Article

Building Your Launch Team

God does not use a lone individual to start a church.

If God has called you to start a new church, you may already feel isolated, like you’re on this church planting journey alone. Be encouraged, God does not use a lone individual to start a church. Thankfully, He builds teams to launch churches. As God prepares you, He is also preparing a group of people to join you in starting the church. Trust that God is speaking to others about being part of what He is stirring within you. Your challenge is to find those individuals. Whether you’re launching in your hometown or you’ve moved your family to a city where you don’t know a soul, God will send people into your life to build the church. Every time you have an opportunity, share the vision with others and watch for the responses. It will become clear to you that God is stirring the hearts of others to join your launch team.

In a past study, Top Issues Church Planters Face, building a launch team came in third as one of the church planter’s significant challenges. Don’t confuse a launch team with a core group. A launch team is focused on the aspects of launching. Their job is to get this church off the ground, and their part is to train and prepare for the launch. A true launch team is outwardly focused, evangelistic in nature, and inviting and investing in people in their relational world. A core group will want to have Bible studies and worship experiences, and is usually more inwardly focused. Additionally, a core group may not view you as the visionary leader and may promote its own desires rather than the vision God has given you. Focus on building your launch team.

1. Pray

The first step in building a launch team is to begin praying with close friends, wherever they may live, about the new church. Some of those friends may even become a part of your church. You can never imagine whose heart God is preparing to help you start the church.

2. Ask

Do not be afraid to ask people to become involved in a new church. Sometimes friends will refer others who are interested in joining a new church, even if they themselves are not interested. Also, make it a point to meet local church leaders and share the vision. They may have a heart for starting new churches and want to partner with you, or they may provide people or prayer support.

3. Serve

Servant leadership is another very effective way to build your launch team. Chris, a church planter in one of the most unchurched regions of our nation, knew he wanted their church to be known “for what they do for the community, not by what they want from the community.” So his launch team of fourteen spent a year serving and building relationships in their community. During that time, they tripled their launch team and became known as a church that serves the community long before they actually launched. When they finally launched, they drew over 200 attendees, making them the largest evangelical church not only in their community but also in the surrounding communities. This church launched well because they were committed to serving the community before they asked the community to attend a service.

4. Cast Vision

Another way to build your launch team is through outreach events, community events, and informational meetings. Advertising a new church start on the radio and inviting people to your event provides yet another opportunity to cast vision. And the more you cast vision, the clearer it becomes. As Guy Kawasaki says, “Pitch constantly. When you are totally familiar and comfortable with your pitch, you’ll be able to give it most effectively.”

As you begin building a launch team, meet with the team regularly to vision-cast and train. Keep them focused on the mission and the launch date of the church. Once you tap into one person who is interested in the church, often you tap into several other relationships through that person. Take every opportunity to deliver a clear vision to them. As the Lead Pastor, you are the vision-caster, the vision-bearer, and the vision-protector. Let the vision capture their hearts the way it has captured yours.

5. Consult

By far, the most effective way to capture the hearts of your launch team is by taking them to see other churches with a vision similar to yours. Plan to attend the weekend service together and schedule a tour and Q&A session afterwards with the Executive Pastor or a member of their team. Regularly repeat the stories of life change from those churches you have visited, while sharing their purpose, values, and strategy. Then, you will find you have clarified the vision in the hearts of a young church.

The early days of your church plant will feel like a roller coaster ride. Some days you will come home exhilarated by God’s provision through people and circumstances, other days you will free-fall down into the darkness of a tunnel. During the free falls, keep your hands reaching for heaven. Trust the One who invited you to join Him and tapped you into His work of reaching a community for Christ. He who called you is faithful. When you come through the most significant drops of starting a new church, He will be there, asking you if you want to go again. Buckle up, stay on the track, and enjoy the ride!