The church was fully operational: healthy, growing, and everything was going great. Only one problem remained. It was all still in my head.
God first called me to plant a church over nine years before I began. Every time someone mentioned church planting my heart began to race, my eyes swelled with tears, and my mind couldn’t shut it off. Three years in seminary and two in a pastorate proved frustrating as I pursued people to help. Each ended with a smile, handshake, strong encouragement, and usually a prayer. Serving God faithfully, I thought planting wasn’t for me.
Four years later proved otherwise. Life was great. Lane, on the other hand, was miserable. My wife turned to me one night and said, “You either have to get okay or we need to move on.” Her statement was a wake-up call. The following weeks proved fruitful as conversation and prayer led to steps toward planting. My decision boiled down to a poignant moment one morning as I drove to work. I was praying (arguing with God) and listing all the reasons that I didn’t need to plant. He spoke very clearly that morning. (A story for another post.) I’ve never looked back since that moment.
The last nine years have been a blessing to network with other planters and men wrestling with a call to plant. The conversation inevitably culminates with a question very similar to this: “I’ve got this vision that I know God has given me, but I keep asking ‘How do I now when it is time to go?'” This is what I call “vision burn.” It is so real in the mind, but you are unsure how to get it into real life or what I call, “launch propulsion.”
The transition from vision burn to launch propulsion is critical. Vision may burn hot but can quickly end in early burn out without the right components. You can start slow and maybe get lift, but this often ends in fizzle that never gets traction. The right combination of vision burn and propulsion is required for launch to establish a church that will last.
How do I know when it is time to go? There is no magic formula. Faith and faithfulness is no guarantee between success and what may appear as failure. Rest assured, if you trust and follow God, listen to wise counsel, and submit to godly authority, whatever the outcome, it will never be a failure.
Five components forge a decision matrix that will help navigate the transition between vision burn and launch propulsion. These components are not a substitute for faith. They can strengthen it. Faith always feels risky. Following Jesus begins with full denial of self. What you need to know is that faith is sight, believing is seeing. Faith must press you to lean into Jesus through the personal disciplines and practices you commit to in order to move vision forward into mission.
- The first component of the decision matrix is vision development. The vision must take shape on paper before it comes to fruition. Two writings are most important. The vision must be captured in one succinct statement. There are endless ways to qualify this statement. Whatever means you choose, it must capture others to give a peek into the whole vision. The vision must also be articulated in the greatest detail possible. These details are vision seeds that will be planted continuously to grow the vision. This will identify values, set priorities, shape strategy, inform leadership, and provide direction. The more detail that is captured early the more momentum it will provide when you begin moving forward. You will edit and revise many times but get it down as early as you can. You must write it before you plant it.
- The second component of the decision matrix is family unity. This is vital for a marriage and family in the planting process. God will not call you to follow a vision that causes you to forsake your family. Sacrifice is inevitable, but your family should never be placed on the altar. A wife cannot just agree to go along for the ride. She must be committed to the vision and ready to make sacrifices. An immature man will try to move forward believing that his wife will be fine once everything gets going. This is unwise and destructive. Too many opportunities will arise to damage the wife, marriage, or children. The marriage must be united before the vision should be pursued. When a man forsakes his family to plant a church, he will grow a church full of forsaken families. The period of waiting on God and praying for unity is essential in a marriage before any further steps are taken. You must unite before you plant.
- The third component of the decision matrix is money to resource the mission. This begins with a fundraising plan. It is foolish to be convinced that you have great faith because you are going to “launch and trust God for the money” without a plan. Raising money is one of the most important skills a planter must learn. It will also be a process by which he is sharpened and matured. I once heard a missionary tell a group of young people wanting to go on mission. “It’s not someone else’s job to pay you for what you believe God has called you to do. If he’s called you he will use you and that includes raising the money.” That’s good advice. A financial plan cannot be overdone. It must be singularly focused on resourcing the mission. It should be broad and diverse to reach as far and as many as possible. It should cover a period of time that allows for the church to become established and self-sustaining. It should have a “finish line” that gives completeness to the investment. It should give a picture of what it will produce that will continue to multiply once the original investment of the donors is complete.
- The fourth component of the decision matrix is a timeline to launch. This is where vision writing sets priority focus. The purpose of a timeline is like marks on a yardstick. Just as a yardstick measures length a timeline helps one measure movement. The key to the timeline is simply, “What needs to be accomplished when?” This is strategy to carry the vision into full operation. The timeline should include fundraising to show measurable goals for donors. When vision is turned into accomplishment it will encourage greater resources. Specific, tangible, and measurable markers should be set on the timeline. Not everything will be accomplished per the timeline but you will know where you are, what needs you have, and where weaknesses remain. The timeline becomes an evaluation tool to pace the planter and keep him focused.
- The fifth component of the decision matrix is people who follow. This seems very simple but so many miss it. If people are not following, you are not leading. A leader must master in his mind how many people he needs, what kind of people he needs, who these people are, and what roles people must fill now and in the future. People are a vital resource. If you attract them too early you will not be able to keep them. If you wait too long they will not be able to find their place. There are those who like you and those who love you. They will always be among the crowd. Other significant ones are those that don’t know you but are compelled to follow you. Church planting is making disciples, so people will be the fullest preparation and highest investment to give shape to vision. Many of these people will be the very ones that give greater development to the vision.
The bigger the vision the better it is to make sure you have all vital components in place in order to make the decision to move forward. When it is time to go and you know, don’t look back. Smile, leap, and go.