Eight Church Planting Insights

In late 2021, I began sensing a call to plant a church in downtown St. Petersburg. My response was equal parts excitement and terror. Excitement, because I had heard this Voice before—always before some wild, faith-filled adventure. Terror, because I knew what such a call would mean: deep sacrifice, real spiritual resistance, and a cost that would fall not just on me but on my family and on any other crazy souls who chose to come with us. Tears streamed down my face as I recognized the familiar Voice of God.

Less than a month ago, we celebrated the Grand Opening of Artisan City Church in the heart of DTSP. Nearly 400 people gathered to sing, to hear the gospel, and to encounter the living God. The room was filled with a striking diversity—tattoos, dyed hair, piercings, young and old, Black, White, Asian, Latino. It was a beautiful beginning to what we pray will be a long, faithful work in this city. Already we’ve seen people begin to follow Jesus, take the step of baptism, and start growing into missional disciples.

This is my first time planting a church, so I’m no expert. But I’ve been reflecting on what’s surprised me—lessons I didn’t hear often from the usual church-planting conversations. These aren’t exhaustive, and they’re shaped by one context: a city center in a progressive, post-Christian environment. Still, I hope they’re useful if you’re thinking about planting in a similar place.

1. Start with prayer and fasting.

If you only remember one thing from this article, make it this: prayer and fasting cannot be secondary. For decades many streams of the Western church have quietly sidelined prayer, while chasing vision decks and strategic plans. Thankfully, there’s a resurgence—through leaders like Jon Tyson and Church of the City NYC—but there’s still not enough said about prayer in church planting specifically.

The lead planter must go first. For me, that meant daily one-hour prayer blocks after lunch and fasting twice a week (no food until dinner, with extra prayer time). We built a small but committed team of intercessors who carried this work with us. Before we launched any public events, we started a weekly prayer gathering—Wednesdays, 7–8 p.m., in our little office space. We invited our launch team into a few corporate fasts before key milestones.

In this cultural moment, we won’t see a real movement of the Spirit without prayer that’s desperate, sustained, and central.

2. Don’t do it alone.

One of our first prayers was simple: Lord, send a team. We invited people relentlessly to join the mission. About twenty adults uprooted their lives to move with us and help build something new. Once in St. Pete, we held monthly interest nights, bi-weekly team gatherings, and regular connect events—all aimed at building a launch team of around a hundred.

I’m planting alongside AJ Holt as a co-lead. Honestly, I don’t know how I’d carry this alone. Ministry is always communal; church planting doubly so.

3. Contextualization is king.

I always felt a little out of place in rural southern ministry. I love pour-over Ethiopian coffee, tattoos, cigars, and post-hardcore music. St. Pete does too. Instead of importing a ministry model that didn’t fit, we chose to learn the city and engage it.

Some of our most fruitful events? Cigar nights for men. Free flash-tattoo events (the shop owners are now part of our church). We commissioned a local artist for our first series—Beauty Will Save the World—a study through John’s Gospel.

Theology matters, but so does cultural exegesis. Learn your city’s story, symbols, and longings. Speak the gospel in a way that both subverts and fulfills its hopes. A growing stream called cultural apologetics (championed by the Keller Center and others) can help you think this way.

4. Read widely; take the “outside view.”

Resources for church planting are everywhere. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Learn from others, then innovate with humility.

Some must-reads: Center Church (Tim Keller), Planting Missional Churches (Ed Stetzer & Daniel Im), Church Plantology (Peyton Jones). Also, the book How Big Things Get Done argues for the “outside view”—resist the temptation to believe your idea is utterly unique. Study similar projects. Take their wisdom; then discern how to adapt it.

I once sat with a leader who left the Western model to pursue an Eastern house-church approach. When I asked if any of his groups had multiplied, he quietly said no. My point isn’t to critique house churches; in many contexts they thrive. My point is: don’t throw out centuries of hard-won lessons in pursuit of novelty. Learn deeply, then innovate prayerfully.

5. It really does take a village.

The church planting landscape is shifting in healthy ways. Years ago, networks acted like competing universities: if you joined one, you were off-limits to others. Today there’s far more collaboration.

We partnered with NewSpring Network, the Orchard Group, and Strategic Launch Network—each brought unique expertise and resources. Other excellent networks include ARC, Acts 29, Redeemer City to City, Stadia, SEND, Evergreen, Converge, and more. Don’t be afraid to build a coalition.

6. Raise more money than you think you’ll need.

You don’t want to be cash-strapped and begging for donations while trying to reach people far from God. Pray bold prayers, read The God Ask, and work hard to raise support before launch.

I’ve seen well-meaning planters “trust God” without doing the practical fundraising work—and some sadly had to close doors too soon. Faith and planning are not enemies.

7. Pursue organizational health early.

Vision leaks. Culture drifts. Conflict finds cracks. Organizational health isn’t a luxury; it’s survival. Read Patrick Lencioni’s The Advantage and use his framework to clarify vision, mission, values, anchors, and metrics. A seasoned pastor gave me this advice years ago, and it’s one of the few books I return to constantly.

8. Don’t dismiss social media ads.

I used to think Facebook and Instagram ads were cringey holdovers from the megachurch era. I was wrong. People can’t visit a church they don’t know exists. We’ve seen multiple salvations, baptisms, and long-term discipleship stories begin because someone clicked a well-crafted ad.

If you’re new to digital marketing, groups like Church Candy are widely used and effective.

A Final Word

Friends, Jesus is building His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail. We need more faithful, Spirit-dependent, contextually wise churches in our cities. My hope isn’t to impress but to serve—to share what we’re learning in real time.

If you’re planting and want to connect, I’d love to help however I can: chris@chrisdewministries.com