encouragement and hospitality, or exhaustion and cliques?
• Are your people learning to love one another with urgency and grace?

Looking Ahead: Year Five Starts Today

At the end of that anniversary service, we asked our people:

• In the next five years, how do you want God to use you?
• What Christ-centered dreams are you dreaming?
• What person, place, or part of your city do you want to see transformed?
• What blank check are you willing to place before God?

We borrowed a phrase from David Platt, who had just been named President of the IMB. He often speaks of “writing a blank check with your life” and placing it before God, saying:

“I’m yours. Anything you want, take it. Anything you need, use it. Anything you require—it’s already yours.”

That’s not just a challenge for church members. It’s a call for church planters, too.

Don’t wait for year five to get serious about your church’s DNA.
Don’t wait to disciple with intentionality or cultivate a Gospel culture.
Don’t wait to pursue bold worship, deep theology, or radical hospitality.

The future of your church is shaped by what you’re doing today.

So write the check.
Cast the vision.
Build with eternity in mind.