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roughridercog

What would be your steps for starting a new church?

Acts Mod Posts: 25306 **12/21/19 9:34 am**

Resident skeptics post on never having pastored fired my imagination. In concise steps (after prayer and fasting), what would be your series of steps to start a new church. Let's do them in chronological order please.

Okay let operation COLD START begin. Laughing

_________________
Doctor of Bovinamodulation

brotherjames

Fortunately, you don't have to brainstorm these tasks anymore

Acts-celerater Posts: 935 **12/21/19 12:55 pm**

You can access the church planters boot camp and use a tool called planterplan. There is a website with a FREE task list and assessment step by step tool @ planterplan.com. Check it out. Here is a list of the first steps and each step has a click-on assessment and help list/tool. This can be tailored to any environment and theological stripe. We use it for all our church planters in the AG. I have been a coach for 25 years of church planters. My only complaint is the Holy Spirit is often left out of the steps and unless HE builds the church, we labor in vain. SO, I coach the planters to seek their guidance from the Spirit on each step and include Him in their services as well.

Church Plant List
Milestones (46): 38 0 0 0 8 Launch Date: Aug 28, 2020 Tasks (365): 350 0 0 7 8
Priority Tasks (23)
0
5
10
15
20
Overdue
Due Soon
Current
Status count
Overdue 0
Due Soon 7
Current 16
Status of All Tasks (411)
Due Soon: 7
Current: 16
Not Due Yet: 388
Task Priority Tasks (411)
Overdue: 0 0
Due Soon: 7 7
Current: 16 16
Completed: 0 0
Not Due Yet: 388 388

1. PHASE I - GETTING STARTED
Due: Feb 19, 2020 Current
Start: Dec 21, 2019
Due: Feb 19, 2020
Lead:
Milestone: Affirm the Calling :: Due: Feb 11, 2020
Milestone: Solidify Planter Support Structures :: Due: Feb 11, 2020
Milestone: Develop an Intercessory Prayer Team :: Due: Jan 04, 2020
Milestone: Implement Intercessory Prayer Team Strategy :: Due: Jan 25, 2020
Milestone: Set Up Personal Accountability :: Due: Feb 19, 2020
Milestone: Train for Church Planting :: Due: Feb 04, 2020
Milestone: Publish Your Launch Strategy :: Due: Feb 17, 2020
Purpose
The purpose of Phase I is to get the ball rolling with the new church plant project.

Description
Actions
Comments:

2. Milestone: Affirm the Calling
Due: Feb 11, 2020 Current
3. Read this affirming the calling overview
Due: Dec 28, 2019 Due Soon
4. Select approximate geographic area for new church
Due: Dec 28, 2019 Due Soon
5. Assess your calling to church planting
Due: Jan 18, 2020 Current
6. Complete self and pre-assessments
Due: Dec 28, 2019 Due Soon
8. Undergo a formal assessment
Due: Dec 28, 2019 Due Soon
10. Milestone: Solidify Planter Support Structures
Due: Feb 11, 2020 Current
12. Read this coaching overview
Due: Dec 28, 2019 Due Soon
13. Select your coach
Due: Jan 04, 2020 Current
20. Form a Management Team (oversight)
Due: Jan 11, 2020 Current
40. Milestone: Train for Church Planting
Due: Feb 04, 2020 Current
41. Watch this PlanterPlan Tutorial
Due: Dec 24, 2019 Due Soon
43. Attend a church planting Boot Camp
Due: Feb 04, 2020 Current
44. Visit other new churches
Due: Feb 04, 2020 Current
45. Attend church planting conferences
Due: Feb 04, 2020 Current
46. Plan to attend an Exponential Conference
Due: Jan 04, 2020 Current
59. PHASE II - PARTNER AND FUNDRAISE
Due: May 23, 2020 Current
81. Milestone: Implement Fundraising Strategy
Due: Feb 29, 2020 Current
95. Set up online giving
Due: Jan 20, 2020 Current
116. PHASE III - LAUNCH PLANNING
Due: Jul 11, 2020 Current
117. Milestone: Set Up Office
Due: Mar 07, 2020 Current
118. Rent a PO Box or other mailing address
Due: Dec 28, 2019 Due Soon
PlanterPlan v2.0
All Rights Reserved Â© 2019 â€” Passion for Planting

