being a preparer

Being a preparer is hard.  There's little to show for the investment being made.  The branding is not memorable. The numbers are unimpressive.

Today I've wrestled with feelings of discouragement.

Yesterday I received an invitation to like the social media page of a new church plant.

I don't think it's new, and I actually don't think it's a planting of the church.

Most "new church plants" that I see feel more like a re-brand, or a franchise of a worship service product.

I long for the emergence of a fresh disciple-making movement - one that flourishes into the planting of the church. Where Christian community sprouts up in the midst of those who know little or nothing of who Jesus is.

There are some examples where I see this - in school communities, sporting clubs, drop in centres among the disadvantaged - but they don't usually call themselves a "new church plant".

I'm convinced we live at a point in history where the priority of leaders needs to be about preparing the next generation of pioneers - and not cutting and pasting existing worship gatherings and calling it 'church planting'.  This approach might reinvigorate, or revitalise the existing church - perhaps 'transplanting' Christians into suped-up soil - but I'm just not convinced about calling it church planting.

Being a preparer is hard.  There's little to show for the investment being made.  The branding is not memorable. The numbers are unimpressive.

But I get the sense that the next generation will be grateful for the depth of the soil tilled by today's preparers.