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Calling / Assessment

Assessment is the process of discerning whether a potential church planter is called to plant a church and whether the person is right for a specific new work. Assessment is often broken down into a pre-assessment (self-assessment) and a formal assessment (assessment by an independent group or organization).

Pre-assessment (self-assessment) often includes the completion of a Myers Briggs Temperament Indicator, a DISC personality profile, and spiritual gifts profile. Additionally, most pre-assessments include a test of a potential planter against Dr Charles Ridley's 13 knockout factors for church planters. The Evangelical Free Church of America and the North American Mission Board have two of the best pre-assessment profiles available online. Click here (EFCA or NAMB to download a copy). Most of the organizations listed below under assessment have some form of these tests/profiles built into their processes.

The formal assessment can be as short as one day, but is more often 3-5 days in length. A formal assessment is often done in a group setting with other potential planters and includes a combination of interviews, group exercises, essays, and assignments. The evaluation team observes the potential planters in a number of different situations. Most assessments result in a detailed report and a formal out brief. For example, the Church Planting Assessment Center's team produces a 50+ page report on each candidate. This report includes strengths as well as weaknesses and makes a recommendation as to a candidates ability to plant a church within the next 2 years.

Click here for additional information about church planter assessments.

Assessment Resources

NewChurches information on assessment

Why Assessment?

Assessment of Planter's Fit in a Place 

Church Planting Assessment Center (CPAC)

Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA)

Emerging Leadership Initiative (ELI)

Stadia New Church Strategies

Dynamic Church Planting International

Global Church Advancement

Outreach North America

New Church Initiatives

Northwest Church Planting

PCA - Mission to North America

Church Planting Ministries

Fresh Start Ministries

Praxis Center for Church Development

Assemblies of God

Assessment Resources from Other Organizations

Could God Be Calling Me to Church Planting
How Has God Equipped Me to be a Planter
Connecting Your Passion with Your Spiritual Gifts

 

Prayer

No partner is more important than prayer partners. Planting a church is a big deal. Satan does not want you to succeed. Surrounding yourself and your team with prayer partners is the single best thing you can do to ensure success.

Many church planters underestimate the amount of spiritual warfare they will face over the six to twelve months leading up to opening day. Prayer must be a priority for the church planter. In addition to personal prayer, the Church Planter should solicit a growing prayer team.

As a top priority, the Church Planter should form an initial prayer team with at least 10 people praying regularly for him. The Church Planter should especially approach those individuals who are known to be consistent prayer warriors.

To recruit the first 10 prayer team members, consider the following:

  • Brainstorm at least 10 people who would be committed to praying for you and the new church
  • Contact them about being on your prayer team
  • Initiate some form of weekly communication with them with specific prayer requests.

Suggested initial prayer requests:

  • You - You need God's wisdom, patience and strength
  • Your family - specifically balance and health in your marriage and family
  • Protection - Satan will attack you, your family, and anyone who wants to join you
  • Vision - that God would guide your planning and give you a clear vision for the new church
  • Launch Team - that God would provide the right people to form the core of the new church
  • Finances - only God can provide

The Church Planter should not be shy in asking people to join the prayer team. Give thought to how you can use prior church experiences and relationships to recruit people. The Church Planter may ask supporting churches to make available e-mail lists/groups to invite people to join in prayer. The Church Planter should be careful not to SPAM or sign-up people who are not interested, but only invite people to join the team. It is much better to provide opt-in opportunities rather than to force people to opt-out. This also increases the likelihood that people on the team are actually concerned and praying for the new church. Recruitment of team members should also include contacting as many friends and relatives as possible and asking them to be part of the team. Each team member should also be asked to recruit additional prayer team members. The goal is to get hundreds (or thousands) of prayer team members actively praying for the new church. The prayer email is a great communication tool for keeping people informed and requesting prayer.

Prayer partners should pray for the specific needs faced by the Church Planter. To do so the Church Planter should develop a method to regularly present their requests to the team. A group e-mail program is usually the most effective way to do this. It is imperative that the prayer team e-mails clearly communicate the prayer requests of the Church Planter. Composing quality e-mails can assist dramatically in motivating prayer partners to pray.

Group email programs allow members to easily signup to receive emails and for church planters to email large numbers of people in a single email. Most group email programs also allow tracking to determine what percentages of emails are being opened. Church Planting Solutions recommends the Constant Contact group email program. It is a powerful, yet inexpensive program that produces professional looking group emails. The program has numerous pre-designed templates. The planter simply goes to www.constantcontact.com and signs the new church up for the program. The program is free for the first 60 days or indefinitely for groups with less than 50 email addresses. After setup, a simple signup box is added to the church's web site to make it easy for people to sign up to receive emails. The program requires very little administrative effort by the planter.

