A Calling Confirmed - Christianity Today

In 1999 the National Football League buzzed with the expected arrival of five superb college quarterbacks. All five were drafted in the first round. A few years later, after the hype subsided, three of those quarterbacks had become complete busts; one started well but descended into mediocrity; only one (Donovan McNabb) fulfilled his promise as a star.

This demonstrates what sports analysts call "the quarterback problem." In other words, it's tough to predict who will excel and who will be a total dud. All five of the 1999 recruits had great potential and even a track record of success; all five wanted to play pro football; but only one actually thrived on a pro team.

How do scouts and coaches assess new quarterbacks, especially when these athletes haven't made a single play with a pro team?

Obviously, it isn't enough for a candidate to say, "I want to play pro football, and I think I'd make a good quarterback." Today, over ten years after the 1999 draft, scouts and coaches try to analyze specific indicators for a quarterback's success (seeing the entire field, needling a pass into tight coverage) or for potential failure (crumbling under pressure, throwing wildly while on the run). Although it's still more an art than a science, teams recognize the need to assess a candidate's abilities before rather than after the draft.

Calling and convergence

In the same way, church planting networks have become more intentional (and more savvy) about assessing their candidates for new church starts. Bright, gifted, and motivated men and women routinely apply and say, "I've been called by God to plant a church. When can I get started?" But based on many painful past experiences, church planting directors know that an ambition—even a "God-ordained" ambition—to plant a church doesn't automatically produce success.

As a result, most church planting networks ask their candidates to complete a rigorous assessment process prior to their approval. Throughout this process, the denomination or the network and potential church planters explore the basis for each candidate's calling. Church planting organizations will sift through specific and objective qualities or experiences that usually indicate future success or failure. In the words of Tom Nebel, director of church planting for Converge Worldwide (formerly the Baptist General Conference), "We're looking for evidence, not just preference."

Although every network employs different assessment tools, they also display remarkable consistency in the evidence they're looking for. They usually break the criteria into two categories: positive indicators ("green lights") or negative indicators ("red lights").

Peter Sung, director of church planting for the Evangelical Covenant Church, looks for a "convergence" (or pattern) of these factors. In other words, he isn't trying to formulate an irrefutable checklist of qualifiers or disqualifiers. Instead, as his team processes the positive and negative indicators, they're trying to sketch a big picture of the person's life. Then, based on the story of the candidate's life, they ask, "Is his or her life converging toward church planting or toward another area of ministry?"

So what are these factors that might weave a story of convergence?

The classic list, written by Charles Ridley, often called "the pioneer of church planting assessment," contained 13 qualities for successful church planters (visioning capacity, intrinsically motivated, creates ownership of ministry, relates to the unchurched, spousal cooperation, effectively builds relationships, commitment to church growth, responsive to the community, utilizes giftedness of others, flexible and adaptable, builds group cohesiveness, resilience, and exercises faith).

Church planting assessment centers often refer to this ground-breaking list, but they've also adapted it, creating their own list of indicators. This article tries to capture only some of the essential criteria explored in these assessment workshops.

Positive indicators of a church planting call

While networks vary in their assessments, they agree on certain indicators.

First, they've found that successful church planters usually have an entrepreneurial history. In other words, they've started something (a business, a ministry, friendships with unchurched people) from nothing. Most church planting directors don't want to hear, "Well, I haven't started anything brand new yet, but I'd love to use your resources to give it a try." Instead, they want to hear a specific story, or a series of stories, about a candidate's entrepreneurial activities.

Bill Wiesman, director of church planting for the Church of the Nazarene, told about an unlikely candidate for established church ministry who excelled at new church starts. After dropping out of high school and wasting years on his drug addiction, this inner-city pastor launched a tiny church in the foyer of a food pantry. Now he oversees a main church campus, three church plants, and a number of ministries for the underserved residents of downtown Memphis.

How did he succeed when so many other pastors have failed? Along with his deep love for Christ, this pastor had also started an air conditioning installation and repair business. He knew how to start something from nothing.

