Brides usually become mothers. Following this line of thinking and knowing  that the church is the bride of Christ  it can therefore be said that any church of Jesus Christ should eventually become a mother church by giving birth to other churches. History tells us that the best way to  reach the world is to plant as many healthy  churches as possible in as many ways as possible in as many places as possible. The church is and will always be at the heart of God’s plan.

Ideally, the planting pastor in agreement with the sending senior pastor should be able to recruit a start up core team of leaders and servers from the mother church. When that is not possible such as when the pastor comes from outside the circle of  interested constituents, the pastor must make it his top priority to build relationships, earn trust and galvanize a core team of leaders who will carry the weight of the work with him.

That said, here are the essentials that comprise the journey of the church planting pastor:

DISCERN A CLEAR CALL.

  • There is a strong ongoing desire to start a work. (Psalm 37:4)

  • There is a clear passion for the church’s mission to reach the lost. (Matthew 16:18)

  • There is counsel, confirmation and prophetic affirmation to pursue planting.

  • An objective assessment center confirms the presence of the requisite abilities.

  • Note: Planting a church primarily to have a speaking ministry or platform of influence are not legitimate motivations.

BEGIN WITH FERVENT PRAYER.

  • Embody a disciplined personal life of prayer.

  • Assemble a committed core of prayer warriors to uphold the start up.

  • Launch with a momentum of corporate prayer. (Acts chapter two).

  • Cultivate a life of unified intercessory prayer in the culture of the church.

  • The early church not only started with prayer but continued in prayer.

  • Why? The church is Jesus’ Bride and the target of Satan’s assault and attack. Supernatural power is needed to both start and sustain the launch.

  • Consider that Jesus has been seated at the Father’s right hand interceding for his church since his ascension.

ASSEMBLE A CORE LEADERSHIP TEAM.

  • Jesus modeled the way during his earthly ministry by assembling a team of 12 to help carry the load and continue the work.

  • The foundational start up team should preferably encompass the areas of worship (music), financial management (office administration),  children’s ministry, campus ministry, and logistical operations.

  • As the church grows, addressing youth ministry will become important because a parent’s greatest season of challenge concerns the adolescent years.

  • College campus ministry can produce a harvest of potential young adult leaders who are available and ready to serve in the life of the body. They also become major leaders in society as they mature.

ESTABLISH REGULAR LEADERSHIP MEETINGS.

  • Meet consistently with the entire core team to build unity, chemistry and synergy.

  • Meet with  key leaders one to one to foster connection, impart a sense of heart, transfer values, build trust, ensure understanding, and shape thinking.

  • Meet with others who demonstrate influence and show potential for future leadership.

  • Building a quality team requires meeting consistently as a team. This meeting is the planting pastor’s  most important meeting.

FOCUS ON MAKING DISCIPLES.

  • Build on making disciples rather than drawing attenders through events and programs.

  • Incorporate the small group approach to foster a culture of relational discipleship so that people learn from one another, pray for one another, work with one another, serve one another and reach people far from God.

  • Start the church with an initial small group that reaches new people which over time spawns new groups through branching the original and planting others.

  • “Go make disciples” was Jesus’ final charge and parting commission to all of his followers and should mark the way forward throughout the life of the church.

  • It is important for the leaders to model this beginning with the lead pastor who sets the example.

  • The planting pastor should spend quality time with the Lord in prayer, the Word in study, leaders for their development, and the lost for discipleship.

ESTABLISH A CLEAR SYSTEM OR PATH OF ASSIMILATION.

  • Teach people the basic foundations of truth as soon as possible.

  • Truth sets people free (John 8:32) and establishes them in the faith (Hebrews 6:1-2).

  • Connect people to small groups as soon as possible to foster care, covering and community. This will significantly reduce the pastor’s counseling load and free up a  focus on the mission.

  • Guide people into avenues for serving and financial stewardship in a timely manner. The investment of time, talent and treasure increases a sense of value and belonging.

  • Many churches have adopted versions of what is known as a “Growth Track” made popular at Pastor Chris Hodges’ Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama.

CONTINUALLY DEVELOP LEADERS.

  • The growth of the church will depend on the quantity and quality of leaders that are present.

  • The broader the leadership base, the greater the potential for growth.

  • This is referred to as the foundation of leadership infrastructure.

  • Consistently train existing leaders while discovering and developing new leaders.

  • Think in terms of fostering an ongoing leadership pipeline.

  • Craft a culture where leaders become life long learners

  • Use books, articles, videos, seminars, conferences, roundtables and in person visits with other leaders but be sure to process all experiences relationally and conversationally for maximum gain.

COMMIT TO DESIGNING WORSHIP SERVICES WHERE PEOPLE CAN HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND ENCOUNTER THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

  • The goal is genuine transformation through the preaching of the Word of God, encountering the presence of God, and engaging the power of God.

  • Allow for the worship service to connect people to God by making room for the Holy Spirit to move through altar calls, worship pauses, various prayers and even moments of silence when appropriate.

  • Incorporate songs that are easily singable so that the congregation can truly participate and genuinely worship.

DETERMINE TO BE A CHURCH PLANTING CHURCH.

  • From the start think about multiplying in many places as opposed to growing  in a single place.

  • This will allow more people to be reached

  • Start by adding services.

  • Continue by adding sites.

  • Move forward by planting churches.

  • Some sites should turn into stand alone churches, but some may not, while some should not. More will than won’t over the long haul, and the leadership of the sending church will help determine the what, where, when, why and how.

  • One purview is to see sites as babies in the womb of the Mother and actual plants as babies who have come to term and experienced public delivery.

  • Some churches will be launched as plants from the get go.

  • The best approach will be determined by the makeup and readiness of the leader, the team, and the location.

RESOLVE TO SERVE THE LARGER COMMUNITY.

  • Find out what the main needs of the surrounding community are and at the right time seek to serve with acts of kindness in practically doable ways.

  • A church can often serve its way into the heart of a community through expressions of compassion.

  • Food drives, blood drives, mentoring  youth, school supply donations, and support group ministry are just some examples churches have tried.

  • A good question to ask after a period of time: “If our church ceased to exist in this community or city, would we be missed?”

  • Use these opportunities to build bridges to unchurched and de-churched people with the aim of walking them into the discipleship pathway.

INCORPORATE THE CHURCH FOR LEGAL PURPOSES.

  • Form a Board of Directors to establish the church as an official non-profit entity to protect the planting pastor from personal liability.

  • Apply for 501C3 tax-exempt status from the IRS that will allow members to claim tax benefits for finances given. If the new church will belong to an existing denomination this will not be necessary because the organization’s non-profit status will cover the new plant.

  • Find an attorney knowledgeable in this area of expertise to draw up the papers.

  • The lead pastor is usually (though not always) the President, and the positions of Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer are chosen. (Future occupants are elected by vote of the existing board.)

  • The Board meeting is both a spiritual and legal meeting, so it is highly recommended that procedures from the standard “Roberts Rules of Order” be followed along with the accurate recordation and filing of minutes to every meeting.

  • A Board meeting’s agenda normally consists of opening in prayer, a review of the previous meeting’s minutes, discussion of the church financials, and selected focus items pursuant to the affairs of the church. Official start and end times should be noted as well as those in attendance along with the meeting’s location.

  • Obtain board member insurance to ensure the protection of the serving members.