5 Hard Truths for Planters series: Click | View Series

I can't tell you how much time I’ve wasted in the first five years of our church plant comparing myself to others. If I could have preached like Driscoll or Chandler or led like Darrin Patrick…The comparisons were endless—and deadly.

This kind of un-redemptive comparison is dangerous on several levels:

• First, it causes us to undervalue what God is doing in our midst and not rightly praise him for his sovereign work.
• Second, it opens the door for greater discouragement (as if there isn't enough in planting already), which is a serious hazard for all parties involved.
• Third, comparison can lead us to have unrealistic expectations, which can lead to additional stress and toxicity in our relationships. Having served as an elder at another successful church in our city, I naturally assumed that I would simply do what I knew worked there and see similar results in my context. This was not the case. This kind of false thinking neglects the obvious truths that I am not that church's leader, we don't have that church's resources and that our context is different. To expect two churches to see the same results is like expecting one of your boys to be exactly like his brother. None of us would counsel that kind of parenting, because we know the kind of dysfunction it produces. The same is true in church planting.
• Fourth, and perhaps the most dangerous, comparison reveals our deeper idolatry. When we are comparing ourselves to others, we are looking for something other than Jesus to satisfy our souls, namely our own success. If outreach goes well, we feel good. If giving goes down...massive crisis. If our spiritual and emotional health fluctuates based on "how things went on Sunday," then our ups and downs likely indicate that we are searching for our identity in our role as a church planter and not in the cross.

So you may be saying, "I get it, comparison is bad. In fact, it is a sin. But it seems almost innately human. How can I prevent it?" Consider the following alternatives.

When you are tempted to compare yourself to someone else or their ministry:

• Praise God for what he is doing there. Pray for that leader, church or ministry. Pray that God would continue to bless them and purify your heart for your own jealousy towards them.
• Allow it to expose your idolatry for what it is. We all too often try to rationalize away the gravity of our sin in the name of leadership development. But the fact is, if we are coveting the gifting and success of another, we are in sin and must repent.
• Preach the gospel to yourself. This is not just a pithy saying people use since Keller became a household name—it is a matter of life and death for a church planter. Get Growing Your Faith by Jerry Bridges. Study gospel-centered discipleship. Memorize gospel-identity Scriptures. Do whatever it takes to replace the enemy's lies with the truth.

If we stop trying to be someone else and simply be who God has made us to be, it will bring him more glory and help us be more effective in serving our cities.

To be continued.

Vintage Jesus

A theological journey chasing Jesus through Scripture and pop culture. Timeless answers to timely questions about the most important man who has ever lived. Find out more.

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Missional cultural engagement is a challenge. How far does one go to engage culture? According to missiologist Ed Stetzer, that is the nature of contextualization. In his recent post Ancestor Worship and Taiwanese Christians, Stetzer gives some helpful guidelines on contextualization as well as this short video of a Taiwanese believer explaining the difficulty of contextualization in his culture of ancestor worship.

Rain City Hymnal

The first offering from Re:Sound is the Rain City Hymnal. Listen online and get the record from the Re:Sound website. Find out more.

5 Hard Truths for Planters series: Click | View Series

Church planting is harder than you think. Church planters don't just say that—it actually is.

Over the past five years, I have been disappointed, disillusioned and just plain dissed by various people and problems. However, by God's grace, here we stand as a church that is not just surviving, but thriving, and planting new churches.

One of the keys? Resilience.

Good, old fashioned, gospel-driven "sticktoitiveness."

A quality that, in my experience, I have seen lacking in far too many church planters. Many men are interested in having a cool website, a Mac, and the latest Driscoll book in their messenger bag, but how many are willing to stay the course even when the going gets tough? Far fewer. In fact, I believe the absence of resilience is why so many church planters flame out, shame out, or tap out in the first five years and close down their churches.

Acknowledging that resilience is a necessity for missional success, what can we do to grow it within us?

