“What is the single most important skill that a church planter needs to have in order to be successful?”
If I had a dime for every person who’s asked me that in the last 2 years, I’d have 10 cents, because somebody asked me this for the first time the other day, and I thought it was a pretty good question.
I didn’t have to think about it very long… because I just knew the answer was leadership. The ability to motivate and inspire people, and the wisdom to construct systems that reinforce the vision.
But then I thought about preaching… maybe that’s the most important piece of the church planting puzzle. I don’t know of a church plant that has ever succeeded apart from the anointed communication of God’s Word connecting to people in the context of corporate worship.
At this point, all of the major categories hit me like a flashflood:
leadership, preaching, administration, vision…
How could I ever narrow it down to one “most important skill”?
There are so many skills that are integral to church planting, but I think one critical skill is the foundation of all the others, and pretty much serves as a category killer and the end of discussion:
The single most important skill in church planting is the fine art of hearing from God.
When David was commissioning Solomon to build the temple, he reassured his son that God “gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.” (See 1 Chronicles 28:19)
I want God to speak to me like that: clear and specific. I want to have the confidence to know that I’m building according to plan, because I’ve heard from heaven.
Successful church plants come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. But there is one common denominator in every authentically successful church plant that I know of:
The pastor and his leadership team have found a way to receive vision, instruction, and strategy from the Lord, and they summon the courage to follow through with the commands that God issues.
To the casual observer it may look like they just have good instincts, or more inaccurately, good luck. In reality, they are consistently finding a way to stay tightly connected to Jesus through the Holy Spirit, so they will know what move to make next.
You can’t fake or simulate the ability to hear from God. You must cultivate it day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year.
The ability to distinguish the voice of God and the promptings of His Spirit is more valuable than a Doctoral degree, 10 leadership books and 4 conferences a year, your hero’s advice, and even 50 years of life experience combined.
All of these inputs serve as avenues for God’s instruction to reach our hearts.
But they are not a substitute for a “speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” posture, and a willingness to be radically obedient when He clearly reveals your next move.
