Planting for the Kingdom, Not Just a Crowd

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”
— Zechariah 4:6

We don’t need more Sunday events.
We need more Kingdom outposts.

In too many places, church has become a strategy of event production and personality projection. Some still believe that if you can find the right venue, brand it clean, hire a worship team, and market it well, you will gather a crowd.

But a crowd isn’t a church.
And starting a new service isn’t the same thing as birthing a Gospel community, or making disciples.

The Spirit, Not the Strategy, Births the Church

Churches are not built on charisma or cleverness.
They are born in prayer, sustained by the Spirit, and grown through obedient discipleship.

Every true church begins with a spiritual breakthrough — not an organizational one.

When Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18), He wasn’t promising marketing success. He was talking about a Spirit-powered movement of people, healed and filled, who would live out His Kingdom among the broken.

The Church is birthed in prayerful surrender, not clever design.

As someone who coaches, trains, and supports planters with strategy and admin support, of course I believe those things are important — BUT THEY ARE SECONDARY.
The primary force that breaks ground for a new church is spiritual, not organizational.

People Are Hungry — But Not for Entertainment

We live in a culture of exhaustion, loneliness, addiction, and injustice.
And people aren’t looking for a more exciting Sunday show.
They’re looking for freedom, healing, and truth that doesn’t compromise.

Too often, church plants try to compete with the world’s entertainment. Lights, fog machines, branded coffee bars — as if what people truly need is one more polished experience.

Yes, those things can help create an environment — but what people are actually craving is something real:

• A place to heal.
• A people who see them.
• A Savior who delivers.
• A Spirit who empowers.

They need Kingdom presence, not just another performance.

Gospel Presence Over Event-Based Attraction

There’s a difference between drawing a crowd and incarnating the Gospel in a community.

Event-based attraction is driven by optics, marketing, and convenience.
Gospel presence is driven by proximity, relationships, prayer, and power.

Attractional models often ask, “How do we get people to come to us?”
Kingdom models ask, “How do we go and bring Christ’s presence to them?”

One is a gathering mechanism.
The other is a missionary mindset.

Kingdom Metrics Are Different

If your church plant is only measuring:

• Attendance
• Launch-day size
• Giving trends
• Brand reach

…you may miss the deeper question:
Are people being transformed by Jesus?

Kingdom metrics ask:

• Who is finding healing here?
• Are we seeing disciples made, not just attendees added?
• Are leaders being raised from the harvest?
• Is our community changing because we’re here?

A true church plant is not just a start-up with worship music —
It’s a spiritual movement with Kingdom fruit.

Systems Follow the Spirit

None of this is anti-structure.
But structure should serve the Spirit, not replace it.

At some point, yes — you’ll need systems for multiplication, governance, finances, and follow-up.
But those are supports, not starters.

Don’t start with infrastructure.
Start with intercession.

What births the church is not your skill, but your dependence.
What sustains it is not your vision board, but Spirit-empowered obedience.

Why This Matters for Living Sent

Living sent means planting the presence of Jesus — not just opening a worship service.

To be sent is to go slow enough to hear God, bold enough to obey Him, and faithful enough to labor in unseen prayer until the ground breaks and a new Gospel presence emerges.

Let’s not build crowds.
Let’s birth communities where people encounter the power and presence of Jesus — and nothing less.

👣 Reflection Questions

• Are you planting something that people can consume — or something that will form them?
• What would shift if you prioritized spiritual force over organizational strength?
• How are you cultivating Kingdom presence in the place God has sent you?