Why is church planting so hard?

Starting anything new from the ground up can be difficult. Whether it’s a new business or a new church, nothing is 100% fail-proof. But why is church planting so difficult? Let’s pull back the curtain and have a real and candid conversation about it.

0:28 Lee introduces the topic, which is a subject he and Danny deal with often. Why is church planting so hard?

1:07 Danny has a theory that because church planting is so personal, it makes it difficult. 

2:23 Danny reflects on when he planted a church and was asked how he was personally doing, he would report how the church was doing.

2:45 Lee agrees with Danny that it’s easy for church planters to personalize every aspect of how a church is doing.

3:22 Lee speaks to how spiritual warfare is a part of the challenges a church planter will face.

4:14 Danny reiterates that spiritual warfare can get very personal not only for a church planter, but also for his family.

4:39 Another reason church planting can be so hard is that when a church is small, everything is magnified, and it doesn’t take a lot for the dynamic to shift quickly.

6:33 Unrealistic expectations can also play into the difficulty of planting a church.

7:04 Lee compares launching a church to launching a rocket and how gravitational pull plays into church planting.

8:03 Danny shares that money plus preaching doesn’t always equal success.

9:40 Lee wants to normalize the difficulties of planting a church. He encourages church planters to enjoy the journey.

10:18 Danny encourages church planters to focus on faithfulness. He explains what he means by that.

11:10 Lee agrees with Danny’s perspective and encourages church planters that even though it’s hard, it’s worth it.

11:35 Lee asks for more people to step up to be church planters, because they are needed!