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Another blog I caught up on was Matt Sweetman’s. He interviewed Steve Nicholson, the church planting director of Vineyard USA. Here are two of the questions:

Matt: How do you go about finding guys who are church planters and then training them to do so?

Steve: For me, I tend to start fairly young. So, with some guys I figure out that they are a church planter when they are still in high school. Even though they may not plant for another 10 years. But you are looking for people who are leaders, who can articulate themselves, who know how to put a team together, who can break a vision down into steps which they can actually do. You are looking for catalytic people who tend to start things and lead people everywhere they go. A good church planter looks like a good business entrepreneur.

Matt: Do you find that you get a lot of guys from the business world who are interested in church planting?

Steve: Sometimes we do, later in life. They spend time in business and then feel like they are ready for a change. They always make good church planters.

Well, even though my personality test may have revealed otherwise, I know that within my inherent nature the above-used words do describe me. Does it mean I should continue as a church planter? That is completely and solely up to God, but it’s a bit of encouragement I could use today

Just found a great post on Matt Sweetman’s blog. This was another find through twitter (you can follow matt here). Matt interviewed fellow church planter Rick Kuhr. Rick planted as a bi-vocational pastor in Chicago that started in 2007 and they are seeing around 15-30 in attendance at their services. After reading the interview it’s obvious numbers don’t matter–Pastor Rick is a success story!

The last question Matt asked Rick had a surprise answer, but one that resonates loud & clear with me. It’s been kind of a mantra of sorts:

Matt: I am doing a church planting internship, in St. Louis. You are already doing the stuff, out in the field. What would be your advice for me?

Rick: I would encourage and challenge you to have a team. The research that has been done shows that if you don’t have a team you are setting yourself up for disaster. So, I would challenge you to bring a team, people that will help you along the way. Make sure you love God and loving Jesus and loving people as the main thing. Also, maintain that balance. We are useless as followers of God if we forget that we are following God. It may sound obvious, but if we are not receiving, others can’t receive from us as easy. We need to be able to have a balance with our family, our wives. There is a huge witness in loving our wives and loving our families. That responsibility in the community needs accountability. You need an established overseer. Those would be my advices. Go with where you are strong. My most recent blog is about we as individuals are meant to live in co-dependence with God and others to advance the kingdom.

It’s all about teamwork, baby! …But *every* piece of advice from Rick is mandatory wisdom for a planter. I am very encouraged by the work God is doing through Pastor Kuhr and Near West Vineyard Church in Chicago.

Found what seems to be a huge blessing via twitter today. I’m now following @jasonsalamun and linked through to his blog about an awesome ministry: projectchurch.net. Just as Tony Morgan posts about Perryisms, I’m totally digging on some Jasonisms. Jason Salamun posted a list titled “101 Nuggets for Church Planters” and it’s very awesome! All 101 are necessary, but here are some that really made me say “Ah ha! Someone else gets church planting!” or “Wow! I definitely need to work on this!” I’ll let you decide which is which for me

2. If you are called, you have permission.

4. Don’t just plant a church; start a movement.

6. Don’t make the church your idol.  It’s easier than you think.

14. There’s a lot of wisdom in the words of dead guys.

22. Don’t talk about church all the time to your wife.  Pace yourself.

26. You should be able to explain the vision on the back of a napkin.

29. You’ll get criticized for things you never even said or implied. Get used to it.

40. Start a church where it’s okay to be a dude.

66. Typical is boring.

74. Be intentional.

77. Prepare- but understand that you’ll never been prepared enough.

79. Stand up for the ones who can’t stand up at all.

80. Time alone with a notebook, a pen, and a Bible often lead to something special.

81. Authentic people are led by authentic leaders.

87. It will be messy.

88. When was the last time you went to a bar or sat in the smoking section of a restaurant?

92. Repeat after me, “I heart simplicity.”

100. Church all boils down to relationships.

Rock on Jason! Praise God for putting the desire to be passionate for the Lord and minister to people and open enough to help other ministers stay on-track and to share in your victories!

Scott Thomas, director of the Acts 29 church planting network, listed his top 20 questions to assess whether you may be a church planter during the DWELL Conference in London. Adrian Warnock wrote out the questions :

1. Am I a Christian?
2. Am I passionately in love with Jesus?
3. Do I believe his word and does it affect my life deeply?
4. Am I Spirit-filed, Spirit-led, Spirit-directed, and Spirit-controlled?
5. Am I qualified as an elder?
6. Do I love the local church as an expression of a gospel community on a mission?
7. Am I a missionary to the city? Am I sent for the advancement of the gospel in the city?
8. Do I have a clear vision for this new work?
9. Am I willing to pour myself out in obedience to the vision?
10. Am I healthy physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually, relationally, maritally, mentally?
11. Am I the kind of leader many people will follow? Have I served as some form of church leader successfully?
12. Can I preach effectively?
13. Can I guard the doctrinal door with biblical clarity and tenacious confidence?
14. Can I architect a new work with entrepreneurial skill?
15. Am I called to plant a church at this time and in this place?
16. Have my church leaders commended me for this calling?
17. Am I a hard worker? Am I persevering?
18. Am I adaptable to new people, places, and concepts?
19. Can I raise the funds required for my family’s needs? Can I still be there for my family?
20. Am I humble enough to learn from others — particularly from those who have gone ahead of me in different areas?

What are your thoughts? Seem reasonable? Would you add any questions to the list?

All I can say is WOW! Just read some news that totally blew me away. My friend Richie Merritt is planting a new church next year around the same time we are set to launch weekly services for Revolution Church Sacramento. Anyway, he told me of some amazing and unconventional things his pastor at Forefront Church (Rich’s home church) had been doing so I checked it out and started following his blog and ministry. His pastor’s name is Vince Antonucci and this guy is just off the hook crazy for people coming to know Jesus. So crazy that they launched a Monday night church in a bar in Virginia Beach, VA last year. That takes some faith! He was also part of the One Prayer series and shared a great word on his prayer for the church, which was, “Lord, Make Us Evangelistic.” There just isn’t enough that can be said about Vince and his work for the kingdom of heaven!

So, after 11 years at Forefront Church Vince announces that he is leaving his home to move to Las Vegas to start a church. Not just in Vegas, but on the Vegas Strip. This guy’s faith just keeps burning hotter and hotter. Again, all I can say is WOW!

I believe that the Lord uses others to help confirm things for me and this notice is another one of those things. I won’t go into detail as I’m still not clear on some things, but this announcement really spoke to me in a way that I believe God spoke to me through Vince’s announcement of planting a church in Vegas. Yeah, it’s crazy and yeah my level of faith is so minuscule compared to Vince’s, but when one loves God and loves others more than oneself there are just some things that one cannot run away from for very long if it’s God’s will.

Vince, man you inspire me! Never stop reaching out to those that many in the church have ignored. God loves them as much as he loves Billy Graham and it takes crazy, sacrificial,radical, Jesus-loving guys like you to see people outside of the gates of heaven come to know that entrance is free and that there’s a lot of love waiting for them if they only say yes to Jesus’ offer of grace and forgiveness. Yes, Mr. Vince Antonucci, I love you for all that you do that glorifies our Lord and Savior and gives hope to the rest of us. I will be praying for you!