Summary of recommended actions:

  • Recruit prayer team champion (point of contact)
  • Recruit family and extended family to join prayer team
  • Recruit friends to join prayer team
  • Recruit neighbors to join prayer team
  • Recruit co-workers, previous co-workers, other Christians in work place to join prayer team
  • Recruit current and previous church memberships to join prayer team
  • Recruit other church memberships to join prayer team
  • Establish a prayer culture through regular and consistent reliance on prayer
  • Prayer team members to recruit additional prayer team members
  • Recruit prayer warriors
  • Recruit people to pray for specific things (e.g. staff, facilities, finances, etc)
  • Select and setup group email program (e.g. Constant Contact)
  • Initiate weekly prayer team emails
  • Day of prayer and fasting (set them aside regularly - not just once)
  • Mail prayer request letters via USPS for non-email members
  • Distribute prayer cards/reminders
  • Community prayer walk (take your launch team on regular prayer walks in the community)
  • Facility prayer walk (Jericho Walk) (take launch team on prayer walk around your facility)
  • Prayer marathon (several days of round the clock prayer - prayer vigil)
  • Regular prayer meetings (e.g. weekly, biweekly, etc)

Coaching

Have you ever noticed that Jack Nicklaus, Michael Jordan, and Barry Bonds all have coaches? Doesn't it seem like someone of that caliber wouldn't need a coach? Everyone needs a coach... whether in sports, business, or church planting. In sports the coach's primary role is to bring out the best in the athlete and in team sports to get all the players working together. In church planting these two goals still apply... to bring out the best in the church planter and getting the church planter working with God. These are primarily accomplished through asking the right questions and challenging the church planter to think God thoughts and make Godly decisions. This can include:

  • to help train and empower the church planter
  • to bring wisdom, experience and an external perspective to the church planter
  • to be a cheerleader for the church planter
  • to help the church planter see their blind spots
  • to help the church planter balance the stress of being an entrepreneur with a demands of a healthy family life
  • to provide a safe place for the church planter to have doubts and ask questions
  • to ask the tough questions

To be effective, the coach should have personally planted a successful church or have other similar personal experience with church planting. Since the church planter hasn't planted a church before (usually), this experience is a great way for the church planter to learn from someone else's experience... both good and bad. As can be seen from the list above, the coach also provides support for the Church Planter as a mentor. In addition to overseeing the church plant itself, the coach should monitor the personal and spiritual health of the church planter. This helps ensure that the Church Planter will be able to perform their role well without sacrificing their family or own spiritual well-being. Often, these the role of coach and mentor is performed by two people.

Choosing the right coach is critical. Sometimes church planting organizations train and select coaches for the church planter. Other times the church planter chooses the coach. Regardless, the church planter must have a coach they respect both personally and professionally and with whom they share fundamental beliefs. As an absolute minimum, the coach should be available for a monthly conference call. A more ideal arrangement is a weekly 1 to 2 hour phone call with the church planter. The coach should commit to working with the Church Planter for 1-3 years. Whenever possible, the church planter should be involved in choosing the coach and/or mentor.

Building a church is complicated. It requires a great deal of broad knowledge that few church planters possess. Proverbs 9:9 says, 'Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.' and 12:15, 'The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.' We all need advice. We all need someone to bounce ideas off.

Frank had to pick between opening in February at an acceptable location, or waiting until April to launch in a fantastic location. He didn't know how to judge between gaining momentum for the summer by launching early, or choosing a better location. Through conversations with his coach he was able to determine the best choice for his church. Without the counsel of someone who has been there and done that Frank wouldn't have had anyone with experience to help weigh the options.

Bob has a different problem. His personality makes it very difficult for him to make big decisions. Since he doesn't have a coach, he struggles getting important things done in a timely manner. He finds it difficult to choose a church name. There are too many options and none stands apart. This has put him behind the ball in obtaining his 501(c)(3) recognition which jeopardizes his ability to send out a direct mail campaign. If Bob had a coach who was able to push him to make decisions, he'd be able to save thousands of dollars and focus on other things.

You may be tempted to save money and not hire a coach. Don't cut corners in this area. Make hiring a coach a non-negotiable action for yourself.

Suggested Actions:

  1. Contact successful church planters you respect to determine if they are willing to coach or can recommend a good church planting coach.
  2. Contact an organization or individual who offer professional coaching services (e.g. Church Coaching Solutions)
  3. Ask for and check references.
  4. Select a coach.