Dean Steenburgh

If I could do it all over again I would try to do it like this:

Golf Cart Mafia Capo Famiglia Posts: 4682 **12/21/19 2:56 pm**

Confirm & re-affirm that the Holy Spirit has called you.
Develop a team of people (ministry & non-ministry) prayer partners who will legitimately pray with you.
Search out 3-4 pastors (make sure they're pastors not just ministers) active or retired who you will be accountable towards.
Invite people to attend your first planning session & then develop your strategy for future planning sessions hopefully held weekly.
Establish a weekly bible study & begin collecting funds from any & every source.
Search out a location for where the church will worship once you've outgrown your living room.
Set a launch date & consider making it on or close to Easter Sunday.
BEFORE YOU SET A LAUNCH DATE, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE KIDS MINISTRY SET UP!

Try to meet with your core team every week for one hour or at least every other week so they're aware of what you're planning for the future.

Pause - if you don't have a plan for kids ministry then put most of the above plan on hold & be satisfied to conduct an in-home bible study at your house until you're ready for families with kids.

Kids ministry doesn't have to be complicated, in fact it can be rather simple but make sure you have a place for young families to release their kids while they glean from your leadership & teachings.
Small groups - even if all you have is 2 or 3 small groups try like crazy to offer small group ministry ...it will pay off in the long run.
If you conduct a weekend worship experience consider offering a mid-week bible study open to everyone (might be tough for those who have kids). But plan this mid-week event with your team that helped plan the launch.

Never be afraid to use key leadership to help with the teaching.
Utilize people young & old as greeters. Train your ushers & hospitality teams to be the best there is.
People love to see things organized so make things tight & tidy.
DON'T WORRY! - don't worry about the music or worship songs - I've seen nice decent size church plants with almost zero music ministry. People usually won't leave you over a shortage in music ministry.

Study, pray, fast ...fast, pray study & then pray, pray & pray some more every week that God will use you as you prepare to minister to the spiritual needs of His children.
God is getting ready to trust you to tell the truth of His good news to some of His most precious children & their offspring & you have the honor of carrying His message of hope to them every week.
The Holy Spirit will draw all men to a place where His word is being presented w/out compromise.
(Make contact with those you are accountable to & give them a ministry report at least twice a month.)

I would meet with the men & ask them to give me ideas as to what they would like to hear in the message (or message series) from the pulpit & consider involving them in the planning.
I would meet with the teen youth/college age folks & ask them to give me ideas as to what they would like to hear in the message (or message series) from the pulpit & consider involving them in the planning.
I would meet with the women & ask them to give me ideas as to what they would like to hear in the message (or message series) from the pulpit & consider involving them in the planning.
I would meet with the older members & ask them to give me ideas as to what they would like to hear in the message (or message series) from the pulpit & consider involving them in the planning.

Last thing I would do & that doesn't mean I would make it the last thing on the list, I would conduct two big days for ministry & create a plan & put it on the calendar. Maybe Christmas & Easter events so that people are given a reason to attend the new church & I would use my evangelism team to harvest those visitors to come back next Sunday & have lunch with the Pastor & his wife.

(If none of this works then go rent a store front, put out some folding chairs, tune up your guitar, hang a banner with your name on it when you meet for worship & try to do it the way my great uncle & grandpa used to do it ...in fact this state still has some of those churches in operation that began like that & that was over 70 years ago.)

.
_________________
"Empty nest syndrome is for the birds!"

Email me at: SteenburghDean@gmail.com

Church planters are focused on just one thing ...introducing people to Jesus!
What are you focused on?

sheepdogandy

Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology Posts: 7298 **12/21/19 4:19 pm**

Complete the "School of Christ" as taught by B. H. Clendennen.

Prepare the document that declares what you believe and why.

Prepare the document that sets forth the rights and responsibilities of the members.

Prepare the document that specifically defines all procedures and guidelines the Congregation will use to execute the business decisions.

Obey the leadership of the Holy Spirit in all things.

There you go.

Works for us since 1989.
_________________
Charles A. Hutchins
Senior Pastor SPWC
Congregational Church of God

www.spwc.church