Category Archives: Church Planting
I-20 Church Planting Connections:
Eight Church Planting Network Luncheons this Summer across Louisiana. Got to connect with some great I-20 Church Planting partners last week:
>> Open Road Fellowship in Haughton with Raymond Wilkinson. Reaching motorcycle enthusiasts in NW Louisiana.
>> The Warrior Network with Trey McGuire. Reaching airmen in the Shreveport Bossier area. Incredible new ministry that hopefully will multiply into other areas.
>> The Covenant Church with planter Luke Allen. Great plant started in 2010 meeting in Downtown Shreveport & doing an incredible job reaching millenials. .
>> The Crossing Church in Monroe with Jarrod Hawthorne & Kendrick Banks.
>> The Circle Church cranking up this year in Alexandria, LA with Vincent Smith & Casie Dunn Smith. Great team coming together! This is going to be good!
>> First West Fairbanks with Chad Merrell continues to go strong in their 5th year. Great revitalization & multiplication story at Fairbanks –http://ow.ly/P8L8c.
>> North Hills Church in Calhoun with Planter/Pastor Jon McCartney. Great plant sponsored by Cedar Crest Baptist Church.
>> Tommy Smith is the new pastor of North Monroe Baptist Church’s Bastrop campus. Great multiplication story going on at North Monroe. Grateful for Bill Dye & his leadership. Next Generate Conference is in the works for 2016 – http://ow.ly/P8KGv.
>> Also, grateful for our I-20 DOM’s Jerry Price & Lane Moore for their support of church planting in their regions. Great things to come for the I-20 communities.
Four more Church Planting Network Luncheons still to go this month. Get connected!
Handling Money in a New Church #churchplanting #churchadmin
Managing money is one of the roles we as church planters are often NOT ready for when it comes time to launch a new church. Most figure it out, but mistakes made in this area can cost credibility & more. And this is one area that you DO NOT want to fall behind on & have to play catch up later. This may seem simplistic, but you need to devise strategy for six steps that must be done with money given to your church:
- Receive it.
- Count it.
- Deposit it.
- Record it.
- Spend it.
- Report it.
How to Baptize More People in Your Church #churchplanting
People in the water being baptized serves as a highlight & significant spiritual marker in the life of an individual & a church. Recently, I polled a few of our highest baptizing church plants in Louisiana & found that they have 5 intentional practices that every church can do to increase baptisms:
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Pray & Share the Gospel.
If you don’t have anybody to baptize, you need to ask the question, “Are we communicating the gospel clearly to our community?” It may be that you are in a hard soil area & cultivation will take time. That’s fine. But the promise of the word of God is to produce results (Isaiah 55:11). God’s working in all our communities to bring people to himself (1 Corinthians 5:19-21). As we pray & share, planting seeds in our communities, eventually we can expect a harvest (Psalm 126:6). If you need some ideas, see my post Proven Ways to Cultivate Relationships & Plant Seeds in Your Community.
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Keep a current list of potential candidates.
Write down the names of people in your fellowship that you’re not sure of their relation to Christ &/or if they’ve followed the Lord through believer’s baptism. Share it with core leaders & ask them to pray. Plan on systematically talking with them about making this important step in their faith journey. Also, teach parents how to look for signs of God’s work in the lives of their children & when they begin to respond, put them on the list & begin to pray for them. (Check out this helpful article on How to Tell If Your Child is Ready for Baptism).
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Put it on the church calendar.
As you do calendar planning, go ahead & put at least two dates for baptisms on the calendar. Announce these regularly. Expect to have candidates. Pray & share the Gospel. Work the list.
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Get info out about Believer’s Baptism.
Teach on it regularly. Produce a brochure & keep it in a well trafficked area in your building & on your website. I’ve also heard of churches doing brief Informational meetings about baptism before & after church. Don’t assume people realize the importance & Biblical reasons for baptism. Here’s the brochure our church utilizes.
