When you go to plant a church, or are involved in helping others plant churches that question must be asked clearly and plainly. A battery of tests, evaluations and interviews that help guide and determine your “make-up” as a planter then follows the question.
But here’s the deal. We all use those tests (most are the same), we do the interviews and that information is valuable. It takes past successful planters and measures their mutual qualities against the prospective planter. Then there is a pass-fail.
Frankly… I hate this. It must be used, but I just think we’re putting God in such a box like that. Now before all my fellow “planter assessors” start throwing stones hear what I’m saying.
New planters must and should be evaluated, tested, interviewed and assessed. But… I think we need to leave room for God. God has and always will use the foolish (some that don’t pass all the tests) to astound the wise (those of us giving the thumbs up or down).
Jesus chose the “untrained and uneducated” to reach the world. The most of which would have probably failed some of if not all the tests. Jesus used an unorthodox system of choosing leaders…he chose the ones His Father said to choose.
I think we need to use all we have to help sharpen and identify future leaders and planters. But, we also need to recognize God can do things and use people we never thought could plant a successful church.
So, I think we should pray earnestly over all those that fail…and pass! Ask the Father can this one…be a Church Planter? Then rely more on the voice of God rather than the planter’s test score.
Just my opinion and conviction. What say you?