 

Training

Church planting training workshops, seminars and conferences are often referred to as "boot camps." As you may have guessed, this terminology is taken from the military where new recruits are put through intense introductory training. Church planting boot camps are designed to teach and equip the planter in how to be the best possible planter. Boot camps are often intense 3 to 5 days training sessions that include experienced speakers, reading, practical exercises, and discussions. Boot camp is typically attended after assessment. Costs typically range from less than $100 to over $1500.

Why is training so important? Consider the following:

The average new construction home in America:

  • costs over $150,000 to completion
  • takes 9-12 months from conception (idea) to completion (occupancy)
  • requires the integration and completion of over 400 individual actions (e.g. framing, insulation, wiring, roofing, etc.) many of which are interrelated and must be completed in a certain order
  • requires the coordination of many different contractors and people (vendors/service providers)

Sound familiar? Yes... starting a new church often requires a similar scope of work!

Can you imagine hiring a general contractor with absolutely no home building experience? Most people would never consider it. General contractors typically have years of training and experience. Yet God, in His wisdom, calls most church planters to accomplish a similar scope of work with very little experience (to ensure complete reliance on Him). You need training. You need help. Why fly blind and make mistakes that are avoidable? Bootcamp is a great place to start! Learn from others who've already walked in your shoes.

Click here to view sample bootcamp topics and schedules. 

Here are a few organizations with solid church planting training programs:

Church Planting Solutions (CPS) - At $30, this is a great way to get started.

Church Coaching Solutions

Global Church Advancement

Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA)

The Church Multiplication Training Center (CMTC)

Acts 29 Network

New Church Initiatives

Bootcamps

Boot camps are designed to teach and equip the planter in how to be the best possible planter.  Boot camps are often 3 to 5 days in length and include experienced speakers, reading, practical exercises, and discussions.  Boot camp is often attended after assessment.

Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA)

Church Planting Solutions (CPS)

The Church Multiplication Training Center (CMTC)

Acts 29 Network

 

Models / Approaches

Ask ten different organizations for a list of the different types of church planting models and you will get ten different lists (i.e. there is no universally agreed to list of church planting models). If you would like to see different lists, simply do a Google or Yahoo search on "church planting models" and/or "new church models". Instead of providing a comprehensive list of all possible models, we will attempt in this tutorial to highlight the high levels considerations that distinguish different models.

Seven Primary Characteristics in Determining Models vs. Strategies 

Note: often people confuse "models" with "strategies." For example, the decision to start a small coffee shop venue with candles and a dark intimate environment to reach post moderns is a strategy and not a model. In the context below, models are distinguished from one another by at least seven primary characteristics.

Categories of Models 

So...how do these questions translate into church planting models? Most models fit into one or more of the following categories.

Church Types 

Free Network Church Planting Papers - Ever wondered how any and every church can get involved in church planting? Click here and here to download papers discussing networks of churches getting together to plant new churches. Planting churches is the most effective way to reach lost people. Find out how your church can be involved.

 

Contextualization / Demographics

Approach - Looking to understand the people you are trying to reach? We suggest the following basic approach:

  1. Identify General Areas of Interest: If you already know the meeting location for your Sunday services, make note of the address (street address or intersection). If not, identify addresses/intersections for potential meeting locations. In most city/metropolitan areas, your target area will typically be within a 5 mile radius of a specific meeting location. In rural areas, the radius can be significantly larger.
  2. Educate Yourself on Census Data: Census data does not have to be complicated. The US Census Bureau has a short educational paper explaining the essential basics of census data that is a must read. Click here to read it.
  3. Identify Variables of Interest: Demographic data is available for hundreds of different variables of interest (e.g. age, income, housing prices, race, etc.). The amount of data available will overwhelm most people. Decide the 5 most important variables of interest to you. Start by obtaining demographic data for these variables. You can expand your list to 10 later. Most of the sites below provide a list of the different variables available. Click here for a sample list of variables from the US Census Bureau.
  4. Obtain Free Demographic Data/Reports: A number of organizations offer free demographic data. In many cases, the free data is based on the 1990 census rather than the 2000 census. Look for data based on the 2000 census. The level of detail in the demographic reports varies widely so look for a site that offers what you are looking for. We've identified a list of sites that offer free demographic information (see the list below). Most demographic data is provided in "raw" form leaving you with the responsibility to interpret results. Often, the sites that charge a small fee for data will provide the information in a more readable form with some assessment/interpretation of the data provided (e.g. Percept).

