1. To expand the Assemblies of God. If you discover that there are a group of Assembly of God people in an area and they have to drive a long way to go to an Assemblies of God church. This may be a by-product of the right reason to start a church, but it should not be the primary reason.
2. To create a church you want to attend. You have a vision for a particular style of church and you want to make it a reality. The problem with this approach is that it is focused on the institution of the church and not on the Mission of Christ.
3. To demonstrate the best way to “do” church. You believe that you have discovered the “right” way to plant a church. You believe other methods are inferior to yours. Pride always precedes a fall. God uses many styles and forms. There is not “one way” to plant a church.
4. To be relevant. While it is certainly important to communicate the never changing Gospel in a “relevant” way, pursuing “relevance” for its own sake is a faulty strategy. Being relevant is more than just using modern communication tools, etc. Real relevance flows out of an authentic relationship with God communicated through a genuine life transparently lived.
5. To bring back the good old days. You want to revive the church as it used to be back in the glory days of the 1950’s. This is a variation on the “relevance” theme except it works in the opposite direction. Equating true spirituality with worship modes of days gone by confuses methodology with theology. They are not the same thing.
6. To leave a legacy. If you mean a building and property, then it’s a dumb reason to plant. If you mean people, then you might be on to something.
7. Because you’ve tried every other door and planting is your only option left. This might be the dumbest reason to plant.
8. To provide another option for Christians. You think all the other churches in town are lame and if you start a really good one, everyone will come to it.
9. To demonstrate that God has anointed you. Some people plant churches because no one else will affirm their calling. Starting a church to prove God has called you is setting yourself up for a very rough ride.
10. To be part of a denominational church planting initiative. It’s good to be a team player, but planting a church because somebody else said you should or because it’s trendy and popular is a recipe for disaster.

This list is probably not exhaustive. These are just some of the short-sighted reasons I’ve heard from people who aspired to plant or from people who did plant and it didn’t go well. Feel free to comment and add your own “dumb” reasons.

So what are the right reasons to plant a church? Here are a few reasons I think are headed in the right direction.

1. To build a bridge to lost people and help them become followers of Christ.
2. To obey a clear calling of God.
3. To tangibly fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples who make disciples.
4. Because it’s not OK that millions of Americans are sociologically disconnected from a community of disciples and God has called us to go where they are and help them find him.

Feel free to respond with your own thoughts.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of being part of an amazing meeting. It was a gathering of all of the Superintendents of the Assemblies of God language districts along with the Presidents of the Ethnic Fellowships in the U.S. It was awesome to see and hear what God is doing through the wonderful diversity of people He has brought to live in this nation. I sat with leaders that people groups from all over the world. Besides the 8 Spanish language districts that represent 1400+ churches in America, 18 other ethnic groups had representation in the room. Collectively, the represented a ton of vigorous church planting happening all over the place!

What is especially encouraging for me is that these friends are the fruit of decades of labor by AG missionaries in every corner of the globe. From the beginning, our missionaries were determined to plant the seed of the Gospel in the hearts of indigenous people and then empower them develop leadership to lead themselves. It is a strategy that has clearly worked. Currently, the AG has self-governing General Councils in 212 countries and territories. Much of what is now happening globally was catalyzed by missionaries who obeyed the call of God to sacrificially GO to take the Gospel to all nations. Now the fruit of their labor is coming back to bless America in our time of great spiritual need.

These leaders are passionate and faith filled and they are working diligently to reach lost Americans of all ethnicities. I’m optimistic that they are part of God’s plan to heal this nation. And the reality is that these folks are the future of America. According to a recent article in the
New York Times, America will be composed of a “minority majority” by 2039. In other words, over the next thirty years, the proportion of non-Hispanic whites which now comprise about 66% of the population will rapidly decrease to 49% in 2039. We must plant churches that are multi-cultural as well as cultural specific to reach folks of differing languages and cultural with the powerful Gospel of Jesus.

The bottom line is that God has positioned the AG well to reach lost Americans regardless of culture, language or nation of origin.

According to Richard Hammar, legal counsel for the Assemblies of God the top five reasons churches are sued are:

1. Property disputes

2. Sexual misconduct involving a child

3. Employment related disputes

4. Zoning

5. Personal injuries

Application to church planters…it pays to set things up properly in the first place. Check with your district for assistance in setting your church in a manner that is legally sound. If your district is not equipped to help you, please contact the Church Multiplication Network and we will do our best to offer assistance!