Building blocks of the Church Planter Assessment Center Pt 2

In a previous article, the question of what a typical church planter looks like, began with the introduction of 16 building blocks. These blocks form the foundation of Converge’s Church Planting Assessment Center where assessors seek to answer the question of whether or not a candidate possess enough of the 16 building blocks to plant a healthy and effective church.

In assessing these building blocks, we seek to look beyond affirming them intellectually, but seek to assess through behavior. Ask any pastor if they believe that discipleship, evangelism, or leadership development is important and you will most like hear ringing endorsements. But, if you ask the question, “who are you discipling right now,” or “provide me with some examples of spiritual conversations you’ve had with an unbeliever,” or “tell me about a leader you are developing,” you begin to discover if behavior reveals whether or not a specific building block exists.

Over the coming weeks and months, there will be additional articles on different building blocks and why they are important traits for a church planter. Now, we will look at the first five blocks the assessment process seeks to uncover? The first five building blocks are general qualifications we believe are foundational for any ministry position.

Relationship with God- Do they exhibit a closeness to God? Is their devotional time consistent, rich, and deep? Is there evidence to a strong prayer life? Are they more in love with God than with the ministry?

Emotional Health and Self-Image- How do they manage life’s challenges and changes? Do they balance well the day-to-day issues of stress, relationship, habits and disciplines? Planting a church brings with it many issues that are not planned. A strong self-image and emotional health are important to endure the challenges and move ahead.

Relational Ability- How are their interpersonal skills? Do they project warmth and acceptance? Do they listen with empathy and seek to understand? Ultimately, relational ability is about the accuracy of perception. The best relational capabilities allow us to see and treat others the way God sees and treats us.

Marriage and Family Relationship- Not only is important to have a strong and healthy marital and family relationships, is the spouse and other family members in strong agreement to the calling, roles, and involvement in planting a new church?

Personal Integrity- Along with calling, competency, and commitment, character is a high value. Is the planter committed to truth-telling as they are honest and authentic in all they do? Are they reliable, faithful in the small things?

The next article will consider three more church planter characteristics and building blocks. They are Vision, Motivation and Resiliency, and Mublic ministry Skills.

So, what does a typical church planter look like? 

Some are introverted and some are extroverted. One church planter may have a different gift mix or skill set than another. One common thread is that each one is different and God is doing His work in their life through their gifts, abilities, and calling. Conversations with potential candidates and our assessment center are used to uncover the blocks and begin a dialogue to discover if God has gifted them with the necessary blocks to build upon. The purpose of the assessment center is help discern that process and the call. Church planting is difficult enough with all of the blocks present. But it can do damage to a planter and family, the church, and the community if blocks are missing.

The next characteristics and building blocks article will look at are vision, motivation and resiliency, and public ministry skills.

As you unpack these building blocks, is there someone you know who might possess these church planter characteristics? Perhaps you, as you familiarize yourself with these building blocks, feel an affinity and perhaps God is leading you to investigate church planting more? Either way, I would love the opportunity to talk about with you. Contact me at jnelson@convergenorthcentral.org