    The best place to start is the US Census Bureau or the Church Marketing Solutions. The Census Bureau site will allow you to interactively get demographic data and maps for areas you specify. The Church Marketing Solutions can also provide you free data and maps for areas you specify. Click here for a sample report available through the Church Marketing Solutions. If you would like a customized report, simply email the or call them toll free at 866-342-5264 with a list of zip codes that you are interested in.
  5. Demographic Mapping: Demographic information is easier to interpret when it is mapped. Typically, data is mapped in different colors with each color representing a different range of values for the data. For example, dark green may represent average age of 35-40 while lighter shades of green represent different average age ranges. Maps allow you to see the data in specific geographic locations (down to small census tract areas) and to easily compare how the data in one area compares to another. Many of the companies that offer free demographic data also provide some mapping support. Most paid demographic services offer mapping. Again, the US Census Bureau site is the best place to start with mapping. Click here to see the Census Bureau's site for Thematic mapping. Click here for a sample report available through the Church Marketing Solutions. If you would like a customized report, simply email the with a list of zip codes that you are interested in.
  6. Interpreting the Data: After collecting the data and maps, its time to figure out what it means. You should consider purchasing a report like the ones provided by Percept. They offer a relatively low cost solution (under $500) that will tell you what the data in your area means. This product is called a Ministry Area Profile. (Click on products and then ministry area profile).
  7. Carrier Route Mapping: Carrier route mapping is done to determine how many active households and businesses exist within individual mail carrier routes. Carrier routes become important for direct mail marketing because you will want to "saturate" an entire carrier route to obtain the lowest possible postage rates. Carrier route maps are typically done by mail shops (or other paid services) and are not available to the general public online. Organizations like the Church Marketing Solutions offer free route mapping for customers doing direct mail with them.

Free Demographic Information - Call Church Marketing Solutions toll free at 866-342-5264 or click here for a free demographic report for your target area or click here for information about additional free information available on the internet.

National New Church Conference Presentation - Understanding Who You Will Reach / Eric Reiss (pdf)

Exploring Needs Assessment - Click here to download a paper by Compassion by Design about why church planters should conduct a needs assessment of their community. (pdf)

Launch Plans and Strategy

You are called to plant a church. You've been praying and God has given you a vision that is growing more exciting each day. You are eager to turn this vision into action. One of your first steps is to develop a plan.

What constitutes a plan?

1. Launch Plan / Church Plant Proposal - The terms launch plan and church plant proposal are often used interchangeably. At a minimum, a launch plan is in written form (clear and concise) and answers a number of basic questions including why you are planting, whom you are trying to reach, where the church will be located, who will do it with you, how much it will cost, how will it be funded, what kind of church it will be, how you will gather a core group, and the critical success factors. More detailed launch plans identify key strategy areas with associated action plans. We suggest working through your Philosophy of Ministry before finalizing your plan (see next section of the tutorial).

2. Action Checklist - A written list of actions to be completed during the pre-natal phase through launch. Ideally, each action includes a cost/budget, a date for completion, and a lead person or organization assigned responsiblity for its completion. Some church planters turn the action list into an integrated schedule to show the interrelationships between actions (i.e. many actions need to be done in sequence).

Why are these planning products so important?

1. Focusing Your Vision - Its been said that you don't really understand something unless you can write it down. The process of writing a launch plan will help you refine your vision and learn to communicate it more effectively.

2. Feedback - You launch plan can be reviewed by other experienced planters and leaders. They will give you feedback that will improve your plan and save you countless hours of heartache by avoiding problems.

3. Fundraising Tool - Your launch plan will help you raise funds with potential donors and partners. Simply having a written plan communicates that you have your act together and MAY be worthy of a donors trust. Ultimately, your vision and passion will sell your plan. The written launch plan is a tool for opening the door to further discussions with donors.

4. Sharing Your Vision with Potential Launch Team Members - Your launch plan is a great tool for recruiting potential launch team members.

5. Priority Setting and Time Management - Developing an action checklist will help you prioritize your time. You will get more finished in less time which results in a more time with people and a healthier launch.

Where can I see samples and get more information?

Launch Team

Mills one year training manual (PDF)

Staffing

Introduction - Staffing is one of the most important things you will do. Spend the necessary time doing your homework. Don't cut corners. Check out this Top 5 List of Staffing Mistakes made by church planters:

1. Waiting too long to hire (i.e. until you think you can afford it) - growing churches step out on faith and hire before the growth and before they can afford it.

