Before you press “Purchase” on that print order for your prospectus, take some time to review these 10 excellent church planting prospectus samples. A prospectus is like a business plan for a new church and has become an expectation in the current church-planting landscape. Sending churches, networks and denominational entities expect you to have a prospectus before you reach out to them for funding.
Trying to plant a church without a prospectus would be like trying to get a job without a resumé. Each of the samples I’ve included below have been chosen because they have some feature I think is important to highlight. If you’d like to learn more about writing a prospectus, Chapter 4 in Church Planting Thresholds – offered free here by Send Network – is dedicated to prospectus writing.
- New Creation Church (Chicago) – Church Planter Ricky Brown did a great job on the design of both his prospectus and website. Don’t underestimate how much your design can say about your intended culture. Notice the section titled, “Church Planting References.” In this section, Ricky enlists some church planting heavy hitters to endorse him. Remember, a prospectus is like a resumé for your new church. It is the document you use to substantiate your credibility. Don’t be afraid to make your experience, and credibility a feature of your prospectus. Check out the New Creation prospectus here.
- Hampton Roads Fellowship (Newport News, Virginia) – I love the photography on this prospectus. It’s a simple, graphic-driven design with just the right amount of content. The planter, Miguel Davilla, breaks down the financial ask into a simple goal of gathering 50 financial partners. Check out the HRF prospectus here.
- Grace Hill Church (Herndon, Virginia) – Again, the format is different on this one at 5.5 x 8.5, rather than an 8.5×11. Pay particular attention to the “Fundraising Plan,” in which the planter, Allan McCullough, broke partnership down into categories. Also, note the partnership page, where Allen shows where his training was provided, as well as his sending churches and denominational partners. Check out the Grace Hill prospectus here.
- North Augusta Fellowship (North Augusta, South Carolina) – Planter Jason Cornwell has done a great job using a simple design that appeals to both traditional and modern sensibilities. The prospectus has a really classy old map of the city on the first page and gives a good sense of the scale of a city most of us have never heard of. One unique feature of the North Augusta prospectus is the “Our Metrics” section where they show how they will measure success. Check out the NGF prospectus here.
- Redeemer City Church (Reykjavik, Iceland) – I love the fact that church planter Logan Douglass used the Icelandic National Anthem as the opening text for his prospectus, featuring the refrain, “God of our Land, Our Country’s God.” He also chose a simple design consistent with the European sensibilities. One interesting note on this prospectus: You’ll probably recognize the “stock photo” of a black church building. It’s been used extensively. This church building actually is located near RCC on the Snaefellsness peninsula 130 kilometers from Reykjavik. Check out the RCC prospectus here.
- Missio Dei Community Church (Pittsburgh) – This prospectus is in a square 8×8 format, rather than an 8.5×11. Changing something up on your prospectus, like the size, paper weight or texture, can make it stand out. The planter, Cody Bockelkamp, used a careful choice of stock photography to create a young, urban tone. Check out the Missio Dei prospectus here.
- Trinity Church (Loudoun, Virginia) – Of special note on the Trinity prospectus are the budget categories. Where most use “personnel,” “facilities,” etc., planter Matt Felton organized the budget creatively into categories of “Help us Live,” “Help us Gather,” “Help us Send” and “Help us Shepherd.” Check out the Trinity prospectus here.
- Pillar Church of Stafford (Stafford, Virginia) – A unique feature of this prospectus is that planter Mike Garlem chose to use quotes throughout the prospectus from members of the team, church planting leaders and those positively impacted by the ministry. These quotes go a long way to lend credibility to a new church. Each quote is accompanied by a photo of the person sharing the quote and their title. Check out the Pillar Stafford prospectus here.
- Redeemer Queens Park (London, United Kingdom) – This prospectus is one of the most unique in the bunch. Church planter Thomas West has done a great job capturing a “feel” for the church plant in print. Pay special attention to the “Working Together” page, where the church has listed all the current, committed church partners. This is a great idea because, although it is counterintuitive, churches like supporting work already supported by other churches. In other words, support is more likely when you have support. Check out the RQP prospectus here.
- Veritas Community Church (Dayton, Ohio) – This is more comprehensive than most prospectus samples I see. Weighing in at 30 pages and 2,500+ words, church planter Garrison Greene’s sample is more than twice the size of the average prospectus. The sections are basically the same, but the information is a bit more detailed. It is still attractive and graphic-heavy, so it is easy to skim if you are not ready to settle in for a half-hour read. Check out the Veritas prospectus here.
Published February 7, 2022
