My lessons from first church plant

In 2022, first-time planter Pete Benest felt God call him and his wife Sarah to start a church. With the congregation now well established, we asked him about its early days and the lessons he’s learned from them.

Today, Ignite Church in Shepshed has a thriving Sunday service, youth and children’s clubs and various midweek and community gatherings.

But it was an entirely different picture four years ago when the fledgling Leicestershire congregation started life in Pete and Sarah Benest’s living room.

The call to plant

“I never saw myself as a church planter,” says Pete. “I’d always looked at planting and thought that’s far beyond me. I’d also been part of another church for 25 years.

“But then a number of things happened in quick succession.

“Covid hit and I got made redundant, so I decided to do a theology degree at Regents. At the same time, the church I was in started taking quite a liberal direction. That became difficult and eventually it disbanded.”

Finding himself spiritually homeless, Pete asked God what he would like him to do.

He sensed his reply: “Why don’t you start something Pentecostal here in Shepshed?”

“That was radical because it wasn’t something I’d considered. I didn’t know what I was doing at all! I just felt God prompting in a certain direction and thought, Okay, let’s put one foot in front of another and see what he does.”

story continues…