Friday, February 6, 2015

PULLING THE RIPCORD: 10 Checkpoints in Church Planting PART 2



  1. Taking Care of Details - There are several things a new church needs to have in place theologically and legally.  Since what we believe drives what we do it is imperative for the new church to have a concisely articulated doctrinal statement.  This will help to clarify the identity of the church which is so necessary as people make eternally important decisions with their church commitments.  The doctrinal statement of a church should express its core theological commitments in such a way that parameters of membership in that church are defined.  It should not be so wordy that it requires a formal degree in theology to understand but neither should it be minimized to lose substance.  B.H. Carroll once said, “Less creed and more liberty, is a degeneration from the vertebrate to the jellyfish.”  We should be clear and courageous about who we are and what we believe.  As much as anything else the doctrinal expression of a church will determine its future.  A doctrinal statement declares “what we believe” and Church Bylaws express “how we operate”.  Church polity needs to be defined in the life of a church and although the New Testament is filled with directions for how a church is to operate it does not present it in a nice, tight little package.  How will the church be led?  Is it an Elder-led plurality, a Pastor-led autocracy, a Deacon-led deliberation, or a Congregation-led free-for-all?  My recommendation is an Elder-led (not ruled over) body with a Pastor who leads with accountability to the Elders who are all responsible in their communication to the congregation and are served faithfully by Deacons.  The point here is that a church needs thorough bylaws to provide guidance in areas such as church leadership, church membership, practice of church ordinances, and association with other ministries.  There are also legal considerations to be made and details to fulfill.  I am certainly no attorney and a new church will be wise to consult legal counsel and a professional accountant on the issue of incorporation and non-profit status.  Here is what I have experienced.  While it is ideal for a church to operate without debt there are times especially in the life of a new church where borrowing some money might be appropriate.  If this is so then any lending institution will most likely require the church to be incorporated before lending any money.  And although a church is a not-for-profit organization it still needs to receive an “Employed Identification Number” with the Internal Revenue Service and make sure to stay current regarding all of their requirements.  A wise church will establish in its earliest days a team of people who will be accountable for the fiduciary responsibilities and a wise pastor will avoid such demands and temptations.
  2. Communicating Identity - the name of a new church will speak identity mainly to those with a church background but in an increasingly non-Christian culture the non-believer does not recognize much identity in the name of a church.  There are certainly many wonderfully creative marketing techniques employed by many churches today and some of that can be helpful even though most of it will lead down the road of depending upon your trendy methodology apart from the Spirit of God.  The truth is that you will most clearly communicate the identity of the church by your interactions in the community.  If the church becomes known for delivering helpful truth and loving people no matter their situation then people will think of the church that way.  Doctrinal matters are critical and a church needs to be clear about “who we are” without deception.  Methodology is part of the message.  The way we do things speaks volumes about the message we speak.  Vance Havner once said, “People too often think that the end justifies the means but they forget that a corrupt means will eventually lead to a corrupt end.”  We should be clear about who we are to people who are making the most essential decisions of eternal impact about their church relationship.  
  3. Investing Relationally - The success or failure of a church depends upon discipleship.  Discipleship really is a simple process.  Start with whoever you have and teach them everything Jesus has taught you.  See also Matthew 28:18-20.  Be intentional in every relationship you can make with people.  Take people to lunch and teach them what you know about the Bible.  Meet them for ice cream or coffee.  Real discipleship requires purpose otherwise it just turns into hanging out.  Just look at the way Jesus invested into His disciples.  He walked with them daily, prayed with them, taught them the Scriptures and used every surrounding and situation as a teaching opportunity.  Many people want large pulpit ministries but the truth is real discipleship involves the simplicity of meeting with one person or a small group and pouring into them.  There is only one superstar in the Kingdom of God and his name is Jesus.  The rest of us are servants.  Always remember these words from Paul to Timothy, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)  This is how a strong church is built.
  4. Equipping and Going - A wise pastor will not only equip others to do the work of evangelism but he will lead the way in demonstration.  A new church start is a perfect time to begin to build a “Culture of Evangelism” in the life of the church.  “Equipping the saints for the ministry” (Ephesians 4:12) does not mean to sit in the office and ascend to the pulpit to impart your great knowledge upon those who should be out doing the work of ministry.  One of the most effective ways to equip people is to lead by example!  “Do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5)  Here is a varied list that can help:  Maintain a prospect list by asking others for prospects.  Provide them with cards to gain contact information, build an email list of those with whom you can regularly communicate.  I would not recommend delegating the leadership of evangelism to anyone else.  The pastor needs to lead the people in soul-winning especially in a new church plant.  Provide resources that will help others in their evangelistic efforts.  Make available books on sharing your faith, apologetics, gospel tracts, and pamphlets for everyone that will use them.  Be intentional to prepare the church with evangelism training and vary the times it is available in order to increase accessibility.  Go on an evangelistic short term mission trip ASAP.  Make sure you will be working with good national leaders and doing evangelism with sustainable churches.  There are many cross-cultural church trips today that are not actually mission trips.  However a genuine trip in a part of the world that is especially responsive to the gospel will empower the people with an increased boldness back home.  Extract the opportunities of small group relationships.  Each small group (including Sunday School) should be working the friendships for the sake of evangelism.  Equip the people and go do the work.  No healthy church is built without a lot of hard work but it is the best work on earth.      
  5. Establishing Stability - So many churches start with great intentions but the real challenge is finishing well.  While it is certainly possible to over strategize and unintentionally inform God of what we will do, it also should be said that we need to have a plan.  Start with the end in mind.  How will we become established as a church and communicate that stability to the community we are reaching.  Sure flexibility is a must but if you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.  In our culture, and most cultures, part of communicating this stability is expressed by the location of meeting.  When Grace Baptist started we met in an old gymnasium for close to 2 years and we persistently planned, prayed, and put back money for a permanent location.  We were all praying and looking and God led us to a 5 acre plot on the edge of town that we purchased for a small fraction of its appraised value today.  We had no idea what that spot would become but it will soon become one of the busiest thoroughfares in the North DFW metroplex!  The high cost of land makes it difficult for new churches to gain this sense of establishment in a community but we must try.  It will be best if a larger denominational body or network of churches would help with the foresight of buying land in future growth areas while it is still affordable but even if they don’t remember that God owns it all!  Many times we have not because we ask not or we ask the wrong person.  Some of the time we just need to be persistent in our asking.  God owns all the resources in the universe and He loves to give to His children.  Keep seeking, keep asking, keep knocking.  He will give in His time and in His way.  In the meantime, get a plan and work toward it always in a spirit of prayer and total dependence upon our sovereign Lord.  

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