Tupperware, Rapture Buildings, and the Costume Room: 3 Unexpected Realities of Replanting

Are you serious about doing a replant?”

I’ll never forget that text message from Dr. Kenneth Priest, Director of Church Revitalization for the SBTC. As a doctoral student at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I had met Dr. Priest in class and had been learning about church replanting for the last semester.

While I had explored church planting, God had always seemed to close the door on that endeavor. Replanting seemed to be the perfect combination of my desire to reach communities for Christ and my love for the established church.

Some Prep Work

I had done my homework—both in class and on my own. I’d read Reclaiming Glory: Revitalizing Dying Churches by Mark Clifton, and even met several pastors Clifton claims are his “replanting heroes.” I’d listened to varying podcasts as well. From Thom Rainer and Kevin Ezell waxing eloquent in Replant and Revitalize to Jimbo Fisher and Bob Bickford sharing their collected wisdom from the trench warfare of replanting in Replanting Bootcamp, I felt as if the replanting mantras were on repeat in my head.

After roundtable discussions with Keelan Cook and several UBA Pastors in the midst of revitalization and a brief survey of the NAMB expectations, I was certain my gifts and passions would be a great fit for church replanting. I’d even completed a doctoral seminar and read a dozen books on the topic. So surely I knew everything I needed to know before going into a replanting situation, right?

Actually, I did know what I needed to know.

 Except for one thing:

Leading a church replant is very different than just reading about replant.

The resurgence of literature on the realities of replanting prepared me for what God had in store. The need for pastoral grit, a reliance on the power of the gospel, and a clear sense of calling were all true. But the Lord had to teach me three ministry realities of replanting that aren’t commonly discussed. For the prospective replanter or sending church, these realities are vital to your long-term success as God calls to the difficult work of revitalization.

1. The Building Isn’t the Problem

When I first arrived, our church facilities felt like a two-ton weight tied around the neck of the church. A resale shop had been created on campus—producing a negative perception in the community (not to mention a tremendous fire hazard) in an already challenging situation.

The gymnasium that had once been the crown jewel of the campus seemed to have been deserted in the midst of activity. So we labeled it the “rapture building” as an eerie reminder of the descriptions from Left Behind. (We found four entire sets of this book series in our small church building).

Safety hazards abounded, and it seemed the safest place for our children was in the church parking lot. With deferred maintenance costs well into the six figures, the tragic lack of stewardship seemed to scream at me every moment I was on campus.

Yet despite the dilapidated facilities, I quickly became aware that the spiritual condition of the remaining members was far more tragic. They loved Jesus and they loved their church, but they were without hope. The few remaining members were aging, tired, and had spiritual wounds and personal challenges too long to even list.

Additionally, as word began to spread of a new pastor with a young family, many of the previous members began to return. While growth is welcome, I learned that these newcomers had been at the heart of church conflict throughout the years. They lacked the healthy church vision I had discussed with the initial core group. In less than three months, I had to start again with this new group trickling in from different corners of the community.

While facilities are important, they are not the most important thing. As we’ve learned in the COVID-19 era, a building is helpful but not vital for gospel proclamation and personal discipleship. For the prospective replanter, remember that despite the external challenges, the spiritual brokenness is far greater than you could imagine.

2. Preach, Pray, Love, STAY.

This mantra is the core of the NAMB replant strategy. As we began our replanting journey, the first three were easy to embrace. I could preach the gospel and quickly learn to point to Christ as the hope for the church. I could pray with elderly members who cried out to God to let their church live again. I could love patiently—breaking up fights over old Tupperware in the resale shop—and encourage those who tearfully discarded copies of the sheet music from the 1983 Christmas program. But to STAY became hard, and the toughest to face.

Replanter extraordinaire Mark Hallock encourages pastors to commit to a minimum of five to seven years in their replant context. As my wife and I began to serve, we realized that we had not considered how our time commitment would impact ministry decisions.

“If you are considering serving in a replant situation, I urge you to have a clear timeline before beginning the work. ”

Were we willing to give five years or more years to this twelve-member church? We—their own parents—were the next closest people in age to our children. Would my own kids grow to love Jesus in this context?

In addition to our own personal calling, I learned that the timing of my ministry decisions would be shaped by how long I believed God would have me serve. Some of my choices may have been rushed because I was unwilling to play the “long game” in ministry.

If you are considering whether or not God is calling you to serve in a replant situation, I urge you to have a clear timeline before beginning the work. Opposition, challenges, and spiritual oppression will undermine your resolve and make quitting seem more tempting every week. While God is free to lead as He calls, I cannot underscore the importance of clearly establishing your commitment level before initiating a church replant.

3. The Importance of a Sending Church

If a church planter did a “parachute” church plant—dropping into a city without any financial support or a core team of dedicated members, most mission strategists would consider this an unwise way to begin a church. In the same way, replanting is not merely going into a congregation and serving as their pastor. The transfusion of a healthy ministry philosophy from outside the church is essential to success.

“I wish I had considered a sending partner before initiating the replanting effort. ”

I wish I had considered a sending partner before initiating the replanting effort. While my home church pastor was supportive of my desire to see a strong gospel presence in the new community, the financial and personnel investment was difficult to allocate without preparation.

After touring the building and digging into the “costume room” that held every VBS and musical outfit from the last 30 years, my pastor candidly observed the excitement of an unprepared core team would be disastrous as realities of the challenge mounted.

For anyone considering church replanting, I cannot underscore the importance of building a coalition of support from your home church before beginning this challenging endeavor. Replanting is not a solitary undertaking, but a strategic partnership of churches committed to reclaiming a church for God’s glory.

What Happened?

Though my wife and I were willing to give for our church, it became apparent that the Lord had other plans for us. The pastor from our sending church encouraged us to pursue another church in West Texas that needed revitalization and was able to provide for our physical needs—allowing us to be completely devoted to the work of the ministry.

Nearly a year after I first arrived on the campus of this replant, it was unanimously assimilated by another Houston-area church that was able to strategically invest in the property and support a replanting pastor. It was an all-around win for this little congregation we had come to love. Even though we did not get to finish the project, the Lord had clearly called us to serve elsewhere, we know He used our time to prepare both us and the congregation for what He had next.

Replanting is like running an ultra-marathon. God had chosen to give me the honor of carrying the baton forward. Though I did not reach the finish line, it was a part of the race worth running. I’m convinced that church replanting and revitalization is the next frontier in North American missions, and I pray the Lord uses our new church to help breathe new life into other congregations across our region.

Each week as we serve, pastors must remember that Jesus loves our church far more than we do—Jesus died for His church! This love for the church includes those in desperate need of replanting. Replanting is hard but worth the effort, because Jesus loves His church.

Taylor Lassiter serves as the Senior Pastor of College Heights Baptist Church in Plainview, TX. College Heights is actively pursuing God's plan for partnering with other churches in West Texas for replanting and revitalization. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Missiology from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. More importantly, he is married to Meredith and is the dad of three elementary-aged boys. He'll always engage in discussions on church life, board games, college football, or Texas BBQ.

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