2. Hiring too quickly (i.e. without due diligence in understanding strengths and weaknesses) - The hiring process is hard work. Unfortunately its easy to hire based on optimism and hope that things will work out. Don't hire until you know what a candidates strengths and weaknesses are.

3. Hoping a candidates past shortcomings will improve under your leadership - The candidate is the best you've looked at so far...and you really need that position filled. The candidate has a weakness in a key area vital to success in your ministry, but he is so strong in other areas. Don't be fooled that things will be better in this new ministry assignment. Past performance is the best indicator of future performance until proven otherwise.

4. Hiring a friend (and not applying the same rigid hiring standards that you would with others) - A huge trap. Sometimes its the right thing, but its also the easiest scenario to be blinded to. Be prepared in advance to answer the question: "Am I willing to suffer the relational consequences of this not working out?"

5. Hiring with only 1, 2 or 3 of the 4 Cs (Calling, Competency, Character, and Compatibility) - Don't compromise on the Cs of hiring. In assessing a potential candidate, understand their strengths and weaknesses in each of these four areas. If possible, put staff candidates through a pre-assessment and formal assessment (click here for more on assessments).

Resources - Checkout the following free staffing resources from Passion for Planting:

Online Staffing Site - Check out www.churchstaffing.com for a great online source of potential staff members.

 

churchstaffinglogo

 

Finance / Fundraising

Where does all the money go? The question every church planter must ask.

Money follows vision...so the type of church you plan to start significantly influences the money required to start. In a previous tutorial page, we discussed church planting models. As you might expect, house and cell churches require far less funding than a parachute plant.

Budgeting and fundraising are often two of the most daunting things that church planters face. This doesn't have to be the case. In simple terms the overall goal of the Church Planter is to determine what God is calling them to do (budgeting) and to discover how God will provide for it (fundraising). After initial planning most church planters discover they need more money to accomplish what they would like to do than they currently have commitments in donations. The Church Planter has three options; raise more money, spend less money, or some combination of the two.

In general, expenses through launch (pre-launch phase) can be grouped into the following categories:

1. Staffing - How much will you spend on staffing? Depends on how many staff will be hired, how much they will be paid, when they will be hired, and whether they are expected to raise any outside support. In a house church, staffing expenses may be zero. In a multi-staff, sponsorship plant, staffing expenses could be well over $100,000. Staffing is often a major expenditure for the new church and will include at least the lead planter's salary.

2. Equipment - Most new churches have a number of one-time expenses for equipment purchases. These include but are not limited to a sound system, lighting, multi-media projector, storage cabinets, children's supplies, Bibles, and a trailer. Depending on the quality and size, total equipment costs can range from zero (house church) to $80,000 or more. Unlike staffing expenses which are ongoing, most equipment purchases are one-time expenses in support of opening day. Most churches will spend at least $10,000 to $15,000 in getting started.

3. Marketing and Outreach - Marketing and outreach are all about starting conversations with seekers in the community. Too many church planters rely on one big marketing campaign just prior to launch to establish name recognition rather than a more balanced approach of outreach and marketing activities. A new church is ready for a big direct mail campaign only AFTER establishing broad name recognition in the community. Like equipment expenditures, total marketing and outreach costs can range from zero (house church) to $80,000 or more. Most churches will spend at least $10,000 to $15,000 in getting started.

4. Facilities - Many new churches can not afford to purchase worship facilities. Instead, they rent either schools, movie theatres, or community centers. Sunday rental typically ranges from $12,000 to $50,000 per year for Sunday rentals. Additional facility costs may include rented office space. During the pre-launch phase when the new church has not yet started weekly services, facility costs will be much lower. Costs will be driven by the timing of starting weekly worship services.

5. Operations - Ongoing operations including printing, copying, office supplies, insurance, phones, pagers, etc.

Developing a Budget 

Church planters are encouraged to develop a budget through opening day and a second budget for the first year of the church after opening day. In developing a pre-launch budget, we recommend the following approach:

  1. Work through the development of a philosophy of ministry and picture of opening day (see applicable tutorial pages).
  2. Develop a detailed action plan (launch plan) that will help turn your vision into reality.
  3. Assign cost figures and completion dates to each of the actions in your launch plan.
  4. Sum up the total expenditures and compare them to available income. If expenses exceed income, you will need to raise more money, spend less money, or some combination of the two.

Managing the Plan 

Passion for Planting / Church Planting Solutions developed Converge, an online new church management system, to help church planters develop and manage their launch plans. Click here for more information.

