A number of years ago when I attended a church-planting seminar, the speaker gave a blunt and direct assessment of a possible church-plant scenario. He warned, “Remember that church plants attract the weirdos who come out of the shadows when they smell a chance to have power in a church.” He went on to warn with less humor that some may be interested in a church plant because they see it as an opportunity to bring their particular brand of “THIS is how to do church” to a group of people and have influence over others. So, to alleviate fear of this possibility, let me propose what a quality core group looks like.

The Group has a High Percentage of Mature Christians

While it is certainly possible (and in some cases the only option) to begin a church plant solely with a shepherd who is bringing new believers through evangelism, in our culture, the most-often used method is the core group. But if that group itself is unclear about basic theology and basic ecclesiology (the study and function of the church) then the core group itself will need to be discipled for a period of many months (or even a couple of years) before being able to accurately represent to others what the church is about.

The Group is Financially Committed and Stable

It’s one thing for a small group of Christians to indicate commitment to a new church, but if most of them can make little financial contribution, then the effort may be hamstrung from the start. Even before identifying a potential founding pastor, the core group ought to begin saving money. This can include a simple agreement that if the church plant does not move forward, the money will be returned or donated to a mutually-agreed-upon ministry.

The Group is Geographically Committed and Stable

While certainly in the sovereignty of God, a core group member gets transferred to a different state or a death in the family necessitates a move, generally it is best if the group is primarily made up of believers committed to the geographic area and who have been there for some time. Planting a church is hard work in which all hands on deck is the norm. Even the loss of a couple of families could severely cramp the possibility of a successful outcome.

The Group Includes Those with Experience in Biblical Churches

Having a number of families who previously have been (for example in a different city) in a healthy, biblical, and well-functioning church can be invaluable in providing a basic direction. Conversely, a group made up primarily of those who have jumped from church to church or who don’t have a good example of church life may find itself languishing before much momentum is achieved. Even more ideally, if the core group can connect itself with another established church perhaps in a neighboring city, that partnership can be invaluable.

The Group Has a Facilitator Who is Humble and Not Power-Hungry

Often, a church-plant has been the prayerful dream of one or two men who then inspire others. But their leadership at the outset should include a healthy dose of humility and being facilitators rather than self-proclaimed church leaders. The incoming founding pastor should be given the opportunity to test, train, and qualify leaders. The original facilitator may or may not end up as a spiritual leader in the church and should make this clear at the outset.

The Group is Singularly and Wholeheartedly Committed to Expository Preaching

A basic definition of expository preaching is biblical preaching driven by historical-grammatical hermeneutics, the original intent of the biblical author, a priority of explaining the text and the goal of applying the text. The average Christian will know expository preaching because they will feel like they are drinking from the proverbial firehose spiritually and are observing major changes in their lives and attitudes as they are moved toward Christ-likeness. A core group that does not understand this or is not commitment to this runs a high danger of creating just another man-pleasing church which does nothing to radically change the lives of the members.