The Temptation of the Church Planter (Luke 4)

In today’s reading (Luke 4) we see Jesus tempted by Satan. And people have pointed out that the temptations are really shortcuts. All the things Satan promised Jesus would ultimately have (food, authority, God’s protection). What Satan was trying to do was get Jesus to take a shortcut – to have what He would ultimately have sooner and easier.

It got me thinking about temptations church planters face. I wonder how many of them are really just shortcuts?

• Maybe it’s that ultimately you want to have a church full of people who are far from God, but the shortcut is to fill your church quickly with people who are close to God. It’s certainly a lot easier!
• Or it could be that ultimately you want to have a great mission statement and core values that truly express the heart of who you are as a church, but the shortcut is to just copy North Point and have the foyer, living room, and kitchen.
• Perhaps you ultimately want your church services to be a unique expression of who you are and something that really connects with the unique community God’s put you in, but the shortcut is to imitate what Elevation Church is doing.

So, if you’re starting a church, what are some of the tempting shortcuts you’re facing? And if you’re not starting a church, what are some of the tempting shortcuts you’re facing?