Seven Forces That Made Us Church Planters

Orginally published on Monday, February 26, 2007 at 6:02 AM
by Earl Creps

I am 53 years old. I take Lipitor. And this week I became a church planter. After six years working at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (http://www.agts.edu) as a teaching administrator, my wife Janet and I are changing ministry vocations. While my teaching relationship with AGTS will continue, we will be moving to Berkeley, California to plant an AoG church. OK, so we better get back to the whole Lipitor thing. What could possibly motivate an almost-senior citizen like me and my outstanding wife to go off the deep end like this? There are many factors, but here are a few of the most salient to us...

1. An example: Several years ago Missiologist Gaiylen Van Rheenan (http://missiology.org/) significantly reordered his professional life to become more involved in church planting. He did so later in life and with grace and honesty. I have been unable to shake this illustration of risk-taking in a season where playing it safe comes so much more naturally. Lesson: Good examples can really drive you crazy.

2. A breakfast: About two years ago I was eating breakfast with Ed Stetzer (http://www.newchurches.com/), discussing the challenges of academic life when he asked the unthinkable, “So why don’t you start a church?” Being involved in a plant himself this question had some annoying authority and I found all my rationalizations boiling down to, “I’m too busy.” As if he isn’t. Lesson: Never buy Ed Stetzer pancakes.

3. A sermon: My friend and Dean, Joe Castleberry, preached a sermon in an AGTS chapel last fall that contained an intriguing statement:  the two great risk-taking phases of life are the twenties (before you have kids) and the fifties (after the nest is empty). This thought became like a virus in my mental programming, slowly beginning to take control of things. Lesson: Listen for prophetic voices.

4. A joke: Curt Harlow, director of west coast campus ministry development for my denomination (http://www.curtharlow.com/) emailed me a couple months ago asking who I would recommend to pastor a plant in Berkeley that would partner with a ministry on campus. I responded wryly, asking if they would consider applications from senior citizens. He replied that, if I were serious, we would be their first choice. Uh-oh. Lesson: Never joke with Curt.

5. A friend: I went to the President of our school, Byron Klaus, as soon as the potential of planting began to concretize and asked him to help Jan and me discern what the Holy Spirit was doing. In the weeks that followed, he literally pastored us through the decision-making process, confirming it himself with a public announcement only a few days ago. We leave AGTS with our relationships and our teaching ministry not only intact, but likely to expand. Lesson: Trust your friends.

6. A visit: We walked the Berkeley campus for a day, visited the East Bay area and literally saw the future being invented before our eyes. The people in towns and on campuses like this are the architects of that future. We must reach them. The Peet’s coffee didn’t hurt either. Lesson: Go see for yourself.

7. A helplessness: Jan and I took a day after our visit to the East Bay area to process the whole experience. We talked for a long time under the influence of mega-doses of Italian food. At the end of our conversation she said simply, “We have no defenses against this.” She was right. Neither of us felt that we had any way of powering up our shields to resist what feels like the future calling us forward. The inability to defend ourselves is a product of our experience at AGTS and the influence of its President on my own life. Lesson: If you really value your defenses, stay home.

The path ahead has many, many steps. But we have no way to defend ourselves.

And so it begins…

About the Author:  Earl Creps has spent several years visiting congregations that are attempting to engage emerging culture. He directs doctoral studies for the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri (http://www.agts.edu).  Earl and his wife Janet have pastored three churches, one Boomer, one Builder, and one GenX. He speaks, trains, and consults with ministries around the country. Earl’s book, Off-Road Disciplines: Spiritual Adventures of Missional Leaders, was published by Jossey-Bass/Leadership Network in 2006. Connect with Earl at http://www.earlcreps.com .

 

 

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