NOW THAT’S AN IDEA
Four Steps to Encourage a Church Planter
By Diana Davis
It can be lonely out there. When a new church is begun, its pastor may sometimes feel isolated, especially during the initial months.
Planting new churches in North America is a high priority of Southern Baptists. As a member of a Southern Baptist church, you’re already involved in church planting! Your church’s contributions through the Cooperative Program and Annie Armstrong Easter Offering® help support hundreds of new church plants every year.
Would you go a step further, and personally encourage one church planter? Here are a few tips:
1 — FIND ONE Intentionally befriend a church planter and his family, whether he lives across town or across the country. If your church sponsors a plant, encourage that planter. Otherwise, ask your pastor to recommend one or search the online church plant map at
www.namb.net/church-plants or meet planters at your local Baptist association or state convention.
2 — BE AN ENCOURAGER Give relational and prayer support. Study their newsletter, blog or website. Send email encouragements. Ask how things are going and how you can pray. Take him to lunch. Listen well. Praise God for blessings. Pray weekly at a specific time, i.e. Mondays at 9 p.m. Send a note to remind him you’re praying. Your small encouragements make a huge difference.
3 — SHARE YOUR RESOURCES Share monetarily. Your tithe is given to your local church, but God may prompt you to give additional weekly or monthly offerings to the church plant, such as $20 or $200. Contribute a one-time offering for a specific need, like a coffee pot, a down payment for land, Bibles, sound equipment or furniture. Organize a garage sale to fund a church sign. Bless the pastor with bookstore gift cards or a scholarship to attend a conference, convention or seminary class.
4 — SHARE YOURSELF Visit their worship service, constitution or ground breaking event. Organize a mission trip for a building project, survey or event. Offer your skills and contacts. Can you teach, clean, organize or paint? Design a website, build a wall, play guitar, make outreach visits?
A new church needs a quality core group. If God leads, would you relocate to the church plant area to help for a few years or months? If God calls you, He’ll provide a way.
As your church and denomination send new planters, will you personally encourage just one of them?
Diana Davis is an author, speaker and wife of Steve Davis, the North American Mission Board’s vice president for the Midwest region. She and Steve have helped plant several churches. Visit her website at
www.keeponshining.com.
ON MISSION • Winter 2012 47
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