What Are You Noticing?

How to Discern a Call to Church Planting

Years ago, I read Andy Andrews’ The Noticer, and I have recently come back to read it again. The story centers around a mysterious older man named Jones, who seems to appear in people’s lives at exactly the right moment.  He calls himself a “noticer” because he has a gift for seeing things other people miss and helping them gain perspective.  Sometimes I wish I had a Jones in my life, not to rescue me or get me out of my circumstances, but to see the things I can’t and notice hidden possibilities and patterns in my life.

As I reflect on the longing for a Noticer in my life, I’m reminded that one of the most important skills we can develop as innovative leaders, ready and willing to move into new spaces, is to notice.  We must discern where God is moving and what our next faithful step might be in light of God’s movement.

If you're wondering whether God may be calling you to plant a church or start a new faith community, discernment often begins by paying attention to what you keep noticing.

Notice What Keeps Getting Your Attention

I like to think of discernment as “spiritual noticing.” Honestly, this noticing even begins before we have a full language for what is happening.  In our busy world, it’s easy to ignore the signs God is pointing us toward: the same group of people, a need in the community, a conversation we keep having, a frustration we can’t shake, or a possibility that keeps surfacing. Wisdom lies in slowing down enough to notice patterns and new opportunities.  Not everything that bothers us is a calling, and not every interesting idea is an assignment from God.  Sometimes calling begins as a quiet, persistent stirring that refuses to disappear.  Maybe before asking God what we should do, we need to ask why the same things keep getting our attention.

If you wish you had a Noticer like Jones to help you pay attention, here are a few important things to notice:

1. Notice the people God is putting in front of you.

Sometimes we imagine the thing we want to start before we have really noticed the people God may be calling us to know, love, and serve.  We dream about the worship space and plan the service times.  We imagine what it will look and feel like to gather in a room with a bunch of people, without even knowing the faces and hearts of those who will be present. A new faith community doesn’t begin with a program; it begins with people. Maybe we should start asking new questions with our noticing:

a.  Who lives in our community but is rarely represented in our churches?
b.  Who has stopped trusting the church?
c.  Who cannot participate in the rhythms other churches have created?
d.  Who is spiritually curious but unlikely to walk through our doors?
e.  Who do I already have a relationship with?

2. Notice the transformation you long to see. 

Once you notice people, your imagination can shift.  Instead of imagining programs and events to do for them, let your thoughts turn to your hopes and dreams for how God might show up in their lives. Ask yourself questions like these to awaken your noticing and move your thinking from form to transformation:

• In three years, what transformation would you long to see in these individuals?
• How would you like to see people’s lives improved?
• Where do you want to see God show up with restoration, redemption, and renewal in these specific people? What issues or situations do you notice in their lives that break your heart?  What would it look like if those areas of brokenness were healed and restored?

3. Notice the possibility before you choose the model. 

Before choosing a model like a conventional church plant, an emerging new faith community, or something you haven’t imagined yet, ask what might become possible if a Christian community took root among the people you have been noticing.  Don’t describe the building, worship style, staffing, programs, or schedule.  Just dream about what could become possible.  What if God’s people showed up to support people from hard places in your community and worked with God to transform their lives? Consider questions like these as you dream:

• What if discipleship happened around dinner tables?
• What if community formed at the soccer field?
• What if an existing congregation shared space with something new in the area?
• What if the thing God is asking us to start looks different from anything we have experienced or started before?

How Do I Know If God Is Calling Me to Plant a Church?

The short answer is that you probably won’t know in one dramatic moment.  For many people, a call to church planting emerges over time as several things converge and take shape.

Maybe you notice a burden that keeps returning or certain people or communities that continue to capture your attention.  You may sense a growing desire to help people encounter Jesus in ways they are not currently experiencing.  Or you might find yourself imagining what could be different if God’s people showed up for others in transformational ways.  You might even observe that others are acting as Noticers in your life and pointing out gifts and possibilities in you.  Through prayer, conversation, experience, and experimentation, what once felt unsure and vague begins to take shape.

Calling is rarely just about what you want to start.  It is also about what God may already be forming in you, preparing around you, and equipping you to do as you participate in the work of making disciples.   Church-planting discernment is not a test you pass or fail.  It’s something you notice over time and pay attention to.

Maybe one of the most faithful things we can do is to stop asking, “God, are you calling me to plant?” and instead ask, “God, help me notice where you are at work in me and around me.”

We also need to be okay if the answer from God is not “Go start something now” but instead is “Keep learning and noticing.  Try something small.  Spend time with those around you.”

Launching something new is not the goal; obedience in the process is. Clarity often grows through the quiet, intentional work of noticing.  You don’t need a complete plan; you need to pay attention.

So, What Are You Noticing?

Maybe you don't have a ministry plan. Good. Maybe you don't know whether you are called to plant. That's okay. Maybe all you know right now is:

I keep thinking about these people.

I keep seeing this need.

I can't shake this possibility.

That may be enough for today. Discernment isn't always about knowing exactly where God is leading. Sometimes it is simply becoming attentive enough to recognize where God may already be moving. Before we need an answer, we need to become better Noticers.  Pay attention.  Stay curious.  Listen long enough to notice.

Try These Two Discernment Tools

If something has been stirring in you, we've created two simple tools to help you explore it.

If you’d like to talk more about how to discern a call to planting or starting something new, contact Anne Bosarge at [email protected].