NOTE: Budgeting requires that you look at two different aspects of expenses vs income. First, you need to verify that your total expenses over a given period of time are less than or equal to your total income over the same time period. Second (and often completely neglected), you need to verify that your "cash flow" stays positive as a function of time and that your bank account does not go negative.

Additional Resources

  • support and partnership letters
  • FREE Fundraising Manual - Click here to download a free manual from Mission to North American that will help you develop your fundraising strategy. It works through many topics including enlisting your support team, putting together a brochure, how to ask for money, and many more. This manual will help you jump start your fundraising efforts. This document provided courtesy of Fred Marsh, MNA Associate Coordinator.

Branding / Marketing

Marketing 

An excerpt from Church Planting from the Ground Up. This is a long, but important tutorial. This marketing tutorial is an excerpt written by Brett Andrews (a church planter and founding Director of Church Marketing Solutions) and Tim Stephens (a church planter). The outreach materials are taken from Church Planting Solutions online launch plan management system (Converge).

Outreach

Outreach events are great opportunities for establishing name recognition in the community and starting conversations with people in the community. Click for details.

Launch Plan Marketing Document

Church Planting Solutions has put together a document that shows you how to create a marketing plan.

Examples 

How did other church planters get the word out? Take a look and see. Below are samples shared with us by church planters around North America.

Free Direct Mail FAQ - Click here to download a point paper discussing direct mail.

Free Branding Book - Click here to download a great book called Branding for Church Planters by James Dalman of The Branding Shed. 

Free Point Paper on Church Marketing - Click here.

National New Church Conference Presentation -  Marketing the New Church / Kristal Dove (ppt / xls)

Externally Focused / Outreach

Launch Plan Outreach Document - Church Planting Solutions has put together a document that shows you how to create an outreach plan.

National New Church Conference Presentation - Outreach Evangelism: Starting Conversations with the Community / Brett Andrews (ppt).

Community Targeting Tool - This is a great tool designed to help you discover who the key contacts in your community are. This can feed into a community needs assessment allowing you to quickly identify who you should interview to get the best understanding of your community and those who live in it. (PDF).

Networking / Partnerships

Network Alliance

Church Planting Network

Acts 29 Network

New Thing Network

GlocalNet

Stadia New Church Strategies

Emerging Leadership Initiative

Orchard Group

Emerging Church Network

Redeemer Presbyterian

Southwest Church Planting Network

Northeast Church Planters Network

Association of Related Churches

Mission Catalyst Network

Church Multiplication Associates

Global Church Advancement

Campus Church Networks

Church Planting Movements - International Missions Board

Northwest Christian Evangelistic Association

Northwest Church Planting

Greater Orlando Baptist Association Church Planting Network

Power of Connecting

Sample Networking Plan 

Equipment

Equipment represents a significant percentage of total expenses for a new church. Simply managing the list of required equipment can be a daunting task. Consider taking the following actions:

1. Equipment List - Obtain Mobile Church Solutions' free comprehensive equipment list for new churches. Click here to download a copy.

2. Gift Registry - Establish a "gift registry" for the new church at a local department store (e.g. Target, Walmart, etc.). Make it a goal to receive as much of your equipment as possible through contributions.

3. Publish Your Equipment List - Put your equipment list on your web site. Let people know what you need.

4. Prayer Emails - Include a link to your equipment list and highlight equipment needs in your ongoing prayer emails.

5. Corporate or Foundation Donations - Many corporations and foundations donate their old or excess equipment to charities. Send a letter to as many local corporations as you can find asking them for a donation of equipment. Include a list of what you need.

6. Corporate Promotions and Non-Profit Prices - Most corporations have special pricing for non-profit. Never assume you should pay full price. Ask anyone you get equipment from if they have special pricing for non-profits. Often, stores will sell floor models at significantly reduced prices to non-profits. Some organizations give non-profits equipment if they will use the corporations consumables. For example, Xerox will give non-profits a free color laser printer in exchange for agreeing to buy ink from Xerox.

7. Corporate Gift Cards - Many stores (especially franchise chains) are given an allotment of money that can be given to non-profits in the form of gift cards. You will not get what you do not ask for. Don't be afraid to ask.

8. Buy in Quantity/Volume - Find at least one (ideally many) other church planters who also needs to purchase equipment. Most vendors will give discounts for purchasing in volume. For example, the cost of a sound system will be lower if two or more systems are purchased at the same time. It is surprisingly easy to find other church planters to partner with in buying in volume.

9. Used Equipment - Don't overlook Ebay, Overstock.com, and garage sales. You can find some like new equipment at substantial savings.

10. Specialists - Check out Mobile Church Solutions (one of Passion for Planting's ministries) and Portable Church Industries (a Leading Edge Ministries partner).

