Ten Foundations For Church Planting
Church planting is often framed around vision, strategy, funding, and mission. Those things matter—but they are rarely the decisive factors in whether a church survives, matures, and reproduces. Most church plants struggle not because the planter lacked ideas or ambition, but because the slow, unseen work of formation, culture, and resilience was neglected.
This paper outlines ten foundations of church planting The point is not to give a theological treatise on church planting, but rather to provide practical “nuts and bolts” of church planting drawn from years of coaching, assessment, and lived experience. These are not hacks or shortcuts. They are the kinds of commitments that shape leaders over time and form churches that endure. For prospective planters, these principles offer a realistic picture of what the work requires. For current planters, they provide recalibration—an invitation to return to the fundamentals that sustain long-term faithfulness.
Healthy churches are not built overnight. They are built through integrity, patience, proximity to lost people, and a resilient confidence that God is at work, even when progress feels slow.
1. Settle your insecurities, sin and approval issues now.
Every insecurity, approval need, and unresolved sin issue a planter carries into ministry will eventually surface on a bigger scale. Church planting has a way of magnifying what already exists beneath the surface. Insecurity shows up in preaching, criticism, and defensiveness. Approval-seeking shapes decisions more than discernment. Sin, left unattended, waits patiently for opportunity.
The gospel must be personally believed and experienced—not just written and preached about. Planters must ask honest questions: Who do I want to impress? Whose validation am I chasing? Many planters are highly capable, theologically trained, and articulate—qualities that can subtly replace reliance on God.
You can do the hard work now by dealing with your biggest insecurities and sin issues or make it harder for everyone later.
2. Build Your Culture Intentionally from Day One
Culture is not an optional add on to vision—it is the environment people actually experience. Vision may inspire, but culture determines whether people stay. Culture is formed through the planter being very intentional about it.
This work cannot be outsourced to anyone. It requires attention to every detail and consistency over time. Everything you do shapes the culture: emails, signage, hospitality, org charts, meetings, etc.
A sobering diagnostic question helps: Would you attend this church if you weren’t the pastor? I.e are you building a church you are proud of?
Culture takes 5-7 years to establish and only moments to damage it. A few wrong voices given disproportionate influence can undermine what took seasons to build. Planters we have 3c’s of culture: coach it daily, celebrate it when it’s lived out, and correct it quickly when it’s violated.
3. Stop Copy and Pasting Your Vision
There is only one ultimate mission—the Great Commission and really that is your church’s mission. But the expression of that mission will be shaped by place. Too many vision statements and prospectuses are thin variations of the other churches rather than thoughtful responses to real contexts.
Effective planters study their city deeply. They understand its history, pain points, assumptions, and spiritual landscape. I want you to be the best tour guide of the city because you spent the time knowing it better than anyone else. This will help shape the language and culture of your mission, vision and values.
Originality is not the goal; faithfulness is. The danger of copy-and-paste models is that planters end up trying to cast a vision they aren’t really invested in. Planters do the deep work crafting a vision, mission and culture that is birthed in prayer and articulates your passion for the city.
4. Stop Wishing For Leaders, Develop Who You Have.
Wishing for gifted leaders or major donors to just “show up” is a poor strategy. Too many church planters live with a wish that won’t come true. I need you to think about who has God already sent to be part of your church plant? Do the work of a leader and develop them.
Humble, teachable, committed leaders—often B or C players on paper—can outperform talented leaders who aren’t all in. Developing leaders requires patience, coaching, and proximity. But, the long term returns are worth it.
5. You Need A Lot of Money—and You Don’t Need It.
Church planting requires money. But waiting for perfect funding before doing the work often delays the mission and reveals things about the planters calling. Many of the core work of ministry—sharing the gospel, discipling people, praying with neighbors—cost you nothing. So, go do the work of an evangelist.
Planters can become overly focused on fundraising at the expense of mission. You schedule and be diligent about two things: fundraising externally and developing generosity internally.
Fundraising requires strategy and creativity. Email alone rarely works. Relationships, clarity, and personal engagement matter. Invest time into a strategy that is compelling, remember you are 1 of 100’s of requests for funding so what will you do to stand out.
6. Proximity to Lost People Is Non-Negotiable
We plant churches to reach lost people. This sounds obvious, but practice often tells a different story. Some planters are drawn to planting because they want preaching opportunities, want to be in charge, we want planters who ambitiously believe that church planting is the best way to reach a city.
To say it bluntly, if you aren’t actively engaging lost people and trying to win them to Christ do not plant a church. Additionally, you’ll be tempted and distracted from this conviction all the time stand firm on your calling to equip the saints and reach the lost
7. Prayer Is a Measure of Dependence
Prayerlessness often masquerades as productivity. Many planters are disciplined readers, thinkers, and planners, yet neglect sustained prayer. This imbalance leads to churches driven more by competence than reliance on God.
Prayer must be scheduled, modeled, and normalized. It is not an add-on but a posture. Jesus’ words remain true: apart from Him, we can do nothing. Churches shaped by prayer cultivate humility, expectancy, and resilience.
So, let me ask you how calloused your knees are? How much time is scheduled and blocked out to seek the Lord on behalf of your church and city?
8. Sustainability Requires a Hobby
One of the best things you can do for your soul, family and church is to find a life giving hobby. Planters need hobbies, recreation, and rhythms that restore joy. Leaders who never disengage from ministry rarely remain effective long-term.
Planters fall into the trap that being accessible to everyone 24/7 is being effective. If you aren’t scheduling time for a hobby you’ll slowly drift into burn out and frustration. Sustainable ministry flows from healthy leaders who know when to say yes—and when to say no. So, we are giving you permission to say “yes” to a hobby not as an escape but a place to have fun and enjoy the life God has given you.
9. Time is Your Friend
Churches cannot be rushed into maturity. Most “overnight success stories” are decades in the making. Early-stage churches must resist the pressure to offer everything immediately.
It is appropriate—and necessary—to say, “We’d love to do that, but we can’t yet.” Leadership structures, ministries, and systems need time to develop. Appointing leaders too quickly often creates problems that take years to undo.
Act and embrace the age of your church, don’t wish it away. The early days will be some of your favorite memories my friend.
10. Recover A Holy Grit
Church planting requires courage. In recent years, many leaders have grown cautious, hesitant to take risks. Faith and grit are not opposites—they belong together.
Faith often feels like standing at the edge of uncertainty, unsure whether obedience looks bold or foolish. Scripture reminds us that God builds His church. Our role is faithfulness. We hope to see more planters rediscover a holy grit that works hard, prays hard, but rest well in the sovereignty of God. We don’t want busy nor lazy planters, we want focused and disciplined planters that find the sweet spot of grit and faith.
