How does your schedule stack up to a Boston Church Planter?

While Lori and I were visiting Boston last fall, we got to meet several church planters.  During our time there, met their families, listened to their passion to reach Boston and how difficult it was to reach the area.  One aspect that stood out was the grueling and demanding schedules.  So here is a typical Monday in the life of a church planter. 

A Day in the Life of a Boston Church Planter

4 am – Get to go into work.  This pastor is a day shift manager at Dunkin Doughnuts.  This comes really early considering the pastor stayed up late to build relationships with new members of the church plant or the leadership team.  This was hard to grasp because I have served as a full-time pastor in the Bible belt for over 11 years and bi-vocationally for 7 years.  I never had to work a full-time job just to provide for my family, while trying to build a church.

5 am – Open the Dunkin Doughnuts store, while intentionally trying to build relationships with coworkers, as well as customers. 

2 pm – Leave work to head home and spend time with family.  This planter has a newborn, still under the age of 1 and in diapers.  Before their daughter was born, his wife also worked to help provide.  However she stays at home to take care of their daughter.  So now money is tighter as they try to make ends meet in an expensive place to live.  Unfortunately many church planters’ wives do not get the encouragement they need, while they stay at home with the children and try to build relationships as they have moved into a new area and not knowing anyone.

4 pm – Squeeze in some sermon prep time before dinner. 

5 pm – Eat dinner with family.

6 pm – Contact new visitors from Sunday’s service, either by email or phone call.  Also make phone calls to communicate with upcoming visiting missions teams.  There a lot of logistics to work on before a team comes to visit (i.e. nailing down a project, housing, food and schedule).

7 pm – Meet with leadership core team to evaluate Sunday’s service or to vision cast

9 pm – Spend some time with spouse before having to get up early again for the next day of work.  Unfortunately, many times the wife has to put the children to bed before the husband can get home.

As you can see, these planters have grueling schedules.  This is one of many reasons why Lori and I are going to Boston to serve as Mission Mobilizers.  We will be coming alongside these planters to help ease their schedules by meeting with visiting mission teams, running errands and working on logistics. 

Here is a website where you can watch video of each of the church planters. http://www.bostonchurchplanting.com

Mission Mobilizer? What does that mean??

 “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Matthew 9:36-38

As many of you know, Lori and I will be traveling to Boston this summer to serve with the North American Mission Board and Baptist Convention of New England, as Mission Mobilizers.   Unfortunately many people do not fully grasp the importance of  this position and why it is so critical.  So through this blog, I hope you will begin to gain a better understanding of how the Lord will use Lori and I in Boston.  Although this position is multi-faceted, I will only focus on 3 areas in which this position will assist Boston Church planters. 

Focus #1 – To encourage Boston church planters and their wives:

·      Church planters are stretched very thin as they juggle full-time jobs, families and ministry. 

·      Boston is a difficult culture to crack.  A majority of the planters are either from different parts of the country, as well as several from other countries.  So getting acclimated to a different culture can be very tough.

·      The planters have very little contact and connection with fellow believers.  This city can be very lonely spiritually speaking.  God has truly called them to be a light in the darkness. 

·      Unfortunately, wives are the most overlooked.  As their husbands work, build the church and connect with people, spouses are left at home to take care of children and have few to no friends with being in a new area. 

As Mission Mobilizers how we will encourage planters:

·      Within our first week of being in Boston, Lori and I are hosting an encouragement picnic for church planters and their families.  There will be food, games and fellowship.  During this time, planters will get the opportunity to spend time with other planters. 

·      Also Lori and I will finally get to meet many of the planters face to face that we have been communicating with over the past several weeks.  

·      Lori will be setting up a coffee & tea social for church planters’ wives.  After 18 years of ministry, Lori knows how difficult it can be to be a pastor’s wife.

Focus #2 – To help equip church planters:

·      Although the planters have been through seminary, many are young and have little experience in church ministry.

·      Church growth in itself brings so many new challenges, including how to deal with conflict.

·      Thankfully there are a couple of church planting catalysts in the area who the planters can go to for help.  These catalysts are seasoned church planters, who can share their experience and help mentor younger church planters.  However with 42 church plants, the catalysts are stretched thin.

As Mission Mobilizers how we plan to help equip planters:

·      With over 18 years of church ministry, Lori and I bring a wealth of wisdom and experience to share. 

·      We will be able to help planters to think strategically how to handle church growth, as well as handing conflict.

·      Thankfully I have developed some great tools for ministry that I can share with planters.

·      We will be able to come alongside the catalysts and bear some of the weight.

Focus #3 – To help with mission team logistics

·      Church planters desperately need mission teams to come and serve.  However since they work full-time jobs, their time is very limited. 

·      There is a lot of planning that takes place to have a team come and serve.  Again, church planters’ schedules are very tight. 

As Mission Mobilizers how we plan to help with logistics

·      Lori and I will be communicating with church planters, as well as mission teams to help nail down essential details.

·      While in Boston, we will be working with teams when they are in serving.  Church planters are not able to take off the whole time when teams come to serve. 

Lori and I are very excited about this summer and serving in Boston.  We look forward to seeing how God will use us.  Until we go, I will continue to blog about Boston and church planting.  I am also planning to blog while we are in Boston. 

We will be volunteering for 8 weeks.  Here is the link for more information if you would like to donate towards our trip.

http://msc.kintera.org/jablonskis