Second, in one way or another, church planters must have what Peter Sung calls "gathering ability." That is, other people want to join them as they pursue a common goal or vision. It sounds simple, but the ability (or inability) to gather people will make or break a church plant. You can't reach a neighborhood for Christ—or pay the bills, or even form a small group—without real-live people.

So once again, the network leaders will explore this indicator by asking, "Tell me about the times when you've gathered others around a common vision or cause. What did that look like?" And more specifically, "How have you gathered or befriended non-Christians to consider Christ?"

Surprisingly, extroverts aren't the only ones who can gather people. Introverts can also become dynamic, people-gathering leaders.

Individuals who can't tolerate lots of ambiguity—won't thrive in a church plant.

For instance, one middle-aged candidate didn't pass his denomination's assessment process; they thought he was too introverted and couldn't engage unchurched people. (They also rated him as a "mediocre preacher.") Upon further prayer and conversation, they revised that decision. He went on to plant a thriving church in the northeast. Today this pastor has launched an entire network of dynamic new church starts. That's the story of the introverted, bookish, "mediocre preacher" named Tim Keller.

Third, just like potential pro quarterbacks, potential church planters need resiliency. It's a given that they'll both get creamed from the front and blindsided from the rear. The real question is this: how will they bounce back after a hit? Wiesman contends that since church planters are essentially "taking back territory from the enemy," they should expect intense spiritual warfare. Even in the natural realm, the routine hits from church planting require emotional and relational stability. Thus, according to Brent Foulke from the Church Planting Assessment Center, "If you're hurt or wounded, this is the last place you should be. Instead, church planting is for people in a state of self-awareness and strength."

Fourth, almost every network we interviewed stressed the importance of flexibility and adaptability. In his original list of 13 factors, Ridley defined this indicator as the ability to "cope effectively with constant and abrupt change" and the willingness to "do 'whatever' is necessary 'whenever' necessary."

In other words, certain personalities—like rigid individuals who can't tolerate lots of ambiguity—won't thrive in a church plant. Unlike many ministry roles, church planters can't specialize in one or two areas. Instead, on nearly a daily basis they must use their entire gamut of strengths and weaknesses, and live in a perpetual state of "in process."

They also must be able to take inconveniences and turn them into opportunities. Corey, a church planter from Long Island, told us, "We could never afford an office, so I constantly scrounged around for places—like the nearest Starbucks—to prepare my sermons. It wasn't the ideal pastor's study, until I realized that my 'Starbuck's study' gave me the chance to build relationships with unchurched people."

Negative indicators of a church planting call

Obviously, we could isolate each positive indicator, flip it around and get the following negative indicators:

No entrepreneurial activities
Inability to gather people
Lack of resiliency
Inflexibility and rigidity

But the church planting networks we interviewed also highlighted some special red flags that forewarn of church planting train wrecks.

1. Environmental risk factors. In other words, when you plop someone into a new church plant, the pastor should fit the environment.

Consider this extreme scenario: If someone from Embarrass, Minnesota (nestled in the northeast corner of "Da Range") wants to plant a church in Times Square, the assessment process must address this apparent environmental mismatch. The candidate may have many green lights—entrepreneurial skills, gathering power, resiliency, flexibility—but the cultural chasm between rural Minnesota and Manhattan is almost unbridgeable. for starters, compared to laid-back and nice Minnesotans, New Yorkers appear perpetually on-edge: abrupt, rude, and aggressive. Walking among the outwardly pushy, loud-mouthed crowds on 5th Avenue can make nice people cry. Our candidate would also miss his cozy circle of friends and relatives, while lacking the network of supportive and like-minded churches.

Should he step out in faith anyway? Most church planting networks would say not at this time or in this particular place. "By piling on too many environmental risks," Tom Nebel contends, "we've moved from the safety of faith to the danger zone of presumption. Put simply, as the sending agency, we'd be acting as poor stewards of our resources."

2. Unaddressed character issues. Environmental factors are external to the candidate; in contrast, character issues operate like a parasite, sucking life from our inner core. These internal pests include such things as addictive behaviors, unresolved family problems, sexual immorality, self-centeredness, or the idol of people-pleasing. Peter Sung bluntly warns, "Unaddressed character issues will follow you wherever you go." Nobody sheds character flaws by hopping from an established church into a new church.