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Make it a celebration.
Baptism is an opportunity to celebrate God’s work in the heart of human being. Jesus died so that work could be done! A person has left the kingdom of darkness & entered the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13)! Even the angels in heaven throw a party when this happens (Luke 15:10)!. Let’s celebrate! Make it a big deal. Send out invitations, post pics, share videos! We throw parties for much less, so a thing that makes heaven party & busts people out of the kingdom of darkness should instigate a celebration!
An evangelistic culture must be cultivated & maintained with intentionality. We have a command from Jesus to go & baptize (Matthew 28:18-20). We have so many people without a relationship with Christ. Get intentional about moving people to understand & respond to the Gospel & celebrate it through baptism.
“In every apple there is an orchard” #churchplanting
I-10/Acadiana Basic Training for Church Planting Recap
Finished up another Basic Training for Church Planting yesterday in SW Louisiana. Excited about the teams that made it to this training.
- Bayou Life Church in Cottonport – Life Point in Mansura has targeted the communities with no SBC church & little evangelical influence across Avoyelles Parish, which is the northern fringe of cajun country. Cottonport is one of those comunities & they have tapped Louisiana church planting legend, Louis Cherrier for the task of planting there.
- Broadmoore Hispanic in Shreveport – Planter Daniel Hernandez. Hispanic population has grown to near 300,000 in Louisiana. Grateful for Pastor Daniel & his team.
- Christ Church – Lafayette, Opelousas, & now Abeville. Christ Church has added three locations in around 12 months. Excited about the heart that Pastor Brandon Nealy & Exec Pastor Joe Garner has for multiplication. May their tribe increase.
- Crosspoint Church in Galiano – Planter John Boss, & Associate Pastor Noah Blackburn who’s looking to plant in the future. Great work going on in the hard to reach bayou communities in southern Jefferson, Lafourche, & Terrebone Parishes.
- Redeemer City Church in Lafayette – Planter Aaron Schamp. Meeting in downtown Lafayette & reaching out to millenials & young professionals. They’ve done a great job in year one. Looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the team at Redeemer City.
- St. James Baptist Church in Bunkie – Planter Reginald Arvie. One of Louisiana’s oldest evangelical congregations (St. James Baptist in Chicot – started by Joseph Willis in the early 1800’s) & one of Louisiana’s newest congregations Life Point Mansura are teaming up to start a new work in Bunkie. Actually cranking up ministry tomorrow night! This is going to be good!
- The Cross Church in Lafayette – Planter Emmanuel Kuada . Brand new project. Looking fwd to what shapes up in fast growing Acadiana.
Several yet to be determined projects as well as several Revitalization projects were also represented. Our next Basic Training will be in north Louisiana at Camp Harris in Minden. Register & get more info here: http://louisianabaptists.org/basictraining2015.
How Much Does it Cost Your Church to Reach One Person for Christ?
Got an interesting question that has me working the calculator this morning. How much money does it take to reach a person for Christ in the average SBC Church? So many factors could be thrown in to the equation here, but just some quick figuring in a few major population areas in Louisiana.
- A sample of 66 churches in one city spent $40,845,337 in 2013.
- The same 66 churches reported 503 baptisms in 2013.
- So it took this group of 66 churches $81,203 to baptize one person.
- Looking at the new churches in this group of 66, the total spent per baptism went down to $21,276.
- I’m guessing, it will go up for the age of the church, but more study will be needed.
How much does it cost your church to baptize one new convert? is this a good question to gauge our effectiveness? What do these figures tell us about our churches?
Basic Training for Church Multiplication, April 27-28 @ Acadian Baptist Center
If I had a bumper sticker it’d say, “I’d Rather Be Planting Churches.” Blessed to be able to work with those planting churches in Louisiana & one of the ways I get to do so is through planning training events. Our next Basic Training for Church Multiplication is April 27-28 at Acadian Baptist Center, near Lafayette. Register here: http://ow.ly/LHbKX. Overnight housing & all meals included.
