9. You'll always have a money problem.
If you ever have the notion that one day your church will grow so fast and the people will give so much that you will reach the pinnacle of financial success, well you should wake up real quick before you head towards disaster. You will always have issues of needing more money. As a matter of fact, if your church operates like a New Testament church should, then you'll be investing so much money back into your own people that the needs will always be greater than the resources can cover. One thing you should learn immediately is to be super wise with God's money but DO NOT let money be the main factor in your decision making. The budget, the bills and the building CANNOT take the place of the vision and calling that God has placed within you. Now don't get me wrong, offerings will get better and financial stability should be sought from a stewarding standpoint but don't keep kidding yourself that you or the church will be independently wealthy one day. I'm convinced that if a church only saves money for the purpose of having a nice savings account it's showing that it's totally selfish and not impacting through investment in the community and around the world. One more word on this to YOU as the Lead Pastor/Planter: DON'T HANDLE THE MONEY. Better to hire an outside accountant than to not be "above reproach."
10. New churches are breeding grounds for authority vultures.
Whenever a new church is started you should deeply stress the fact that you are after those within the community that are not currently plugged into another body of believers. What you will quickly find is that many people from across town will show up to see what you're all about because they aren't happy in their present church. I'm telling you now, DON"T TAKE THEM. If they are running down the other church and the other leadership, to which God says they should be submitted, then it will only be a matter of time until they are doing the very same thing to you. Church trouble makers seem to be "grown" by the devil these days. It's your vision and if you give your God-given vision over to the hands of disgruntled people that only want control, then it will be your fault when the whole thing blows up in your face. I'm gonna be strong here, but you better get some "Faith-Nads" and not let authority hungry people rob you of the blessing of building a great work. The quicker you learn to ask people to leave, the better off you'll be. That sounds mean, but you'll thank me one day. Gone are the days when I put out a sign that says "Everyone Welcome". It should say "Everyone that needs it and wants it are welcome but those that need to be seen and want to always be heard stay away". If God called you to lead, then LEAD. Any Pastor can accept disgruntled sheep from another church but only a real leader can step up and ask them to go back and fix their fragmented relationships.
11. You create your own shackles & limitations.
This principle works in many areas of life but certainly stands out in the area of church planting. It really speaks for itself. You're not coming into existing traditions, preconceived ideas and a set way of doing things. Because of that, you should take great advantage of the freshness of launching from scratch. It's certainly true that "it's easier to give birth than it is to raise the dead." In church planting it is the planting team that sets the pace, creates the culture and Biblically moves forward. If you pattern yourself totally after another church, then eventually you will reach the same limitations that they have. Be the church that God has raised you up to be. The new church will be born as an original, so don't let it die as a copycat. Get a structure set up and in place that would be successful for 1,000 people when you only have 10 people. Church growth always catches up to the size of the vision but can never exceed the size of the system. This has been an extremely difficult lesson for me to learn. But as our roots get deeper and our infrastructure gets better, the church gets bigger. It just does, period. Be free and openminded up front. Don't do something in the beginning that's gonna greatly hinder you when you get a few years down the road.
12. Your location probably sucks.
Does that sound too bold? Well, if your more conservative or traditional, then your location probably stinks. There, does that feel better? Regardless of how you say it, I guarantee that for 90% of new plants it is the absolute truth. Global Vision was affectionately known as Mobile Vision for the first 3 years. We moved an astounding 16 times and spent $250,000 on a failed building program before being given a church building. In hindsight, I was young, proud and stupid but we survived it and have leveraged it for the glory of God and the good of our congregation. In real estate they say the 3 most important things are 'Location, Location, Location." That sounds nice but it's not reality when it comes to a brand new church with no people, no momentum and no money. I promise that if you are totally committed to what God called you to do and you gather a handful of people that will follow the vision, then you can meet in a barn, a storefront or a funeral home and still make it through. A meeting place is what you make of it. Stop complaining that you don't have the right facility and start rejoicing that you can reach people that can convert wherever you meet into an amazing worship experience that will radically impact lives. Oh yeah, One more thing. Quit comparing yourself to the big church down the road. They started in a living room too. Don't get consumed with what they have. Get consumed with what you don't and raise up a team to make it happen. Your biggest liabilities can turn around and become your strongest asset.
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