Introduction
Contrary to popular belief, a church plant is fundamentally a real church—our Book of Church Order even says so (5-1)! Yet because a church plant has a unique provenance of recent vintage, it faces different opportunities and challenges compared to more established congregations. Acknowledging that a church plant is both a real church and has its own set of unique circumstances, here are five ways to pray for church plants.
1. Pray for its Pastor
A church planter isn’t a special species; he is simply a pastor that happens to minister in a church plant setting. Pray that he would glory in Christ, prioritize the health of his own soul, and love his family well. Pray for faithfulness in prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4; 1 Timothy 4:1–2), rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Pray that he would know and care for the flock as an under-shepherd (2 Peter 5:2).
Additionally, the church’s practical needs often fall on the pastor. He is frequently the chief fundraiser, facilities manager, IT coordinator, volunteer recruiter, and outreach director. The tyranny of the urgent can often crowd out shepherding. Pray he prioritizes well, views his administrative work as part of joyfully caring for the flock, and finds others who can assist him in these labors.
2. Pray for its Congregation
The church is given by Christ to build up his people (Ephesians 4:16). Pray that church plant members would receive God’s word with meekness (James 1:21), with joy (Luke 8:13), and in power (1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2:13). Pray that the Lord would build up the saints to maturity (Colossians 1:28) as they grow in love for one another (1 Peter 4:8). Pray for unity in the word and in the hopes for the growth and future of the church (Philippians 1:27).
In a church plant, everyone is needed to serve. Members frequently navigate practical changes, including venue, schedule, or nursery shifts. Some congregations may have the tendency to overindulge in the sweetness of their fellowship that they forget about the community around the church. Others may be more invested in visitors and the community outside the church that relationships inside the church suffer. Furthermore, plants are vulnerable. Planters must remain vigilant against those who seek to conform the church to their own personal preferences. Pray for each member to navigate these circumstances well to the glory of Christ.
3. Pray for its Community
The church is also for the “gathering” of the saints (WCF 25.3), calling the lost to Christ and bringing in the wayward. Established churches benefit from visible buildings and long-standing community ties. A plant, lacking these connections, can be tempted to create artificial community connections divorced from the ordinary means of word and sacrament. Instead, pray that the church would develop meaningful relationships with members in the community and that the church would be known for standing upon the word of God (Philippians 1:14), for proclaiming Christ (Colossians 1:28), and for Holy Spirit-endowed love for one another (John 13:35). Specifically, pray for a building in a location that is conducive to these ends (Acts 19:9) and opportunities for every member to share of Christ and the gospel ministry of the church with neighbors (Philippians 1:13).
4. Pray for its Future Leaders
Every church must develop leaders, but plants feel this acutely. Whether they begin with previously-ordained Elders and Deacons or not, the plant needs Elders in order to particularize and operate with biblical, sustainable government. And this first class of Elders is critical for a church: it will set the tone and establish culture and expectations that could persist for generations. Pray God raises up godly, mature men of requisite character (1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9) to be trained to care for the flock.
5. Pray for it like any other Church
Ultimately, church plants are churches. They share the same joys, and face the same challenges, and enjoy the same blessings of word and sacrament. So we pray alongside of Paul that the Lord would bless every member of every church plant, that “according to the riches of his glory he may grant [them] to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in [their] inner being, so that Christ may dwell in [their] hearts through faith—that [they], being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that [they] may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16–19).
