Fads are intriguing but they can lead us to poor decisions. They can occur in every area of life: fashion, diet, career choice, child rearing, fitness, and faith. But more importantly, some fads can be dangerous and can even change the trajectory of our lives.

It seems to me that one of the underlying fads in the American church is to portray church planting as sexy. However, I never saw it that way. Don’t get me wrong; there are aspects of church planting that enticed me, but I have long thought that the trench work involved far outweighed the intrigue. After all, looking at the Apostle Paul’s labors in the early church does not make church planting look glamorous in the least. The man was beaten, imprisoned, and nearly died three times all while living in celibacy and far from what many consider a desirable life.

When I began the process of church planting, leaders in the church planting networks that I’m connected to would say things like, “We want to make sure you are not starting a church for the ‘sex appeal’ of it.” I thought to myself, “What are they saying!?! Church planting is not sexy!” In fact, I watched a friend of mine plant a church about 14 years ago and told him, “I will never plant a church!” I have witnessed both sustained and failed church plants—but the one thing they had in common was that they both participated in the incredibly daunting and challenging job of starting something out of nothing.

When we start anything, it’s important to avoid making a short-term or emotional decision. Many people focus on the idealistic parts of church planting: starting fresh, shaping culture, casting vision, choosing a city, seeing lives changed, and empowering people to impact others, the community, and the world. However, we need to make sure we enter each new ministry with realistic expectations, not only the feel-good ones. So if you or someone you know is discerning their call to church planting, here are some key challenges and counsel along the way:

1. You will always have more work than you have time for.
   1. Ministry will still be there tomorrow, but your time with your family may not be.
   2. You will be needed a lot and it will take focused diligence to train others so that you are not needed all the time.
2. Developing the ministry does not happen by itself.
   1. Building a team is one thing, but maintaining and encouraging that team over time is an entirely different thing.
   2. Keep the vision alive, but also keep the relationships alive—care for and love people.
3. Money doesn’t grow on trees.
   1. Raising money (unless you happen to be independently wealthy) will require making direct requests from family, friends, and churches.
   2. When raising support, remember that the money was never yours or theirs to begin with. If they say no, ask the next person.
4. You will be praised and blamed more than you deserve.
   1. Don’t get too excited about positive affirmation and/or attention.
   2. Don’t get too offended when people point the finger at you.
5. Church is the business of relationships, first with God and then with others.
   1. The most important relationship is Jesus. Period.
   2. The Lord (and your spouse and kids, if you’re married and have children) sees the real you. Your fruit will be as sweet as your personal growth with Christ and the outpouring will reflect how present the Holy Spirit is in your life.
   3. Sometimes Satan’s biggest goal is not keeping someone from church, but instead introducing them to a really annoying or hurtful Christian. Don’t be that person! Integrity matters.

After reading this list, please don’t think that I’m discouraging people from planting a church. That is not my intention at all. I would love to see healthy churches in every community around the world. But the truth is that healthy churches are led by healthy leaders, and healthy leaders evaluate both the pros and cons before jumping in headfirst. My hope is that this list is a starting point for potential planters to discern and pray through many of the tough choices of ministry before they encounter the trials. And while we will inevitably find many hard choices along the way, if we set our expectations on process and not perfection, we will serve ourselves, our families, and our churches much better.

Jeff Snodgrass is the lead pastor at Unite Church in Southern California. He has been in full time ministry for 15 years and has a passion for making disciples, maximizing the ability of those around him, and mending racial divides. He and his wife have been married since 2007 and have four children.