New Churches Podcast | Season 1 | Episode 626

How Do I Get Started in Church Planting?

Clint Clifton & Ed Stetzer

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

  • Three components of calling to plant a church – and why a call from God is crucial
  • How “an overweight musician with facial hair” decided to plant a church at Marine Corps headquarters
  • How to discern that you’re in church planting for the right reasons
  • The value of church planting residencies and joining a church-planting team
  • The best scenario for getting started in church planting

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

  • My call to ministry and my call to Jesus were simultaneous. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life after coming to faith in Christ. I probably had a half-dozen church plants under my belt by the time I graduated from High School. @clintclifton
  • I think of calling in three components: The subjective piece that is a drawing, like in 1 Timothy 3, where Paul talks about someone aspiring to the office of an overseer. But the Bible also gives us clear qualifications about about those who serve in pastoral ministry. There also should be affirmation of other people in our life. @clintclifton
  • I do believe there’s a sense that when the going gets hard and it gets really difficult, you need to say God called me to these people in this place. I want people to have that rooted commitment that comes from God. @edstetzer
  • When people are intending to do full-time vocational church planting, competency is a big piece of it. Sometimes I encourage people to wade into church planting by joining a church-planting team before taking the jump to full time. @clintclifton
  • There are some extra-biblical qualities that are observable in people who tend to do better in church planting. Evangelistic fervor is a big one. Also you’ve got to be a self-starter. I also think it’s somebody who’s tenacious, who can take a blow and get back up and keep going. @clintclifton
  • There’s a lot of ways people can be involved in church planting and not be the church planter or the lead pastor. I think about the various people on my church-planting team who played critical roles – and the church wouldn’t have gotten established without them. @clintclifton
  • All different kinds of people can plant churches in all kinds of ways. If you can be involved in church, you can be involved in church planting. I think that’s the beauty of ultimately pressing forward together. @edstetzer
  • If you’re kicking the tires or dipping your toe in church planting, then a great way for you to begin to get a sense of confidence in your calling would be to join a church planting residency. @clintclifton
  • The best scenario is that a church recognizes either the giftedness of a person or the opportunity in a particular mission field and willingly, joyfully sends that person with resources and people to go and get it started. @clintclifton

Helpful Resources:

Published on December 14, 2021

The Heart Relationships Calling The Church Practical Leadership Pre-Launch
About the Podcast

New Churches Podcast

The New Churches podcast offers practical answers to your real ministry questions. We aren’t going to provide lofty pie-in-the-sky theories. Instead, we are going to help you in your real ministry context, with your real thoughts, questions, and issues.

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Meet the Authors

Clint Clifton

Clint Clifton passed away on January 12, 2023, as a result of a small plane crash. Clint and his wife, Jennifer, had been married since 2000 and have five children. He completed a B.A. from The Baptist College of Florida and an M.A. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. Clint founded Pillar Church in Dumfries, Virginia, in 2005. He oversaw the fruitful church planting efforts of Pillar Church and served as Senior Director of Resource and Research Strategy for the North American Mission Board.

More Resources from Clint

Ed Stetzer

Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., is a professor and dean at Wheaton College where he also serves as Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center.  He is the incoming Dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches; trained pastors and church planters on six continents; earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates; and he has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books. He is Regional Director for Lausanne North America, is the Editor-in-Chief of Outreach Magazine, and regularly writes for news outlets such as USA Today and CNN. His national radio show, Ed Stetzer Live, airs Saturdays on Moody Radio and affiliates. He serves at his local church, Mariners Church, as a Scholar in Residence and Teaching Pastor.

More Resources from Ed
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