What It's Like Planting A Church In Charlotte, Nc, The Queen City?

Planting a church in Charlotte is an one-of-a-kind experience. We were notified before we came that the Queen City has a matchless religious environment that has proved challenging to many people. There is simply so much church around, so many truly distinguished practitioners, preachers and leaders, so much spiritual activity, so much spiritual history, so many spectacular stories of God's work (like what has taken place through Billy Graham and his organization) and some equally wonderful and well known disasters, from which all too public humiliations the city is still blushing. So you know that you are not going to have an inconsiderable ride.as if planting is ever likely to be such easy.

But there is no question that Charlotte is an unique city to plant in. It's Christian inheritance makes it in some ways a companionable place to establish a new congregation. People have no struggle or embarrassment in talking about things spiritual. In fact, even spontaneously you are likely to be asked where you fit, or what denomination you are part of. It's as normal as talking about a game of football, or expressing where you wish to shop. And in a thousand ways the Christian ancestry of the Queen City makes it a courteous and civil place to live. There is a residue of good will and a deep understanding of what churches do, that makes the job in many ways much simpler.

But on the other hand, it is easy to get swamped in the immeasurable options any would be seeker of a fresh spiritual home can find within a mile or so of their individual home. It is easy to get sucked in to seeing other congregations as 'the competition,' and every new plant in your area becomes an invasion of your domain (and there have been many ever since we came a mere four years ago). Its easy to feel like you're running a religious store that has to look better, feel better, supply a more suitable product than the one just down the road, or you will lose your customers. And it is all too easy to slip in to thinking about people as products, or numbers that are either being added to you or subtracted. Conversations in meetings can begin to be similar to any other type of business, with talk of how to market to promising visitors better, how to expand on existing 'business,' targets and goals, and how to make sure the stock holders (I mean, the parish council) are delighted with the growth figures.

But in general it has been a great experience and a privilege to be able to live and work in the Queen City. It is big enough to be considered a true city, with just plenty cultural activity to keep everyone involved, but small enough not to suffer most of the problems of the big world cities, like impossible parking and horribly high property prices. And then there's the weather. Who cares how things are going when the sun shines most days, and you are surrounded by graceful trees reaching up towards an incredible blue sky. There could be a great deal worse places to be doing what we are doing now!

By: Matthew Hemsley

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To learn more about how you can find a great church in Charlotte, it's important to hear from others who have successfully found church homes. Check out the following link and you'll be taken to City Church Charlotte for helpful information from a local Christian leader, Matthew Hemsley.