For instance, after a four-day assessment process, one church planting network told a candidate that they couldn't recommend him for church planting. The convergence of his life revealed a major character flaw: a history of run-ins with authority figures.

After gently confronting this issue (and offering him the chance to grow and change), the candidate exploded with rage, insisting he was called to ministry. He instantly dumped church planting, found an associate pastor position, and sure enough, he started fighting with the senior pastor. Eight months later the church fired him. Unfortunately, this pastor failed to spot the only common denominator in all of his relational meltdowns: himself.

3. Negativity toward established churches. Church planters usually have a healthy, Christ-like passion for lost and hurting prodigal sons and daughters. Unfortunately, sometimes they exhibit impatience, criticism, and even outright disdain for traditional churches. This red flag manifests itself as a deep-seated assumption that while most or all established churches do it wrong, the church planter will finally do it right. At this point, their soaring passion for lost people has degenerated into squawking elitism.

Brent Foulke told us, "We look for candidates who will embrace the older brother in the prodigal son story as well as the prodigals."

Sometimes during the assessment process, network leaders hear a familiar rant: "Those church people are driving me nuts! They're stubborn, uncompassionate, and petty. I need to get out of traditional church structures and start a brand new church. Then I can focus on my real passion: loving people." Unfortunately, people tend to act like people—whether they're churched, unchurched, or the formerly unchurched who become the new churched.

If a pastor treats people with contempt in one setting, he'll eventually act the same way in his new setting.

4. A pattern of resisting input and advice. Paul Williams, chairman of the Orchard Group, observes, "When everyone is telling you NOT to do this, when your inner circle won't affirm your call to plant a church, you should probably start listening." Unfortunately, that's the biggest problem for some candidates: they're impervious to advice. Instead, they start with a tight agenda: "I'm ready to roll, so recommend me, give me the funding and the assignment, and I'll get started." That's often a set-up for bitter disappointment.

Some agencies, like the Church of the Nazarene, preempt this disappointment by asking their candidates to serve as an apprentice under a church planting mentor. Refusing this apprentice stage would raise serious questions about the qualifications of the candidate.

A healthy, grace-filled assessment process can uncover a candidate's true giftedness.

This same humble, open, teachable posture should follow the church planter throughout the entire process of launching and growing the church. Asking questions, seeking accountability, heeding advice, receiving criticism—these are the hallmarks of church planters who survive and thrive. As Peter Sung told us, "Even Michael Jordan needed a coach."

Good news even for the "not-recommended"

When a church planting organization recommends a candidate, they are most likely just confirming God's call on that person's life. Tom Nebel contends that after Converge established a solid assessment and coaching process, the rate of new church successes rose from under 50 percent to over 80 percent. In these "success stories," the ambition and dream to start a new church converged with the candidate's gifts and experiences. The drive to plant a church—a good and holy ambition—lined up with God's will, producing a true happy ending.

Then how do we interpret the stories of those who aren't accepted? At least two network leaders estimated that they recommend one-third of their candidates, "conditionally recommend" another one-third, and fail to recommend the final one-third.

Obviously, after a rigorous assessment process, it's often heartbreaking to hear, "At this time we don't think church planting is a good fit for you." But unlike not making it as a pro quarterback, this isn't a sign of failure. A healthy, grace-filled assessment process can uncover a candidate's true giftedness. As Paul Williams observes, "When you understand your giftedness, it's much easier to understand your calling."

As an example, "Greg" entered his denomination's assessment process with a passion for starting new churches. He also had strong pastoral gifts in preaching biblically-rich sermons for growing believers. After the assessment process, his peers told him, "We cannot recommend you for church planting. We feel that your gifts point toward a pastorate in an established church."

A few years later, Greg sent a thank you letter to the assessment team. His teaching-preaching ministry was equipping his church to grow in spiritual depth and to send out church planters.

Greg's ambition to plant new churches was good and holy; he just had to find the right fit to release that ambition.

Mathew Woodley is managing editor of PreachingToday.com and author of The Folly of Prayer: Practicing the Presence and Absence of God (IVP, 2009).

Bertrand Crabbe is the founding pastor of True North Community Church, Long Island, New York.