This article was originally published in Danish.
A 25th anniversary at Københavnerkirken!? 25 years as a church planter!? It’s incredible how time flies. It doesn’t feel like that many years ago that we were a small group of people with a calling and a dream to plant a church in Copenhagen. And now, 25 years later, we stand here and can look back on a fantastic and wild journey—with plenty of hard work, many ups and downs—but far overshadowed by God’s incredible blessings and goodness. And people’s transformed lives.
It is a good opportunity to pause and look back on everything that has happened. And to share some of the experiences I have had, which may be an encouragement and help to anyone who is about to plant a church or serve in God’s kingdom in some other way.
Stop and take stock!
Stop every now and then. Rejoice in what went well.
My first piece of advice is: Remember to stop every now and then and look back! Often, we just keep rushing along, because there are always tasks to be done, people to talk to, services to plan. There are always new problems to solve.
So, stop every now and then. Rejoice in what went well. Consider why things that went wrong went wrong. Thank God for being with you through it all. Find out if you need help, support, new steps to take, or changes to make.
You might as well do this right away. Because it won’t get any better, and there won’t be any more time in the future. Whether you’re a small church plant or pastoring a large, well-established church, the amount of work is the same. The tasks vary and are different, but the work is the same.
The indispensability of community
Being a pastor and church planter can be a lonely job! Even when you’re surrounded by people. The worries—am I doing a good enough job? Do my sermons reach beyond the pulpit and into people’s hearts? Am I prioritising correctly? And simply the feeling of loneliness.
Community is essential. Looking back, I don’t know where I would be today if I hadn’t had a community around me. Good fellow leaders who stood by me through thick and thin. And friends with whom I could be honest, share joy, be challenged by, pray with, laugh with—and all the other things that have kept me alive—both humanly and spiritually.
There is a lot of talk about ‘accountability,’ and it is important. But I would say that to an even greater extent there is a need for one or more people who can speak the gospel into my heart and thus be a great encouragement in my life. And keep me bold in my ministry.
If it is myself and my achievements that are at the centre, the result will certainly end in either despondency or pride.
It is interesting how despondency and pride are two sides of the same coin! And reveal whether the gospel is at the centre of my life and ministry. If it is myself and my achievements that are at the centre, the result will certainly end in either despondency or pride.
Despondency and despair when I face adversity, or when things don’t really go to plan, or when growth fails to materialise. Pride when the opposite happens. When I receive praise, when people come, when the money comes in…
When the gospel is at the centre, I can cope with prosperity, because I know it is not due to my own merits, but to God’s grace and blessing. And when adversity and failure come, I can rejoice that it is not my achievements that make me a child of God. And I can listen to good advice and criticism without it weighing me down.
God’s Word and evangelism
When I look back, I am constantly surprised by just how difficult these two areas are: the Bible and evangelism! And yet, they are absolutely central to Jesus, to Paul, and to the Church, and they form the common thread running through the entire Old and New Testaments.
Why is it so difficult to keep the Bible at the centre—both when we are gathered at church and when we are home? Why is being a witness and sharing the gospel with our family, neighbours, and colleagues so difficult, though many of us can look back on encouraging and meaningful conversations?
I am convinced the Devil knows these very areas are crucial. Crucial for our own faith. To be kept in a living faith. And for the church to be kept on a healthy and true path. That is why he attacks us fiercely here.
He will do everything to prevent the gospel from spreading. So here too he attacks us fiercely, so that we lose heart when it comes to being a visible and confident Christian, sharing the gospel with our fellow human beings.
It can be so easy to give in to this pressure. But precisely because we know this is the case, we must step up our efforts! Encourage others to put the Bible at the centre—not just in words, but also demonstrating this in practice when we are together and at home.
We must keep encouraging one another to share the gospel with those God sends our way. Even when we are tempted to think, “Surely they don’t need that.” And especially when we almost feel we’re imposing on them with difficult news!
A good friend once said to me: “We mustn’t say no in advance to people talking about the gospel—we must share it with them and let them say no themselves if they don’t want to!”
Hard work
Let us work as if everything depends on us—and at the same time pray as if everything depends on God.
There is no point in hiding the fact that serving in God’s kingdom is hard work. This is true whether you are church planting or serving in any other form of ministry. It requires time, commitment, perseverance, and hard work. It is not something that can be done with one hand tied behind your back!
But don’t worry, we have an eternity ahead of us where we shall enter into the rest that Jesus has prepared for us. Therefore, let us imitate Jesus, “who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2b)
Let us work as if everything depends on us—and at the same time pray as if everything depends on God (which we know it does!)
Love
When we are in ministry and working in the church, we can often become so absorbed and focused on ‘the project’—on the church growing, on services and events being a success—that we forget the people! But people are what matter most. Jesus had a mission: to save the world! But he loved people; he looked them in the eye and had a unique care and love for each individual.
Let us pray God will make our hearts bigger for people and give us his love for each individual, rather than praying that we may grow and become a success. This applies both to those within the congregation, but just as much to those outside it.
God is good!
Looking back, I must reiterate it has been hard work with plenty of bumps along the way, worries, long days, even disappointments, but this has been far outweighed by all of God’s tender care and blessings. I can say with a sincere heart that I would gladly do it all again!