• Recognize that God commands it.
  In Paul's first letter to his apprentice Timothy, he writes "As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Tim. 4:5). He says the same to us today. Be disciplined. Stay the course. Fulfill your ministry through the power of God at work within you.
• Learn to take a punch.
  It has been well said that wise men turn their critics into coaches. As we grow in the gospel as leaders, we are wise to look for the "diamonds in the rough," even among the most stinging criticism, and seek to learn from (and not repeat) our mistakes.
• Consider the examples of those who have gone before.
  The "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11 is such a great encouragement for church planters. To see that we share the same mission as Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and all of the other heroes is a great encouragement in times of trial. Suddenly, in the light of a man being asked to sacrifice his own son, being kicked out of your building doesn't seem so bad.

There are many, many things that I would change about the last five years of planting.

But one thing that I would not change is how God has grown resilience in me through the hard times. May he do the same in you.

To be continued.

Pastor Mark

Get the latest content from Mark Driscoll, the preaching pastor at Mars Hill Church. See More.

Jesus used practical object lessons

Jesus didn't pick the smartest, the coolest, or the most likely to succeed to be his disciples--he went straight to the bottom of the barrel and picked the fisherman, and he taught them in very practical ways. He brought them almost everywhere he went and taught them along the way.

Jesus would pick up a loaf of bread and use it as an example of our dependance on God. He would use his signs and miracles as a way of showing that he has power over death and the effects of sin by raising Lazarus and giving sight to the blind man. He uses his own service of washing their feet as a way to show that they must serve, and even feeds five thousand people to show that even though he is one man, his work can feed the many.

We can't use the same type of object lessons that Jesus did because we aren't the Messiah, but we can follow Jesus' example by using metaphor, speaking in plain English, and creating circumstances that allow us to teach our disciples.

This is a series of reflections on how Jesus made disciples, based on the book of John.

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Spirit-Led Leadership: Click | View Series

In his stirring book David: Man of Prayer, Man of War, Walter Chantry contrasts the life and leadership of David and Saul. Chantry’s little book is packed with practical and gospel insights for leaders. I love his emphasis on the Spirit.

3 Differences in Leadership between David and Saul:

1. God’s Spirit Incites Zeal. In the face of Philistine blasphemies, David was incited with zeal for the Lord: “He was stirred to the depths with concern for the glory of God.” What is stirring you? Are you stirred to the depths for the glory of God? Do you hide out in your tent, your library, your office, or are you incited with zeal for the Lord to pursue his glory through counseling, discipleship, mission, and preaching? Are you passionately pursuing God’s glory or your own glory?

2. God’s Spirit Incites Faith. Saul relied on bribes to get others to fight Goliath (1 Sam. 17:25). Saul discouraged young leaders like David (to not fight Goliath) because he was motivated by fear, not faith. Remember, God doesn’t look at appearances, but at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). Samuel would never choose David, but God did. Are you leading your church or leaders based on fear or faith? Do you insist on control or relinquish it to let others rise up in faith? Are you judging by appearances or looking at the heart? Often we are too doubtful about some and too confident about others. Judge by the Spirit, not the flesh; by faith, not fear.

3. God’s Spirit Incites Wisdom. David’s zealous faith was marked by self-control and tempered by wisdom. When mocked by his brothers, he didn’t pick a fight or defend his abilities, but channeled indignation towards his enemies (1 Sam. 17:28-29). The Spirit produces leaders that are balanced and discerning, not merely zealous and faith-filled. Instead of getting side-tracked by petty issues, Spirit-led leaders learn to lead with, as Spurgeon put it, “one blind eye and one deaf ear.” We need wisdom to discern what voices to listen to and which ones to shut out. We don’t entertain every idea. We follow the Spirit through wisdom, not ambition.

May God make us zealous, faith-filled, and wise. May he never take his Holy Spirit from us. May we lead well and finish strong, ever dependent upon the Spirit, glorifying our great Redeemer and King Jesus!

Re:Train

We are launching The Resurgence Training Center (Re:Train) to prepare leaders for ministry locally and around the world. Additional details and downloadable application form here.