Transcript People Come to Faith.
How To Parent a New Church
Parenting and Partnering in the Great Lakes Conference
Church Planting
“
The local church is the hope of the world.”
Bill Hybels Pastor, Willow Creek Church
Church Planting
The Purpose of the Church...
“is to proclaim the gospel of Christ and gather believers into local churches where they can be built up in the faith and made effective in service, thereby planting new congregations throughout the world.”
David Hesselgrave
Why Plant A New Church?
Our Backyard
Roughly 3,500 churches close each year in the U.S.
An estimated 2 out of 10 Americans attend church on any given Sunday.
There are only enough church plants to keep up with 1/8 th of the U.S. population growth.
Our Backyard
Nationally, there are only 100 churches planted for every 1 million people.
Those 100 churches have an average attendance of 80-90 people, housing a mere total of 8,000-9,000 people!
The church planting rate has been declining throughout the history of our country.
People Come to Faith
.
It is widely acknowledged that the rate of evangelism tends to be higher in new churches than established churches.
“Starting new churches is the closest thing to a guaranteed method of outreach” (Lyle Schaller).
More Conversions
A church that is 3 years old or less adds 1 new convert per member per year.
A church that is 7 years old adds 1 new convert per 7 members each year.
A church that is 50 years old will only add 1 new convert per 85 members.
2. Followers Come Alive
New churches create new opportunities for service, meaning more people grow in their use of talents or gifts in service to God. Church plants by their very nature are ventures requiring greater measures of faith and confidence in God.
3. People Come Together
Church planting broke down cultural and racial barriers in the first century. Nearly 50% of our new churches are among populations of color or intentionally multi-ethnic from the start. Over 20% of all Covenant congregations today are ethnic or multi-ethnic, a significant development for any historically predominantly Caucasian group.
Why Plant a Church?
New churches generally are the most effective way to reach the different, growing ethnic populations.
Some people will not easily cross cultural and social barriers to become Christians. Churches often grow most naturally along these larger family lines.
160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0
Factor #2 – Ethnic Dynamic
64 145 1992 Number of All Ethnic Churches 2003
Ethnic and Multiethnic Churches now make up 21% of all ECC churches
Ethnic/ Multiethnic 21.0% Caucasian 79.0%
Decadal Growth Rate Ethnic Churches vs. Entire ECC
180% 160% 140% 120% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 51% 162% ECC All Ethnic
4. Compassion and Justice
The Covenant believes God wants lost people found and hurting people helped. We see our new churches quickly become agents of compassion in their communities, and catalysts for neighborhood transformation and justice.
5. Mutually Beneficial
Established churches get infused with missional energy generated by helping start a new church. New churches benefit from the stability, wisdom and assistance of established churches that support them. Churches that plant grow 3 times faster than those that don’t.
Most churches that plant will gain back the people they sent, plus 10% in the first year.
What Is Required of Us?
How to Get in the Game
Reproduction
One of the key roles of the local church is to reproduce itself both in terms of new believers and by starting new churches.
One pastor wrote, “a church that doesn’t engage in evangelization is in danger of fossilization.”
Role of Parent Church
Intentional prayer focus.
Willingness to tithe of their attenders.
Shared financial responsibility.
Ministry support (helping the new church as needed).
Spiritual/emotional support for church planter/family.
Partnering Networks
Partnering Networks
One strategic way to plant more churches is for us to utilize CHURCH PLANTING NETWORKS.
Networks consist of 4 or more churches joining together to provide the necessary resources, money, and prayer support to begin a new church.
Provide a place to incubate new planting pastors.
Partnering Networks
Determine who you are best equipped to reach through this new church.
“If you don’t know what you’re aiming at, you’ll hit it every time.” Begin to enlist ministry partners.
Identify potential church planters. Mobilize motivated people within the church.
Parenting or Partnering
Reproducing means walking with a new church from conception, providing pre natal care, through infancy, adolescence, and on to maturity.
This should be part of every church’s mission strategy.
The mission field is all around you.
Parenting or Partnering
Celebrate each new birth!!! Party!
Celebrate each birthday and other significant events in the life of each child you help plant.
Role of GLC/ECC
R & R: Recruit and Resource the church planter.
A.C.T.S: Assess, Coach, Train, and Support the new church planter.
Shared financial responsibility.
Monthly accountability.
Annual ministry reviews.
Credentialing of the church planter.
Common Questions
Why should we plant a new church?
Is there a need for another new Covenant church?
How would planting new church impact our church?
What has been the spiritual impact of new Covenant churches?
Don’t most new churches fail?
Why should we plant a new church?
1. Because Jesus told us to.
Luke 19:10, Luke 14:23, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8
2. Because it works. Acts 2:47b, Acts 6:7 3. The Gospel historically has spread through the creation of new churches.
Is there really a need for more churches?
If everyone in America decided to attend church even with multiple services we couldn’t house everyone.
New churches reach neighborhoods and people groups existing churches struggle to reach.
We’re only planting 1/8 have in America today.
th the number of new churches needed just to keep up with U.S. population growth. Not to mention trying to increase the 18% average attendance rate we
Do We Need More Churches?
