Jon over at Stuff Christians Like did a post a few days ago on 15 things that happen when you start a church. His list is hilarious and true. We’re 9 for 15 so far:

15 things that happen when you start a church.

1. You will meet in weird places that don’t feel exactly like church. Our church rocked it in an old car wash for a while.

2. You don’t get to choose your first members. My dad’s first member was a 6’5” homeless man named Jack who used to get sick in the middle of service in what was a small, poorly acoustically prepared for giant men to get sick, car wash.

3. Your oldest members will occasionally bring their own tambourines to service and unexpectedly go up front to play them. To slow songs.

4. A whole bunch of people will think you’re too conservative.

5. A whole bunch of people will think you’re too radical.

6. At some point, someone will complain that the ex-stripper who sings at church is not wearing enough clothing. You will swear they did not teach you how to handle that exact situation in seminary.

7. You will accidentally do a bait and switch, promising a fun pizza event that turns into a get saved right this second moment, that the local paper eviscerates you for.

8. People in your new city will wonder what your pastor does the rest of the week since he only really “works” one day a week.

9. Your pastor will think about quitting approximately 84 times. He will think he is the only pastor who feels that way.

10. Someone on a youth group trip will break a limb. You will trust in the almighty signed parental waiver.

11. A crazy drunk guy will try to break into your pastor’s car to sleep through the cold New England night, will have a nurse falsely call the pastor and say he’s committed suicide and will inexplicably give one of the pastor’s kids a pet snake. (Is that one too specific? Probably.)

12. You will meet in a school and become some sort of ninja black belt at stacking and unstacking chairs.

13. You will be surprised at how few people it takes to find yourself wrapped up in church politics.

14. You will be not so secretly jealous of other churches in your town who are able to have bouncey things at their Vacation Bible Schools.

15. You will laugh at how wildly off base all your fancy plans were for your community but how perfectly God provides at just the right time.

That list could be a bajillion points long and I hope you’ll add to it. But today, I just want to say thank you.

Thanks to the church planters who do the crazy. Who do the impossible. Who do the difficult.

In Ohio and Tanzania, California and Canada, thank you for starting churches.

Have you ever been part of a church plant?