Over the course of the next few months, time permitting, I'm going to outline the 7 "P's" of church planting (i.e. as I've experienced it from my corner of the world). This is actually a framework for a more robust training, but at least this will give you an overview of the key points.
The first "P" of church planting is PERSEVERANCE. I start with this one, because this is the most important one. No matter how talented, gifted you might be as a planter, you must have this quality. The prize goes to the tortoise, not the hare. The crown goes to the marathoner, not the sprinter.
Every person that is called to plant a church must have a gift of perseverance. Paul couldn't have said it more clearly, "The things that mark an apostle (church planter) --signs, wonders and miracles--were done among you with great perseverance." 2 Cor. 12:12. Without persistance and divine determination a church cannot be established. The energy, effort, and emotion it takes to start an "outpost of heaven" is truly great -- at times even monumental -- and it can only had by a passion born of God. This perseverance does not come by "gritting of teeth," "really wanting it," or "pulling up ones bootstraps." It is born of a call from God. Every church planter must know he is called or else the requisite faith will not be there to take you through the low times, dark times and discouraging times. This perseverance is an act of grace, whereby God shares a portion of his supernatural love and passion for a people and a place so the people you serve might become passionate followers of Jesus.
The ability to weather spiritual warfare, financial pressures, revolving visitors, changing venues, finding right workers, counseling, legal compliances, praying, preaching, people's complaints, personal sense of inadequacy, outreach, creating discipleship systems, learning languages, cultural issues, lonliness and more, not to mention the various cycles of mistakes that inevitably take place, and trying to keep a healthy family life, can only be accomplished by a sure call from God.
But when the call is sure, and the grace is present, there's nothing like the strength and enablement that comes from God. Like Moses, who's "eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated (Deut. 34:7)", when God grants the privilege of helping a people come into their promise land, there can be nothing sweeter.