In my high school English lit class, we were taught that for both understanding and writing stories, we needed to apply the maxim 5 W's and an H. The reasoning behind this is so that a full picture is either understood or painted. I've been chewing on how these things relate to the concept and practice of church planting and have a few thoughts. Here is how I see these each relating:
Why are you planting a church?
What do you believe about the church's identity and mission in the world?
Where will you plant?
Who will be involved?
How will you go about planting?
When will you plant?
I've realized that many mistakes can be avoided (or many lessons learned) by focusing first on the why and what, before concerning yourself with the who, how and whens of the matter. While these things are certainly part of the picture, if these lenses are put in the wrong order, I believe it makes the whole endeavor fuzzy, like trying to see the letters in an eye exam when the doctor changes the way the lenses distort the image.
Here, in brief, are how I see some of these improper focuses leading to a weakening of the work of ...
