Church Planting Is for Wimps: How God Uses Messed-up People to Plant Ordinary Churches That Do Extraordinary Things (9Marks) [Paperback]

Mike McKinley (Author), Darrin Patrick (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010 | Series: 9Marks

This latest addition to the IXMarks series tells the story of the revitalization of Guilford Baptist Church in northern Virginia. Weaving together scripture and biblical principles with humor and personal anecdotes, author Michael McKinley asserts that a pastor's faithful exposition of God's Word, passion for sharing the gospel, and care in the training of other godly leaders are more important than the size of his church.

McKinley honestly shares his own fears and rookie mistakes, along with encouraging stories of how God moved at Guilford Baptist. We are reminded that God uses weak and fearful pastors in plants and revitalizations; church planting is indeed for "wimps." For pastors and seminarians considering a church plant and those already struggling in their own fledgling congregations, this book is a thoughtful and encouraging resource.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I love Mike McKinley's writing. Church Planting is For Wimps is an engaging book that weaves together personal story, theological reflection, practical suggestion, and great humor. This is a book that will be of great benefit to pastors who are thinking of giving up on their churches."
—J. D. Greear, Lead Pastor, The Summit Church, Durham, North Carolina; author, Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

“Mike knows a lot about the ups and downs of church planting, and he writes about it with all the honesty and humor necessary for laboring in God’s grace. There’s no airbrushing of difficulties. And there are no oppressive ‘be wonderful like me’ gimmicks. If you want to think, learn, and laugh all at once, read this book. Whether you’re a church planter, on a church-planting team, or an established pastor whose church wants to be more involved in church planting, you’ll find this book a refreshing, grace-filled, hopeful, and useful excursion into the sometimes dizzying world of church planting.”
—Thabiti M. Anyabwile, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman; author, What Is a Healthy Church Member?

About the Author

MIKE MCKINLEY received his MDiv from Westminster Theological Seminary and is the author of several articles and reviews. He served on the pastoral staff of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC, and in 2005 was called to revitalize Guilford Baptist Church in Sterling, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Crossway (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433514974
• ISBN-13: 978-1433514975
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #660,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Much Needed Focus on Revitalizing Dead Churches May 20, 2010

By John Gardner

Format:Paperback

As you might be able to tell from the cover, this is a book that doesn't take itself too seriously. The author writes in a very conversational, humorous style that is a pleasure to read, while covering some weighty topics and revealing some deep truths about the nature of ministry in general, and church planting in particular.

This book is not a "how-to" manual for starting a new church. Rather, it is a very personal book telling the author's own story. Mike McKinley did not actually plant a new church. He did something much harder. He went into a small, all-but-dead church to revitalize its ministry. This is where the title of the book originates. Someone once told the author that "church planting is for wimps", because those starting a new church can set things up however they like from the get-go. Comparatively, revitalizing a dead or dying church is much more difficult.

McKinley makes clear, however, that this is not really his position on church planting. ALL church planters are doing a great work, and though the challenges are different for planters and revitalizers, they are both God-sized tasks that are accomplished through "wimps" who ultimately can do nothing of eternal value on their own. As the author says, "God is more passionate about spreading his gospel than we are. We only need to be passionate about following his lead and trusting him for his provision."

What I appreciated most about this book was the author's high view of the church, and the optimism with which he approaches small, "dead" churches. Too often, Christians are content to see small churches with no visible "fruit" in a way that seems content to let them just die.... Those with a passion and vision for reaching communities that have no effective witness for Christ usually focus on beginning a new church from scratch. While this is admirable, McKinley shows that revitalizing a dying church accomplishes a double purpose. It not only creates a new, effective witness, but removes a bad one.

He walks us through the difficulties (and they are many) of doing something like this. He devotes an entire chapter to the pitfalls that church planting can have on the wives and children of church planters, encouraging them to find a support structure of other pastors in the area, and to build into their churches a foundation of lay leadership to help bear the burden of ministry.

While this book is geared toward revitalizing smaller churches (the church he lead had twelve attendees when he arrived), many of the specific things McKinley addresses will find application in churches of any sizes... which one might expect from a 9Marks book. His emphasis is first and foremost the preaching of the gospel, but with a strong focus as well on "establishing a clear membership list, adopting a concise and solid statement of faith, and establishing biblical leadership."

By laying the groundwork for effective church governance, he placed the church in a position to grow (spiritually and numerically) and minister to others without tripping over itself. While church marketing strategies come and go, God's Word remains the same. Building the Church on this foundation will always bear "real" fruit, which can't be said for the ideas of men, no matter how brilliant they may be.

