Embracing the Empty Page : Gospel Comfort for the Anxious Church Planter
By Jonny Pollock
I remember sitting down at our kitchen table after making the prayerful decision to step out in faith to plant a church. I poured a coffee, pulled out my notebook, and clicked my pen into action. After a quick prayer, I stared at the page. And the page stared back!
I’ve always found something both terrifying and exciting about blank pages. They represent infinite possibility, yet demand decisions that narrow those possibilities with each stroke of the pen. For church planters, this metaphor isn't just poetic, it’s a reality. Every decision feels important when you're starting from scratch. Where will we meet? Who will come? How will we structure leadership? What if it fails? The questions multiply faster than answers.
This fear is normal, perhaps even necessary as we undertake so important a task, but how might the Gospel itself reshape our relationship with the empty page of a new church plant? After walking alongside many church planters and experiencing these tensions myself, I've found five gospel insights particularly helpful for navigating the unique anxieties of seeing God build something new.
1. The Blank Page Belongs to God First
When faced with the daunting task of creating something from nothing, I'm reminded that God specialises in this work. "In the beginning, God created..." begins our story. The Father spoke into emptiness and brought forth life. We are not in the creation business, God is. In church planting, we're not truly starting from zero, we’re participating in God's ongoing creative work. We might look at a large city context, or a broad rural landscape and think, “Where do I begin?” Yet, what we realise is that we are not beginning a work, but joining God in the work that He is already doing.
Paul understood this when he wrote, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6). The anxiety I feel facing the blank page diminishes when I remember I'm not responsible for outcomes, only faithfulness. That our work is planting and watering, evangelism and discipleship. The pressure to "make something happen" eases when I recognise that the church belongs to Christ, not me. He promised to build it (Matthew 16:18), and that promise hasn't changed just because I'm standing at the beginning of a church planting journey.
When the weight of responsibility overwhelms me, I'm learning to pray: "Lord, this is Your work to do, not mine.”
2. We Create in Community, Not Isolation
The Bible teaches us something profound about creativity, it happens best in relationship. In calling us into community God establishes a pattern that not only extends into life but also in a church planting journey. Yet many of us planters suffer from a peculiar loneliness, believing we must shoulder the vision alone. The Gospel frees us from this isolation. Jesus modelled ministry by immediately gathering others, creating a community of disciples who would learn and serve together. The Holy Spirit's arrival at Pentecost birthed the church not as a collection of individual believers, but as an interdependent body where diverse gifts complemented one another.
When I feel alone with an empty page, the Gospel reminds me that God designed His mission to be collaborative. The blank space isn't just mine to fill, it’s ours as a local church community. What freedom comes when we invite others into the creative and visionary process, recognising that God distributes wisdom and gifts across the community, not just through a "visionary leader."
3. Newness is Normal in God's Story
The anxiety of creating something fresh often stems from our discomfort with uncertainty. Yet throughout Scripture, God consistently does "a new thing" (Isaiah 43:19) different in may of the ways we would expect. The incarnation itself was God's ultimate creative act, entering human history in an unprecedented way. Church planting participates in this pattern of renewal. We're not inventing something foreign to God's methods; we're aligning with His redemptive approach. When Jesus announced the kingdom, He used images of seeds, leaven, and new wine, all elements that transform gradually, often invisibly at first.
I find comfort knowing that awkward beginnings and slow growth aren't signs of failure but often reflect God's natural rhythm. The kingdom starts small, like a mustard seed, before expanding in surprising ways. The pressure to create something instantly impressive diminishes when I remember that God's story more often than not begins with humble origins.
4. Grace Displaces Perfectionism
Perhaps nothing generates more anxiety for church planters than the fear of getting it wrong. Each blank page seems to demand perfection. But the Gospel declares that perfection has already been accomplished in Christ, freeing us to serve from acceptance rather than for acceptance. In my own journey, I've had to learn repeatedly that my identity doesn't depend on building an impressive church, that the same grace that saved me sustains me, and God’s people in our family of faith. When plans fall apart or attendance dips, the Gospel reminds me that my worth is secure in Christ's finished work, not my accomplishments.
This frees me to take risks, admit mistakes, and model vulnerability, qualities that actually create healthier church cultures than polished perfectionism ever could. The Gospel transforms the blank page from potential for performance into a space for grace-filled exploration.
5. Our Present Anxiety Points to Future Glory
Church planting reveals our limitations in uncomfortable ways. We encounter problems we can't solve and discover needs we can't meet. This exposure of our inadequacy serves a spiritual purpose; it orients us toward the day when Christ will make all things new. Paul reminds us that "our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). The tension we feel now, between vision and reality, between what we hope to build and what we can actually accomplish, points toward a future completion that doesn't depend on our efforts.
The empty page will never be perfectly filled in this age, just as we will not see a perfect church formed. However, each faithful mark we make participates in a greater work that God is doing toward the consummation of His story. This eternal perspective doesn't eliminate anxiety, but it resizes it, placing our temporary struggles within God's eternal timeline.
Living with The Empty Page
Church planting will always involve some fear due to uncertainty of circumstance, the tension of bringing something new into being. Nevertheless the Gospel transforms this anxiety from crushing pressure into missional energy. It frees us to embrace the empty page not as a test of our adequacy but as an invitation to depend more deeply on God's sufficiency. To discover what He is doing, and join Him in His work.
As you face your own blank pages in ministry, remember that the One who began a good work in you will carry it to completion (Philippians 1:6). The empty page isn't ultimately ours to fill alone. it belongs to the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who continues writing His story through our humble, imperfect efforts.
Jonny Pollock
leads Calvary Church Loughrea in Ireland as well as writing and podcasting. He is focused on rural church planting, missiology, and developing sustainable leadership in small churches. He enjoys spending time with his wife, three sons, and their dog, Abbie.