Preface Click Here

Introduction Click Here

Chapter 12 Order Today

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I also want to thank and exalt the men of God who have shaped my ministry. First of all Rev. Harry Charles H. Couey, under whose ministry, God called me to preach the gospel, trained me to be a Baptist, and gave me a enthusiasm for missions. Next, Dr. W.E. Dowell, under whose ministry I learned how to preach with passion and was ordained to the gospel ministry. Finally Rev. Harry Bob Perryman, under whose ministry I developed a love for people and church planting.

Other groups that deserve special thanks is Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO, and the Rev. Harrys of the Massachusetts Baptist Bible Fellowship. Both were patient with me while they counseled and encouraged me to please the God who called me into the ministry.

Last, but certainly not least, I wish to thank Mrs. Janice Storti, my son’s English teacher, for her mastery of the English language which shaped my words grammatically to convey my thoughts more clearly.

H. Shelton Cole

As one reads Baptist Church Planting, he realizes that Shelton Cole has accomplished the subtitle of the book … "A primer for answering questions about starting an independent, fundamental, Baptist church." The word ‘primer’ means, "a first book in reading." Truly it is a must for men and women of God (young and old) to read before they begin a new church. A church that begins well will stand the test of time (Matthew 16:13-19) and also reproduce itself in establishing another church or churches.

The word ‘primer’ also means, "to prime." This book will help a God-called family be primed and prepared to go where God leads them, and successfully plant a New Testament Baptist Church.

As a Rev. Harry and professor, I trust this book will become a textbook in our Bible colleges as we teach and train young men and women for the ministry. Certainly, not all our graduates will start a new church, but they need to be equipped to do it, and this book will assist in their preparation.

Thank you, Brother Cole, for your time and talent in producing this valuable tool to be used in establishing Bible-believing Baptist churches.

Richard E. Worsham, D. Min.
Rev. Harry & Professor

 

Starting a Church

Not too long ago someone asked me, "When did you start your church?" Immediately, my mind was transported to one of the coldest days on record in Vermont. I remember going out to our VW van, prying the door open, getting in and inserting the key into the frozen ignition. "Had I done everything right?" I queried in my mind. "Let me see, I have the oil heater plugged in, the gas tank full with the dry gas added—yes, yes, I believe I have done everything correctly for 40 below zero." I turned the key and simultaneously whispered a brief prayer of confession and petition (as is our custom as Christians in New England). The engine sputtered and started and I breathed a sigh of relief. I turned the heat on full blast (which means nothing in a VW van) and went inside to gloat over the victory to my wife.

After dressing for work and getting my necessary tools (an ice scrapper for the inside of the windows) I went back out to the van. In horror I first noticed that the smoke was not exiting the tail pipe. Listening to the stillness I realized I was back at the beginning. I brushed off the lamentation and quickly got into the van to turn the key (as if my speed had anything to do with it). This time my prayer was out loud and almost agitated (as is our custom as Christians in New England). The van sputtered and started only to die again. "What’s wrong with you?" I spoke to the inanimate object expecting an answer. You have got to blame someone and just to be safe you might as well start with inanimate objects. Since prayer did not seem to start the van, the use of euphemisms began to fly (as is our custom as Christians in New England). When the van was finally going and I had a time to reflect on the morning I prayed and repented (as is our custom as Christians in New England). I spent the better part of 35 minutes starting the van that morning.

Suddenly, I was jolted back to reality by the words "When did your start your church?" still ringing in my mind.

"Which time?" I answered.

Church Planting & Church Pioneering

Church planting, to me, may consist of the following two elements or both. One is church pioneering and the other is church homesteading. The difference, to me, between simply homesteading a church and pioneering a church is defined in what one has to start with. Just suppose two preachers, called of God, are setting out from Bible College to plant a church. One leaves and goes to the rural North West and the other to the rural South. Neither town has a Baptist Church of any kind in them.

There is a good chance that in the rural Northwest the church planter will have to clear a place out in a community that has little or no idea what a Baptist is. That will be a process that will take years of education. The church he starts will consist mainly of his family at first. He must win and disciple almost all the first church members. Like Daniel Boone, he must clear a space out of the spiritual wilderness, facing the unknown in a relatively remote area.

There is a good chance that if the Southern town does not have a Baptist church, it is already familiar with what a Baptist is. About 10 minutes away in the next town there are two Baptist churches and in the other direction there are four. The church he starts will consist of his family and perhaps several grounded (though perhaps disgruntled) Baptists that are in the area. Though he will also win people to Christ and disciple them, by far his numbers will increase through transfer in membership. The wilderness is already somewhat clear, not so remote, and the materials are there to build a great church that will carry out the commission of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Both men are church planters. There is a difference in how they will accomplish the vision that God has given each of them. It is wrong to force one method upon the efforts of the church planter. It is wrong to assume success translates to all church plants in the same way. It is wrong to begin with an incorrect definition of church planting.

This book is written from the perspective of pioneer church planter in rural New England. The questions that I have had to answer and the information that I have gleaned along the way will be a definite help to other pioneers, but I believe that the homesteader will also be encouraged and helped by this text. It is a book that realizes no two church plants are the same. This book tries to answer the common questions of the man called of God to begin a New Testament Baptist church. It also attempts to answer questions about the ministry that confront all Rev. Harrys.

May God receive all the honor and glory and may the servant of God be encouraged from the observations to follow.