Why We Still Plant Churches: Len Tang on Mission, Formation, and Change

Why should we still be planting churches—and what should church planting look like in a rapidly changing world? In this episode, Loren is joined by Len Tang, Director of the Church Planting Initiative at Fuller Seminary, for a wide-ranging conversation about mission, formation, and the future of church planting. Drawing on his experience planting churches and training planters across diverse contexts, Len reframes church planting as a normal part of the church’s life cycle—one that includes birth, growth, reproduction, and sometimes faithful endings. The conversation explores why growth alone is an inadequate metric, how global migration is reshaping mission fields, and why new expressions of church must be deeply contextual, diverse, and disciple-centered. Loren and Len also discuss the emotional and spiritual realities of church planting: grief, resilience, failure, and the importance of practices like Sabbath, lament, and community support. Rather than treating church planting as a silver bullet, the episode makes the case for forming leaders with character, humility, and a deep grounding in the way of Jesus. This is a thoughtful conversation for pastors, planters, denominational leaders, and anyone discerning how the church can participate faithfully in God’s mission today. Topics Include Why church planting is a normal—and finite—part of church life Growth, reproduction, and the reality of church endings Global migration and new mission fields close to home Moving beyond one-size-fits-all planting models Bivocational ministry, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability Character over charisma in church planting leadership Grief, failure, and resilience in ministry Discipleship as the true measure of fruitfulness   Len Tang is the Director of the Church Planting Initiative at Fuller Seminary, and has planted two churches: Cedar Creek Church in Sherwood, Oregon, and Missio Community Church in Pasadena, CA. He received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley and an MDiv from Fuller Seminary. He is married to Amy and they have three young adult boys, a cat, and an electric motorcycle.   Mentioned Resources: 🌐 Fuller Website: churchplanting.fuller.edu 🌐 Website: Faithful Resistance.com 📱 Len's Instagram & FB: @len.tang 🎧 Episodes Referenced: Tim Morey 🎧 Episodes Referenced: Nick Warnes 🎧 Episodes Referenced: Dwight Zscheile   Connect with Future Christian: 📱 Future Christian Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurechristianpod/ 📱 Martha's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martha_tatarnic/ 📱 Loren's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richmondljr/ 🟧 Future Christian Substack: https://futurechristian.substack.com/   Supporting Sponsors: Free Range Priest Helping clergy and congregations reimagine ministry in the digital age.  Martha's New Book! Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion, and the Queen Who Changed History Available for Pre-order now!   Future Christian Team: Loren Richmond Jr. – Host & Executive Producer Martha Tatarnic – Co-Host Dennis Sanders – Producer     SEO / Keywords Len Tang, church planting, Fuller Seminary church planting initiative, missional church, discipleship and mission, global migration and church, bivocational ministry, church growth vs faithfulness, church planter formation, character over charisma, failure in ministry, Future Christian Podcast, Loren Richmond Jr.