When we want to plant some new flowers, it is not wise to go into the middle of an open yard, take a shovel-full of earth away, throw a handful of seeds where that soil used to be, and then sit back to see what will happen. It is much better if certain preparations are made: the seeds should be pre-planted, the soil should be prepared, the proper conditions of light and water must be considered.

Likewise, if our church plants are truly efforts to establish a new church in a new area, certain preparations are necessary by those desiring to establish this church plant. Some of those preparations are external and organizational, but in this article we want to consider an internal, personal preparation.

This preparation is being “ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). This is often the commission verse for apologetics, and it is helpful to stop and consider the implications of this for church planting.

Some imagine that apologetics has no place in church planting, since evangelism is what motivates the church planter. But apologetics and evangelism are closely related. They have the common purpose of bringing about the glory of God in the lives of people. They both operate under the authority of God’s Word. They both recognize that people are born in sin and have a profound need for the Savior. They both appeal to the mind through words. They both present God’s revelation as the truth, and they both ought to forsake neutrality and manipulation.

Of course, apologetics and evangelism are not identical twins. There are differences, and those are best seen in the application of content and method. The content of evangelism begins with the free offer of the gospel from God to sinful man, and is often considered in terms of systematic theology. The content of apologetics begins with God, creation, and the big questions of life. Apologetics discusses error (1 Thess. 2), idolatry (Isa. 44), hope (1 Peter 3), eternity (Acts 17), purpose (Eccl. 2), and is often considered in terms of biblical theology.

The method of evangelism is the positive preaching of the good news and the command to repent. While apologetics may end there, it begins by demonstrating the reasonability of faith; it defends against errors, promotes the concept of truth; and it is polemical as it appeals to the mind through worldviews and philosophical discussion.

While all unbelief is sin and rebellion against God, when we realize that people perceive a variety of objections against coming to a church, apologetics may actually be central to the successful church plant. It is helpful then to return to Peter’s instructions to the church for principles regarding apologetic interaction within church planting.

• Know your hope. Notice how Peter assumes that this person has a hope within himself. If we are to be effective as apologists we must be hopeful. And that hope is not within our own energies or abilities, but as Peter says two chapters later, that hope is in “the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).
• Be ready to promote. This is not only anticipation of promoting your hope, your optimism; it is also preparation for promoting the answers that God’s Word provides. While the natural man is enmity against God, and will not want to hear of your hope, God has planted in each person the seed of religion, an internal knowledge that God exists.
  Many people wonder about life’s big questions: is there a God? How did we all get here? How does the whole universe work together at the macro and micro levels? Why is there a longing for justice? Why is there such a thing as desire? What do the simply beautiful things of creation show me? Why are relationships so important and yet so difficult? How does the question of something more, something eternal keep coming up? It is this religious seed that is suppressed and so often renamed as various answers are provided. And yet it remains a point of contact for those engaged in church planting.
  The church plant then can be intentional about promoting the biblical, Christian answer to these questions — in conversation, in sharing of resources and articles, in attitudes about current events that are distinct from the cultural commentary, and even in Bible studies and sermons.
• Be ready to respond. “Be ready always to give an answer.” Apologetics is often thought of as hostile showmanship where whoever has the better debating skills or more logical mind is the winner. But apologetics, particularly within a constructive setting such as church planting, needs to be thought of in terms of other paradigms. Consider the ambassador: he must be strong, logical, but also persuasive. Pure logic may not be persuasive at all. There is a wisdom of engagement that must be maintained — more of that in the next point. But the church planter must be careful not to embarrass or humiliate, abuse or manipulate. Those things will never contribute to the success of a church plant. As Paul writes, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Col. 4:6).
  It is also important to keep a realistic expectation of success on this point. No one person can answer, or know the answer, to all and every question. Feel free to point the interested party to others. And always remember, you cannot argue someone to conversion but you can argue them away from considering attending your church plant.
  So be ready to respond by constantly depending on the Holy Spirit. Without the blessing or work of the Holy Spirit, nothing will work. But with the blessing of the Spirit, many means are useful. The apologist is just an instrument in the Redeemer’s hands.
• Be ready in character. Be ready to answer in meekness and fear. This character is not deference to the ungodly; it is gentleness for your neighbor and reverence before God. This gentleness can be expressed in honest questions, disagreement with their sup­positions and answers, and pointing out their own inconsistencies. But it must be done with humility and a respect for God’s commandments to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
• Much can be learned from Christ Himself on this point. As He interacted with those who disagreed with Him, He was often gentle, even in rebuke. This is not passive weakness, because the stories and parables He told often included a strong rebuke, but it was pre­sented gently.

In many ways, the role of apologetics within church planting is to put a stone in their shoe — and then encourage them to visit your church so that they hear the solution through the gospel. It would be devastating to desire a garden, to plan a garden, to begin a garden, but then watch those seeds be burned up by wrong fertilizer or picked away by birds before any plants had an opportunity to sprout, grow, and mature.