How To Start More Churches In Pittsburgh
I want to discuss what things would be helpful in seeing more churches planted in Pittsburgh. Remember that I am speaking from my context within the PCA, but I don’t think that any of my points are necessarily limited to only the PCA. I admit that I am not an expert in the topic of church planting, but at the very least I think I could be called an avid supporter or a student of church planting. Most of the suggestions that I am going to make are coming from listening to other wiser church planters, men like Roland Allen, Harvie Conn, Bill Krispin, Tim Keller, Dick Kauffman, Bruce Finn, Ed Stetzer, and Mark Driscoll.
First, more people need to be in prayer for church planting. Not a once in a while prayer, but a string on your finger, God give me Pittsburgh or I die kind of prayer.
Second, people need to start asking themselves how can God change this region and what part does he want me to play? At this point far too many christians might be avid fans, but they haven’t gotten off the bench.
Third, Remember the motivation for church planting isn’t personal notoriety, or denominational pride, but as Paul says, a desire to see grace extend to more and more people for the glory of God.
Fourth, churches need to move beyond a church-vs-church standard. When I say church-vs-church, I mean that many churches today evaluate themselves not based on what they are called to be, or what God has made them, but by how they match up to other churches. They have a program we have a program, they get 170 we get 190, etc. When churches are content competing with each other for the self-awarded title of best church the Kingdom with suffer. It doesn’t matter what the best is, it might be most engaging, most missional, most evangelistic or most reformed, all these man-made crowns are a barrier to church cooperation and Kingdom expansion
Fifth, churches need to begin to strategically recruit planters to Pittsburgh. Local churches need to begin to get the word out that they are looking for qualified church planters. I think the PCA would have more church plants if we simply communicated our need for gospel-centered churches, with more potential candidates. This also means that churches need to speak with their bank accounts, and start putting money aside for planting. This needs to be done proactively rather than reactively. I know that many churches do not have extra money lying around, but church planting shouldn’t be one of those extra things we do, it should be as core to our church as Sunday worship.
Finally, churches need to make plans, and at the same time welcome unexpected opportunities. This was a lesson that I learned from Bruce Finn, a PCA church planting coordinator in the Philadelphia area. Sometimes we will make plans and God will have different ones, which will present us with opportunities that we never could have imagined.
Amen, amen, amen and amen! Love the focus on prayer.
One more to add, though it is an extension of recruitment. Churches must be proactive in training men to pastor and plant within Pittsburgh- I do not see this happening. It is beginning to happen out here in the Eastern Burbs, but that is all.