It’s always so exciting seeing a new church plant growing in strength and maturity. But it’s also so sad to see church plants that were birthed with faith filled hope and enthusiasm deciding to call it a day.

I get it. There are times when closing the doors is the right thing to do. But it is sad as you know that there will be a range of emotions the leaders and team go through including grief and at times anger. There are times when faith is shaken as the question “where were you God?” gets asked.

I wish we could all just avoid the mistakes that might be made. But at the same time, I know that the mistakes can be a blessing in disguise; the conflicts that we didn’t look for, the crises we didn’t anticipate can all serve to refine and shape us as we learn for tomorrow. But some mistakes can be fatal to church plants. 

Here are my thoughts on some of the common pitfalls that damage too many church plants and the people planting them. The list isn’t a definitive list, nor is it a statistically verifiable “top 5”. It’s just a list of pitfalls I have seen too often.

Not being adequately prepared 

Some church plants happen almost by accident with meetings commencing without adequate planning, preparation, provision, personnel and prayer. When this happens, it’s often (but not always) just a matter of time before the plant closes. 

Journeying with a church planting ministry, denomination or church that has really sorted out the preparation and processes is highly recommended to minimise the likelihood of this mistake happening.

Planting with the wrong model

The model of church being planted must be a good fit with the demographic the church is being planted to reach as well as being a fit with the team that is planting. A plant in a small country town that relies on a big worship service is unlikely to make sense. Likewise the model used for a lower socio economic environment would likely be different to the model being used in a wealthy suburb. Planting with the wrong model will often wear people out with little fruit and high levels of frustration.   

Careful evaluation of the demographic dynamics, prayer walking and surveying individuals in that area to see what the people really want and need can provide useful guidance that may minimise the likelihood of this mistake happening.

Not having the right people on your team

The roles that you need on your team will depend on the model that you start with and the demographic into which you are planting. It will also be influenced by the support you receive from a sending church. For example a sending church may be able to provide administration support, but where that’s not the case, someone needs to do this.

If the plant is largely centred around a weekend service and wants to reach young families, it would be crazy to start a plant without having people to leads kids and youth ministry as well as to lead worship and teach.

If the church was starting as a micro church or missional community, different key roles would be required.

The other factor that needs to be taken into account here is character and spiritual maturity. The last thing any church plant wants is people in key roles who, because of their own neediness lead people into dependent relationships on themselves rather than leading them first to Jesus and then to His church.

Launching too early

Another mistake that can have disastrous consequences is launching too early. When this happens, other mistakes frequently follow such as not having the right people on your team and having inadequate preparation. 

The premature birthing of a church plant will often result in the plant being weak and struggling to survive. When my wife Sharon and I planted our church, we were fortunate to survive, planting with just four of us in the core team. The lack of mature people who could be ministry leaders and elders hampered us for years.

The risks associated with this mistake can be mitigated by focusing on growing the core team in number and quality before the launch takes place. The time that this takes place can be put to good use in training the team you have and shaping values and culture.

Not having the right person to lead

If you want to doom a church plant to not surviving, then have the wrong person or people leading it. God has wired us all differently, we have different experiences that we learn from. And then there is the issue of character. 

Thankfully robust church planter assessments, particularly when coupled with ongoing coaching greatly reduce the likelihood of this mistake occurring.

Support is available

Some denominations and networks provide really good support for church planters. Where a denomination doesn’t provide robust support, or where a church plant isn’t part of a denomination or network, the assistance provided by various church planting ministries can be invaluable. In Australia we are fortunate that any church planter can have access to wisdom, training and support that will help the church plant to not only survive but thrive. The next step for any church planter is to ensure that they are hungry for the support that is available and that pride does not get in the way preventing them from embracing any wisdom and support being given.

Tim O’Neill

Executive Director, Exponential Australia