Why Church Planting — And Why You Might Need to Ask the Question (5 minute read)
There’s a reason church planting has always been part of Converge’s DNA, going back to its founding over 150 years ago. It’s not because it’s trendy. It’s not because it’s efficient. And it’s certainly not because it’s easy.
It’s because new churches reach new people.
Across decades of research and experience, one pattern continues to show up: newly planted churches are disproportionately effective at reaching people who are not currently connected to a church. They engage neighborhoods and demographics in fresh ways, fostering new spiritual conversations. They create fresh entry points for the gospel.
But here’s the deeper reason.
Church planting is not ultimately about strategy. It’s about obedience to the missionary nature of the Church. The Church does not merely gather. It goes. And sometimes going requires starting something that does not yet exist.
There are plenty of assumptions about what church planting is. Let’s clear a few up. Church planting is:
- Starting a new gospel-centered community in a specific context.
- Reaching people who are not currently part of a church.
- Gathering and developing leaders from the ground up.
- Building culture intentionally from day one.
- Deeply relational.
- Often slow.
- Almost always requires resilience.
Who tends to thrive in church planting? Not everyone is called to plant. And that’s healthy. But certain patterns tend to show up in those who are. Their calling often includes:
- Energized by building something from scratch.
- Noticing unreached pockets of people.
- Handling ambiguity reasonably well.
- Recovering from setbacks without quitting.
- Naturally gathering people around vision.
- Caring about reaching those not yet connected to the church.
- Sometimes a feeling of restlessness — not dissatisfaction with their current role, but a pull toward pioneering.
A clarifying question to ask is, “If you never explored church planting, would you regret it?” Not if you never planted. If you never explored it. There’s a difference.
Exploration does not equal commitment. It simply creates space to listen carefully.
Some explore and realize their calling is to strengthen and multiply from within an established church. That’s a win.
Some explore and realize the restlessness was not random. That’s a different kind of win. Discernment honors both outcomes.
Again, exploring church planting is not signing up for a pipeline. The first step is simply conversation. Watch a FAQ Video on church planting. Ask yourself honest questions. Complete a brief interest form. Have a one-on-one conversation with one of our leaders.
From there, if appropriate, we might suggest a light assessment conversation — not to eliminate, but to clarify. You are free at every stage to say, “Not now,” “Not for me,” or “Let’s keep going.”
As Converge North Central, we care deeply about healthy established churches. We also believe multiplication is part of our shared responsibility. If we stop starting new churches, we slowly drift toward preservation. If we steward both — strengthening and starting — we remain faithful to the missionary impulse that has shaped us for generations.
You don’t have to be certain. You don’t have to feel ready. You don’t have to announce anything. You simply have to be willing to ask: Is God inviting me to explore this?
We’d love to help you discern.
In 2025, Kevin and Amy Drehmel planted Harvest Church in Becker MN. Listen here to Kevin’s words of curiosity, exploration, and discernment…and resiliency…that was a part his journey.
If you want to explore a church planting conversation our FAQ Video is a great place to start at your convenience. Contact Joel Nelson at jnelson@convergenorthcentral.org for the link or if you have a question or two.
No pressure. Just clarity.
Joel Nelson
