Church Planting 301: Increasing Commitment
If you’ve been in church leadership before, you’ve probably experienced difficulty getting people to commit to the church. In today’s church culture, it’s tough getting most church members to show up on a regular basis—not to mention engaging at another time during the week. Tact on asking them to serve in a meaningful way that contributes toward the fulfillment of the mission? That’s an altogether ‘other’ level of exasperation. Maybe you’ve heard that statline that is sadly true in most cases—in the church, 10% of the people do 90% of the work.
It’s in light of this that I want to spend some time reflecting on one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of our church plant so far. We’ll call it, The Criticality of Increasing Commitment.
Biblical Basis for Increasing Commitment: Jesus Went for it All
A quick read through the Gospel records reveals that Jesus was by no means ‘ok’ with the status quo. In fact, from the snapshots given, we find the Master Discipler not only challenging commitment levels but doing so at an accelerating rate. Consider the following passages:
“You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
“You must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children…a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)
“If the world hates, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.” (Luke 15:18)
This increase in commitment culminates with Jesus’ demand for the most precious things to us—our very lives. In a final conversation with Peter, Jesus revealed to him that he would be killed, and John adds, “This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God. And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”” John 21:19). Jesus took commitment to a whole new level—the willingness to even die for the cause.
The expectation of increasing commitment is played out in the book of Acts, where God leads both Peter and Paul to grow in their commitment to the mission over time. By the end of the book, both men find themselves in prison at various points, and as tradition would share, eventually killed for their faith. And yet, in the wake of their sacrificial commitment to the mission, the church grew and multiplied at an inconceivable rate.
So then, both in the Gospels and the book of Acts, the bar of commitment wasn’t lessened or held loosely—it was heightened and expected to increase.
Commitment in Church Planting: It Starts with Expectation
Fast forwarding 2,000 years, churches are still being planted through the commitment and sacrifice of the saints. For us, planting a church has involved developing what we call a “Core Team.” The goal of this team is to see a group of compelled, committed, courageous, and contagious individuals who are joined together to launch a church. The Core Team’s responsibility is two-fold: to grow and to multiply the Core Team. In other words, the Core Team is meant to be a self-producing group that grows and multiplies through the commitment of its members.
But how does this actually happen? How does a group of unrelated and unknown strangers join together for a common cause in order to build something that will ultimately launch a church? In short, how does commitment to something start and then increase over time?
Answer: It starts with expectations.
Core Team Expectations & Commitment
Though we tend to shy away from words like “expectations” and “commitment,” the cold hard fact is that if expectations are too low or non-existent, the viability of the entire church planting operation is at risk. The pre-launch phase of a church plant is predominantly about this very thing—increasing commitment and calling people to stick to the expectations that were agreed upon in the beginning. So, what are the expectations of the core? For us, there are eight:
You are fully aligned with our mission, vision, values, and distinctives.
You are willing to submit to the leadership and the Lead Pastor.
You have healthy motives for joining the Core Team.
To the best of your ability, you will make a healthy church transition.
You are prepared for the constant change of church planting (flexibility).
You realize sacrifice will be the norm—not the exception.
You are aware of and committed to prepare for spiritual warfare.
You are committed to grow the Core Team and financially support the vision of the church plant.
Returning to the horrific 90/10 statline from the beginning, to state it bluntly—that won’t cut it in a church plant. If the goal of a plant is to do church like the average American church, the plant is dead before it begins. The reality is that there is a baseline amount of committed and sold-out volunteers that make every church go, and while larger churches may get away with a smaller percentage of its members actually engaging, a church plant can’t make it without total buy-in. Church plants must cast a vision of commitment and sacrifices that calls people to something more.
In light of this, one of the driving reasons for church planting in a context where there’s already an evangelical presence is the urgency and excitement it creates among the Christian community toward the mission. Given the urgency for an “all-in” mentality needed in a plant, we’ve found that Core Team members are committing in a way they never have before. It’s not that our plant is gobbling up the Christians in our area who are already committed and serious about the mission—it’s that the plant is producing more committed and serious Christians.
But in this instance, surely someone loses, right? What about the sending church—are they simply robbing Peter to pay Paul in a transfer of members and resources for a net zero gain?
Sending Church Expectations & Commitment
I contend that both sending churches and church plants not only can but should see an increase in commitment levels from their people. This will require a kingdom mindset and the expectation of commitment, but I believe church planting can be a win-win for both entities. Allow me to explain.
When Jesus gave the Great Commission, the expectation was that disciples would grow and multiply. The gospel would take hold in such profound ways that people from all nations were to be baptized and discipled to follow Jesus better. The natural extension then of the Great Commission is that as new believers are won to Christ, new churches will be planted in these areas, fostering more converts, discipleship, and multiplication, and the cycle continues.
From a sending church standpoint then, how can commitment levels of people increase over time? By attaching them to a compelling mission that calls for their sacrifice (i.e. The Great Commission that culminates with church planting). If a church is willing to roll their sleeves up and get invested in a church plant, there’s an opportunity for partnering churches to ride the wave of momentum created by a plant and experience the increase in commitment and subsequent fruit that follows.
There's tons of data out there that churches who committed to sacrificially supporting church plants grew in attendance and giving in the subsequent months and years that followed. Why and how? Because of heightened intensity and urgency toward the mission. It was discovered that once a church’s plant was sent out with support and members from the church, a backfill of engagement filled the void at the sending church and carried it to even more growth and engagement.
Conclusion: Church Planting Increases Commitment All-Around
The opportunity that church planting creates to see disciples of Jesus grow in commitment is unparalleled in any other context. For the plant, the simple fact is that their commitment is critical for the plant to actually happen. For the sending church, they shouldn’t fear giving away resources and people to support the plant. In addition to being a kingdom win, they have an opportunity to challenge the commitment levels of their body in order to carry forward the mission locally. For all, a church plant uniquely allows for a refocus on the mission, and in so doing, it lifts people from insignificance and complacency to an increased commitment to the mission for God’s glory.
Matt Thibault
Matt is married to Trina and they have three crazy-awesome kids: Adelyn, James, and Alivia. He and his family are following God’s call into Church Planting. Matt received his M.Div from The Master’s Seminary and is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Ministry from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
