In this article, Mark Bjorlo lays out the danger of planting your church too rapidly or, better put, over-working as a church planter. Overworking is a real temptation and danger for planters, often an issue of unbelief in the gospel and, conversely, belief in their absolute necessity to effective church planting. The wreckage is everywhere—sexual failure, embezzlement, bitter wives, neglected children, failed churches, broken disciples, church splits, wrecked faith. No matter where you are on this, the article is worth reading. An excerpt:
The first year, I didn’t take a day off. I didn’t work less than ten hours a day. I really didn’t know how to shut it off. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. More times than I am comfortable confessing, I went to sleep with the laptop open. Often, I would wake up several times a night to only pick it up and begin working again. I had breakfast meetings, lunch meetings, dinner meetings, evening meetings, and then would often work late into the night. Somewhere along the way all planters have to come to a conviction that God loves His church more than they possibly can.