America is a major mission field. The non Christian segment of the U.S. population is so extensive that if it were a nation, it would constitute the 5 th most populated nation on planet earth.
America is now the 3 rd largest mission receiving nation in the world.
More Churches?
In 1900, the average life expectancy for Americans was 47. Today, it is 77.
Today, more Americans are over the age of 65 than under the age of 18.
Among America’s 77 million Baby Boomers (those born 1946-1964) 10,000 per day are turning 50 years old, and this will continue for the next 10 years as the senior population continues to explode.
Approximately 58% of older Americans have no religious affiliation so this isn’t simply a case of more churches needed for young people.
Still More Churches
The 18-29 year old demographic is also huge at just over 22 million people.
This generation is the most un-churched of any generation in the history of this nation.
We Need Even More Churches
Of the newest 100 million Americans, 53% are either immigrants or their descendents.
Over the next 50 years we’ll see more Latino births than immigrants.
22% of the population under the age of 5 is Hispanic.
11% of all college students are Hispanic
And Still More Churches
42.7 million —This is the estimated Hispanic population of the U.S., making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic minority at 14% of the total population.
102.6 million —The projected Hispanic population of the U.S. as of July 1 st , 2050. Hispanics will comprise 24% of the U.S. population.
Latinos accounted for over half of the population increase in the U.S. in 2004.
Burning Questions
How would planting affect our church?
It will most likely cause your church to grow. Statistics show that most churches that plant will add those they sent out, plus 10% growth in the first year.
It will cause your church to be more mission minded and this typically results in growth.
God blesses our giving. Luke 6:38
Questions Answered
What has been the impact of New Covenant Churches?
1. The majority of growth denominationally has been through churches less than 10 year of age.
2. New Covenant Churches account for the vast majority of conversion growth.
3. New Covenant Churches are responsible for the majority of new community based ministries.
More Answers
The question is: Don’t most new churches fail?
Nationally, estimates are that 4 out of 5 new churches fail and only one in ten sustain at larger than 100 people in worship attendance.
After 3 years most of our new churches are actively reaching people for Christ.
With our assessment process, coaching, training and support, most of our new churches will thrive, grow, and be fruitful.
Common Questions
What initial steps should we take to discern if this is of God?
What help is available to us from the NWC if we desire to take “next step”?
Are we too small to plant?
How do we find a right Church Planter?
How do we build a well-conceived project?
Common Questions
What initial steps should we take?
Prayer is always the best first step. Join together with the people in your church and sincerely ask God what He would have you do.
A good second step would be to contact Larry Sherman, Director of Church Planting for the Great Lakes Conference to talk with your church about what you can do to help.
Common Questions
What help is available from the GLC?
The GLC will recruit and resource the new planter.
The GLC will provide ongoing assessment, training, coaching, and support for the new planting pastor.
Active financial support for the first 3 years is a part of the GLC plan.
Common Questions
Are we too small to plant?
Many small churches have successfully started new churches.
Several small churches can partner to start a new church.
More important than size in ability to plant, is the health of the church and the vision of the people in that church.
Common Questions
How do we find the right church planter?
It may be that someone on staff at your church is being called to be a planter.
The GLC and the ECC are constantly in conversation with individuals who are interested in being planting pastors.
A very powerful way to develop a planting pastor may be to bring someone on staff as in intern with the intention of eventually sending them out to plant a new church.
Common Questions
How do we develop a well-conceived project?
The Great Lakes Conference Director of Church Planting will help your church develop a plan that outlines where the funding and staffing will come from, as well as helping determine location, timelines, and all the other necessary details.
What will it cost us?
People:
5-10 % of the worshipping congregation. We believe God will bless your church when you tithe.
Money:
One-third of the overall funding required over three years. This can be committed by your church or in partnership with several other churches. Include a new church in your mission budget next year.
Involvement:
Ministry support once the new church is launched.
Common Fears
Loss of people.
Loss of income.
Loss of volunteer workers.
Loss of energy and momentum.
Loss of friendships.
Don’t Be Ruled by Fear
God’s Word is filled with stories of amazing miracles and victories…but only after God’s people were willing to walk by faith and not by sight.
“Attempt something so impossible that unless God is in it, it’s doomed to failure.” John Haggai
Take a Leap of Faith
America is now one of the world’s largest mission fields.
You are surrounded by non-Christians in your city and neighborhoods.
If you don’t help them hear the Good News who will?
Church planting is the most effective evangelism strategy your church can implement.
Conclusion
“Every church contains the seed for other churches. The local church was meant to reproduce itself over and over again. As a healthy plant forms seeds that when planted bring forth other plants, so healthy churches form seeds that produce other churches. There is a price to be paid for the planting of that seed. But there is a far greater price to pay if the seed is not planted”
Keith Biely (1981) Missionary Alliance
One Last Word
“Every church ought to say to itself, ‘we are part of a chain… we owe our birth to somebody else.
Are we going to be a dead-end link? Does the process of church planting end with us?’ ”
Win Arn