Keep asking

Several years ago, I was speaking at a conference to church planters. At the end of the session, one of the attenders came up to me and said sarcastically, “I heard you are a hot shot church planter. What do you think has made you successful?” I thought about his question and answered seriously and yet simply, “I didn’t give up.”

I still subscribe to that answer today. Faithfulness and a strong faith correlate. You are faithful in good times and especially in the difficult times. You keep your eyes on Jesus – you pursue him wholeheartedly. You never stop believing, never stop seeking, and never stop asking. You keep believing despite your current reality and circumstances. And when God sees your seriousness and persistence (the enduring quality of your faith), He will reward you.

Several years ago, I moved to a new community to start a church. My first action? I bought a wall map of the city. My plan was to pray over the 30,000 people who lived there – street by street before I started the new church. So every week I was out in the community – walking or driving – praying persistently to God for the people who lived there. As I would pass a house, my prayer would be, “God help the people living in this home to find you. And God, if possible, give me the privilege of reaching them for you. And Lord, if not me, then I pray they will connect into a church here in the community. Lord, if they know you, but aren’t following you, then I pray that you will move in their hearts to pursue you. May your Spirit rule and reign in this house.” 

Each time I would go out, I would use a marker to color the streets covered on the map. Within a few months, I had nearly covered the entire area. During that time, God was giving me a sense that He was going to do something significant. Deep inside, I knew a large meeting facility was necessary. 

Through my times of prayer through the community, I passed by the local high school many times. Each time I passed by, I felt impressed by God that this is where the new church I was starting was going to meet. The school had a 500+ seat auditorium and would be a perfect place for worship. I set up an appointment with the assistant principal of the high school. When I met with her about the possibility of our new church meeting there, she was unreceptive. The answer was a firm “NO”. 

Dejected and deflated by the meeting, I went out praying again in the community. Every day, I still felt impressed our church was going to meet there. I couldn’t shake it. A month later, I set up an appointment with the assistant principal. The answer was the same as before, “NO”.   Disappointed again, I continued to pray and looked for alternate locations. But the same God impression was there as before: We were going to meet there. So after another month passed, I gave the assistant principal a call. The answer didn’t change – “NO”. 

After the third “NO”, I was confused. This unshakeable belief that God was going to open the door to the school was beginning to weaken. It seemed the door had been shut emphatically and there was no hope of meeting there.

“Everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10 (NLT)

The following week, I was invited to speak at a local Faith Riders (motorcycle group) Sunday School class. I shared with them the vision of this new church. Near the end of the class, a gentleman asked me, “Where is this new church going to meet?” I said, “I don’t know but for months I have been praying about the high school in the area and feel like God wants us to be there but the principal has told me “NO” three times.”

After the Sunday School class ended, that gentleman came up to me and handed me his card. I looked at the card. His title: Chairman of the School Board. He said to me, “Give the principal a call in a week and see if you get a different response.” Two days later, the principal of the school called me and said, “When would your new church like to meet here?”

Three months later we launched our new church in that facility and 400 people attended the first service. It was an amazing day! Many people came to faith the years my wife, Sharon, and I served there. We ended up buying 10 acres of land and today a thriving church meets on the property – which happens to be about a half a mile from the high school.

What challenge seems like a dead end? Are you discouraged? Where do you need a breakthrough? Don’t lose hope! Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. Don’t give up!  “Everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Luke 11:9-10 (NLT)

Hal Haller serves as the associate executive director for the Baptist Convention of New England, where he also oversees church planting.