Another Clint Question Answered

What age and experience are necessary for a young man who’s aspiration is to plant churches and is it acceptable for him to stay single if he is qualified in other areas?

I suppose the answer to this question hinges on how you define the purpose of a church planter. Is the purpose of a church planter to collect a flock of people that he can shepherd? Sometimes I think it is. Can the purpose of a church planter be to teach while a group of leaders he has partnered with perform the shepherding of the church? I think this can be true sometimes too. This question really hits on the fact that we often call the preacher pastor. The preacher may not always be prepared to shepherd a church due to age. This does not mean that he might not b gifted to teach or to lead. Come to think of it, I seem to recall that shepherding can also be a spiritual gift (I will have to confirm). This probably hits on one of the problems that can sometimes be found in new church plants. The preacher is gifted to teach, but is not equipped to shepherd. In this situation it is important that the new church planter join with people who can help him shepherd his flock. So I do not believe there is an age or experience in which people could be able to plant churches. I do think however that it is important to recognize that people might come into church planting from different backgrounds and with different giftings. Recognizing this can help the new church planter identify where to seek the Lord in providing for needs in helping him plant a church.

As for if it is acceptable to stay single, the answer is definitely yes. This however is entirely dependent on the person. Paul talks about how it is better to not be married because you get to concentrate on doing more direct work for the Lord. He also talks about how most people should get married because they have trouble with sexual purity and thus could not handle a lifetime of remaining unmarried.