Facilities

Introduction - Finding a meeting place is a major issue for most new churches.

Options include but are not limited to:

1. Purchasing a Facility - Few new churches can afford this option

2. Renting/Leasing a Facility - Again, many new churches can not afford this option

3. Schools (Public, Private, College, Day Care) - Many counties / cities allow schools to be rented by outside organizations. This is a great solution for a new church

4. Movie Theatres - Another great option. Children's ministry is more difficult to do than in a school, but the increased value of a theatre in terms of community name recognition (i.e. there is great marketing value in a theatre as everyone within miles knows where it is) makes this a good option to pursue. See Regal CineMeetings for more information

5. Community Centers - A good option. Sometimes small and often very local (without broader name recognition outside a specific community

6. Hotels - Another good option. Many hotels have ballrooms and conference rooms available on Sunday mornings

7. Private Businesses /Companies - Many local businesses have auditoriums and/or large meeting rooms. Get creative

8. Other Churches - Possibility for a Saturday or Sunday night service

Visit your local county or city planning office and get a list of every organization with an occupancy permit of over 200. This list will help you identify facilities in your area where large groups are allowed to meet.

Resources - Checkout the following free facility related resources:

 

Legal / Organizational

New churches should consider the following steps in establishing the proper legal structure (this is not professional legal advice. Consult an attorney for professional legal advice... the following is a guide to follow in consultation with a professional). 

Renting Public Buildings

  • Here is a good explanation of the law regarding church use/rental of public buildings.
  • Laws & School Administrators - Public School Ordered to Pay Damages for Refusing Church to Rent a High School Auditorium
  • Lamb's Chapel - Freedom of Religion/Freedom of Speech -- Whether a local school district that allows its facilities to be used for social and civic purposes may prevent a religious organization from using the facilities to show a movie that presents family issues from a religious perspective.
  • Good News Bible vs. Milford - Freedom of Speech — Whether a public school policy creating a limited public forum that expressly bans religious groups from school facilities constitutes viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment freedom of speech.

Additional Resources 

Constitutions and Bylaws

 

Technology / Media / Web

Free Blog/RSS/PodCast Point Paper - Click here to download a point paper discussing how your church can use these technologies.

Here is a list of free / low-cost applications that planters can download:

1.  Google account (sign up for free) – www.google.com.  Consider the following applications:

  • Google Gmail – http://mail.google.com  - Free email account with great spam filtering built in.
  • Google Reader – Free feed reader for monitoring blogs / RSS feeds
  • Google Calendar – Free calendar program
  • Google Blogger – Free blog creation and management application
  • Google Docs – allows you to share your word processing or spreadsheet documents with other people in real-time
  • Google Toolbar – prevents pop-up windows in your browser and provides many useful productivity functions
  • Google Picasa – http://picasa.google.com  - free picture / photo album management software allows users to setup photo albums online that can be used in other applications, uploaded for printing, or shared with other people
  • Google Desktop – provides search capability for all files on your computer.  Great for finding old emails and files that contain the key words of your choice
  • iGoogle – personal web pages that are fully customizable with a large selection of plug-ins

2.  Jott – www.jott.com – Jott allows users to call an 800 number, leave a voice message, have the voice message transcribed to text, then have the text delivered to an email address of the users choice.  

3.  itunes – www.itunes.com – free music and podcast management software from Apple.

4.  Firefox – http://www.getfirefox.com - A smaller, faster, more secure, customizable web browser.

5.  ZoneAlarm – http://www.zonealarm.com - A free firewall providing better security for your Windows PC.

6.  SpyBot Search and Destroy – http://www.safer-networking.org - A free spyware removal tool.  Helps keep your PC free from programs you didn't intend to install that slow your computer down and pop up advertising.

7. X3Watch – http://x3watch.com - Accountability software in regard to online integrity.

8.  Miranda IM  - http://www.miranda-im.org - Chat client software that works with all the major chat networks.

9.  Skype – http://www.skype.com - Software that also allows voice communications from your computer to other computers or to standard phones very affordably.

10.  LogMeIn – http://www.logmein.com - Free software you can use to remotely access a computer from any other computer online.

11.  Adobe Reader - http://www.adobe.com – free software for viewing PDF files

12.  Foxit Reader - http://www.foxitsoftware.com/ - Free, small and fast software allowing you to view PDF files.

13.  Foxit PDF Creator - http://www.foxitsoftware.com/ - Very affordable software allowing you to type text and edit PDF files.

