Church planting can be viewed as a sprint for numbers rather than a marathon for souls, but planters say endurance is required.
By Natalie Nagy
“Discipleship was such a crucial part of my journey to Christ, because there were so many times when I thought it would have been easier to just be done and to either go back to the LDS church or not be part of a church at all,” said Amber Hasson, as tears budded from the corner of her eyes.
Formerly an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hasson committed her life to Christ in 2022 due to the efforts of various members at Christ Fellowship Church, a church plant located in American Fork, Utah. Whether it be through dinner, games, or active discipleship, Christ Fellowship was faithful to preach the gospel to her for years.
Hasson is a living and breathing testimony of how church planting is laborious and requires endurance, echoing Paul’s words in Galatians: “Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9, CSB). Yet, many churches struggle to understand the cost of discipleship.
According to a Lifeway Research study, more Protestant churches in the U.S. closed than opened in 2019. Among Southern Baptist congregations, nearly 1,000 congregations disbanded or closed in 2022. To offset that number, some churches were planted, but the Southern Baptist Convention saw 416 fewer churches associated with the Convention in 2022 than in 2021.
Unfortunately, church planting can be viewed as a sprint for numbers rather than a marathon for souls. Rather than tending to the garden God is watering—which takes time, patience, and sacrifice—our sinful flesh can easily look to our own efforts and expect quick fruit.
The life of a church planter
Timothy O’Day, church planter and pastor of Christ Fellowship Church, has experienced firsthand the endurance and patience that comes with ministering to people in an unreached area. Faithfully bringing the gospel to the Latter-day Saints in Utah County, O’Day and co-pastor Zach Thompson planted Christ Fellowship in 2015.
However, planting Christ Fellowship was not a glamorous process. O’Day initially wanted to plant a church in 2009, but his pastors at Cornerstone Community Church in Jackson, Tennessee told him, “You’re not ready.”
“It hurt, but that’s exactly what you need here,” said O’Day. “One of the key things that needs to be true of anybody that’s going to be in pastoral ministry is they have to be able to be told no and accept it. If you’re not willing to hear no and accept it, you’re not qualified for leadership.”
O’Day explained that hearing no was one of the best things that ever happened to him in his development as a leader. However, this no wasn’t a nebulous invitation to sit around. His pastors laid out ways they wanted to see him grow before sending him to an unreached part of the country.
From 2009 to 2015, O’Day prepared by attending seminary and participating in Cornerstone’s apprenticeship program. Once ready, his church ordained and commissioned O’Day to plant a church in Utah.
The reality of church planting
Upon arrival, O’Day was struck by the animosity between church plants and established churches, noting that many of the established churches in Utah were suspicious of him.
“If somebody’s going to plant a church, one of the most important things you can do is immediately try to make sure there’s no rivalry between you and other churches,” said O’Day.
However, building a church from the ground up is no easy feat. For years, Christ Fellowship was a total of five individuals: O’Day and his wife, Thompson and his wife, and Cameron Milien, a member who moved with them to join their church planting efforts. During this time, O’Day experienced isolation without much hope of growing his church’s congregation.
The joys and struggles of a life on mission
While in Utah, an area saturated with Mormon beliefs, O’Day had to learn how to preach the gospel well. He discovered he would present the gospel to someone who was Mormon, and they would agree with him. He needed to preach the gospel and cultivate his church differently, which had implications for funding.
“If Christ Fellowship is going to be different, we’re going to have to be willing to do this without money,” said O’Day, “which doesn’t feel glamorous and is easier to talk about in theory than to practice in life.”
So, O’Day worked the 9 to 5 grind and started Bible studies in the evenings.
One question drove his motivation and perseverance: Was this something he’d be willing to do even if he was never paid? Because if not, he shouldn’t do this.
“One common struggle is finances,” said Chris Ortiz, who completed a church planting residency with North Shore Baptist Church in New York. “Many church planting organizations only provide funding for three to five years. While churches need to eventually become autonomous, the reality is three to five years simply isn’t enough time in many places for a church plant to become self-sustaining. The alternative is that planters be bi-vocational.”
However, the financial struggles O’Day and Ortiz have had to overcome in church planting don’t compare to the joy of being on the front lines in ministry and sharing the gospel with those who haven’t heard—like Hasson.
O’Day and Ortiz expressed the overwhelming joy that comes from obeying the Lord and living their lives as sacrifices for Him.
“That’s what my life is all about,” shared O’Day. “That’s what all of the Christian life should be about. It doesn’t matter what the results are. If the Lord says, ‘Well done,’ then that’s it. That’s perfect.”
The goal of church planting
The goal shouldn’t be the number of churches planted but obeying the Lord and establishing a healthy church that can disciple new believers.
“We are nowhere commanded to plant a church, not as an individual,” said O’Day. “Churches are commanded to share the gospel and make disciples, but we can end up putting too much of an emphasis on church planting as the ultimate good.”
Although church planting is vital for reaching the unreached, O’Day has discovered it’s essential for anyone wanting to plant a church to understand the labor required, both in building the church and in discipling the flock.
“A man cannot plant a church if he doesn’t know what makes a church a church,” explained Ortiz. “Once the church has a planter, the planter is now a pastor. Many men are excited about starting something new but struggle with the idea of shepherding and caring for a flock. A true planter must be equipped to do both.”
“Many men are excited about starting something new but struggle with the idea of shepherding and caring for a flock. A true planter must be equipped to do both.” — Chris Ortiz Share on X“There have been so many ups and downs of processing leaving the LDS church. Even still today, we’re three to four years into it, and I’ll be like wait a minute, is that a biblical belief or is that a Mormon belief?” said Hasson. “I’m so grateful [Christ Fellowship] didn’t give up on me and that everybody would spend countless hours teaching me, discipling me, and guiding me through the hard times.”
For permission to republish this article, contact Marissa Postell Sullivan.
