Planting By Pastoring

What are the biblical basics for church planting? In Planting by Pastoring, Nathan Knight presents a vision for starting a healthy church.

Planters are Pastors

After examining Jesus as a shepherd, Knight gets to the basic fact that planters are pastors, not entrepreneurs. With this premise, the church plant is able to grow and thrive as an actual church — not a business or startup.

I was most moved to see that the pastor pastors a church, not a crowd. Membership is important. There is a covenant relationship between the two parties. Knight calls pastors to want something for their people, not want something from them.

God Will Grow His Church

The second half of the book gets to the practical parts of planting a church. The importance of choosing a team and selecting a location are discussed. They call for intention from the pastor. Throughout the book, Knight offers his own wisdom and real-life examples.

The book concludes with a challenge to redefine “success.” Knight challenges us to see success defined by faithful preaching and pastoring. Spreading gospel seeds, building up believers, and resting in the sufficiency of Christ is championed. And we hold on to the hope that God will grow his church.

I received a media copy of Planting by Pastoring and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.