14.  Windows Live Writer – http://writer.live.com – free desktop software for posting and maintaining blogs. Good overall functionality.  Allows you to manage a blog from your desktop without having to login to an online account.

15.  SPX Instant Screen Capture - http://www.moodysoft.com/spx/index.html - great little inexpensive program for creating graphic images by capturing all or parts of whatever is on your screen

16. Constant Contact – http://www.constantcontact.com – Simply one of the best group email programs on the market.  Well worth the small fee.  Make sure to get the non-profit rates.

17.   Audacity - http://audacity.sourceforge.net – Free audio recording and editing software.   Best overall value around for  making basic audio recordings on your computer.  Many people use this software for making podcasts.

18.  FreeConference - http://www.freeconference.com – Free conference calls. Simply schedule a time, define an access code, and let your team know the call-in information.   It really is FREE!

19.  Firefox Add-ons - http://www.mozilla.com/en-US - tons of free plug-in / add-ons for Firefox.

20.  Wordpress - http://wordpress.org/download - install the Wordpress blogging application on your web site….free.  Takes some technical abilities but well worth the FREE price tag given the extensive functionality and plug-ins.

21.  Wordpress Plug-ins - http://codex.wordpress.org/Plugins - tons of extra add-ons for Wordpress.  These applications give Wordpress a wide range of cool functionality

22.  Feed Reader - http://www.feedreader.com – free desktop RSS feed reader with solid functionality and viewing capabilities.

23.  FeedDemon - http://feeddemon.com – RSS feed reader loaded with functions.  This low-priced software is worth its price.

24.  Blog Lines - http://www.bloglines.com – free subscription to manage blog posts and RSS feeds via an online account.

25.  FeedBurner – http://www.feedburner.com – free online service for creating RSS readable feeds from any blog.  You simply create a free online account, enter your blog address, create a RSS feed name, and let FeedBurner do the rest.

26.  TechSoup - http://www.techsoup.com – non-profits get HUGE discounts on name brand software through a donation program

27.  Hipcast – www.hipcast.com – A low-cost, reliable audio and video podcasting service.

28.  Lookup – www.lookup.ws (or Go Daddy at www.godaddy.com) – very low cost web site hosting and domain registration.  Your account lets you easily purchase new domain names and setup numerous web sites all under your one account.  Price and ease of use are great.

29.  Melissa Data - http://www.melissadata.com/lookups - tons of free “lookup” information about your community.  Very useful in gaining insight into your community.

30. Windows Media Player - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/ - free media player by Windows

31.   Tucows - http://www.tucows.com/ - comprehensive site for freeware / shareware software

32.  Woot – http://www.woot.com – daily special on one product.  Typically a very good price.

33.  Flickr - http://www.flickr.com – free online photo sharing.

34.  YouTube – http://www.youtube.com – Huge, growing collection of free online videos.

35.  Myspace – http://www.myspace.com – free social networking account

36.  FaceBook – http://www.facebook.com - Facebook is a social utility that connects
you with the people around you.

37.  DSL Reports Bandwidth Speed Test - http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest - free speed test of your broadband connection

38.  istockphoto - http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php - free online account with extremely low cost high resolution photos for use in your marketing and design work

39. Planning Center Online - http://www.planningcenteronline.com

 

 

Personal and Family Care

Web Links

Church Planter Lessons

FREE Church Planting Wisdom Pamphlet - Click here to download a free collection of pieces of wisdom collected from various church planters. This collection of church planting wisdom was assembled from across the nation by Derek Brown in a blog series, entitled "Church Planting Wisdom." You can find the original posts here. Derek's blog can be found at http://www.desertfather.com.

Free Church Plant Visiting/Assessment Checklist - Click here to download a checklist you can use to assess new church plants you visit. It was put together by Tadd Grandstaff at Pine Ridge Church in Mebane, NC. 

Free Blog and Web Posts - Click here to access a variety of Blog and Web posts we think you will find particularly useful/interesting. 

National New Church Conference Presentation - Survey of Church Planting Resources / Patrick Furgerson (ppt / pdf)

Free Worship Service Programming Resources

  • Lifechurch.tv Open - Video, graphics, and sermons
  • Seacoast Church All Access - Sermon graphics, PowerPoint backgrounds, Evites, and message mp3s
  • Newspring Ministries - Videos, sermon outlines and more
  • Vine Resources - Media produced for the Vine at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. PowerPoint backgrounds, motion titles, hi-res graphics
  • Chase the Lion - National Community Church's site for message resources centered around the book In the Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day
  • Crazy Church - Free church resources from a number of local churches