The key to all of this working is the cultivation of leaders. McKinley lists five qualities that are essential for men to become leaders in the church:

1. He should be godly.
2. He should be theologically solid.
3. He should do a good job leading his family.
4. He should be involved in the church.
5. He should understand what makes Christian leadership distinctive.

This book will make a great read for anyone interested in planting or revitalizing a church, someone currently pastoring a small church, or those in ministry who would like to support the work of church planting. Read more ›

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Church Planting in Its Joys and Difficulties May 13, 2010

By Dr. Robert J. Vajko VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

McKinley, Mike. 2010. Church Planting is for Wimps: How God Uses Messed-up People to Plant
Ordinary Churches That Do Extraordinary Things. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

I was not sure that I would review this book since I work with cross-cultural church planters most of the time but decided that in spite of its more American cultural setting, it had value for those of other cultures. The title is somewhat misleading since the book is more about "replanting" or "revitalizing" a church rather than planting one from the ground up. The title uses the word "wimp" which is an American colloquialism for a weak person. The implication is that church revitalization as church planting is more of a challenge than church planting with no previous core group.

I am not sure that I agree with the author in one sense but we often hear the expression in reference to church planting that one of the reasons for it is that "it is easier to have a baby than to raise the dead." This implies it is almost impossible to take an older church and rejuvenate it than to plant a new church.

When one reads some of the difficulties that McKinley goes through in trying to change a small church that was dying, one begins to understand some of the great obstacles in trying to change an existing older church. McKinley explains, "Whereas a new church planter can build from scratch, a revitalizer has to do some tearing down first. And this is not usually well received. If the church had wanted to do the things that healthy churches do, it wouldn't be dead" (34). If you sense God is leading you to revitalize an existing church, here is some help for you....

Another help this book gives is dealing with some of the problems of balancing church planting or revitalization with caring for one's wife and family. Read chapter 6 entitled "How to Ruin Everything" to see McKinley's confession of failure and God's working to make him a balanced pastor.

Thank you, Mike, for your honesty, your vision and your desire to see a God-glorifying church. Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful Book February 14, 2013

By Andrew P. Schreiber

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a rookie church planter (or more accurately, someone working in church revitalization), I found this little book very helpful. McKinley interweaves sound Scriptural principles with snippets of his own story & experience in church planting/revitalization.

He is also candid about his own mistakes and shortcomings. (As someone who knows his own mistakes and shortcomings all too well, and can let those things become a source of discouragement in ministry, I really appreciated that.)

This book is a breath of fresh air in today's world of not-so-helpful church growth material that focuses on marketing, slick salesmanship, the latest trends, and the like, McKinley comes along and points us back to the outward and ordinary means of grace (especially the faithful preaching of the Word) as God's primary means of building & building up His church.

If you are involved in or are considering church planting or revitalization, I highly recommend that you read this book. You may find it both helpful and encouraging.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very encouraging! February 13, 2013

By Sara E. Logsdon

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is a must read for any one in the process of Church revitalization. I have found such encouragement from reading Mike's story. It is so much like my own! Good to know there are other believers out there doing the same work and struggling with how to go about bring gospel change to what was a dying church.

3.0 out of 5 stars Limited, but Encouraging and Helpful November 12, 2012

By Luke-carl.

Format:Paperback

Pros: The work is clear, friendly, witty, modern. It is story based so it is easy to read and exciting,the author is coming out of Dever's church so he has wisdom beyond his years and Dever's theology echoes in the background. He graduated from Westminster Seminary so he is above average intelligence, his subject matter is applicable and concise, it was meant to be a kind of story/hodge podge of practical advice. It has en excellent chapter on the import of prioritizing your marriage (as one reviewer noted) and reclaiming it from work-a-holism. Excellent insight that people's initial instict is to do "everthing backward" by focusing on the general congregation rather than your leaders and then delegating.

Cons: This is no ecclesiology, nor does it represent good theological thinking. It was disappointing how little 1 Tim. 3 or Titus 1 played into the author's thinking, which clearly emphasize family over ministry. One cannot help but feel the author needed a great deal more ecclesiological training due to some very obvious (sadly) mistakes.

However, if you are unaware of #1 the tendency of pastors/churchplanters/leaders in general to be workaholics, or #2 that the first thing you always focus on in any endeavor to lead is to train your own leaders and work from the top down, then this book is for you.

Though the book has serious limitations, nevertheless it has some helpful insights as well, and McKinley's zeal for Christ and His Bride really comes through. It's a nice, light, encouraging work to breeze through