>> Our Basic Training Workshop works through all the major systems needed for a church to grow no matter the model.
>> Church planters in Louisiana who have attended some type of Basic Training event have experienced 50% higher attendance & 65% more baptisms. Not sure if that’s because of our great training or the teachability that attending training exemplifies.
>> Facilitators are men who have successfully planted churches in Louisiana. This session will include: Andy Tribe from The Bayou Church – Youngsville, Jacob Crawford from Life Point Church, & Joe Garner III from Christ Church.
>> The training is offered free, thanks to gift from Louisiana Baptist churches to the Cooperative Program & Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering.
>> More info at LouisianaBaptists.org/basictraining2015 or give me a call at 985.373.2748.
7 Steps to Establishing Your New Church as a Legal Organization
Guest post by Scott Cheatham, Church Planter with The Way Church in Denham Springs. Scott is one of the facilitators for the Admin Session of our Basic Training for Church Multiplication Workshop in Louisiana.
As church planters, we get excited about the task, but often neglect administrative details. To start with integrity & assure long term success, we must take care of legal issues that can serve as future threats to the health of our organization if neglected. Here are seven steps that new churches need to take to become legal & maintain organizational integrity:
STEP 1- Secure Your Name
Once you have chosen a name for your church, you have to determine whether it is available for use. To do that, go to: www.sos.la.gov/Pages/default.aspx. Go to the “Start a business” tab and search for business filings. Look for the business name in the directory. If it is not already taken, then you can use it. If it is being used, then you will either have to add something to distinguish it, like your city or community. (i.e. Calvary Baptist of Denham Springs) or change the name. Once you have found a name that can be used, you can move on to the next step.
STEP 2- Writing Your Articles of Incorporation
The next step in the process is writing your Articles of Incorporation. I recommend using a lawyer. These documents can be complicated and difficult. Information you will need to have to write your articles: Who are the officers of the church? What is the mailing address? How will your church make decisions and function legally? It would be a good idea if you have some by-laws to present to the lawyer so he can get a clear understanding of the polity of your church. Once the Articles of Incorporation have been written, they need to be filed.
STEP 3- Filing Your Articles of Incorporation
The Articles of Incorporation have to be filed with the Secretary of State. You can either go to the office to file personally or you can file online. Your lawyer should be able to help direct and/or file for you. To file, there is a $75 fee. The Secretary of State also requires you to file an annual report. This can be done online as well. This process only takes a few minutes and insures that the church stays in good standing with the state. Once you have filed, you can then go to step four.
STEP 4- Tax ID Number
Churches need an EIN (employer identification number) or what is referred to as a tax identification number. This number is used to file your quarterly tax reports. This number can easily be obtained by going to the IRS website and filling out the appropriate form. Go to this link and follow the appropriate steps: http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/. Once completed, you will have your EIN. Print a copy and keep in your records. You will need this for conducting business.
STEP 5- State Tax Number
Louisiana churches also need to have a state tax number. This state tax number will allow you to file your quarterly state tax forms. This can be obtained online as well. Go to: http://revenue.louisiana.gov/Businesses/BusinessRegistration. Follow the instructions to apply for a Louisiana taxpayer identification number. Once you have been emailed this number, print it and keep for your records.
STEP 6- Open a Bank Account
Now it is time to open a bank account. You will need to bring all of the above-mentioned documents to the bank and open an account. There are a few things that you need to know when you arrive at the bank. Who will sign checks? Do you want a bankcard? What is the mailing address for the church? Knowing these things in advance will expedite the process of opening an account.
STEP 7- Bookkeeping
Step seven is very important. This step involves setting up a good record keeping system. There are several good systems that are available. There are systems designed just for churches. You can go online and find one to match your needs. Quick Books is another option as well. This may require a little experience with bookkeeping, but is user friendly. Another option is to hire a local CPA or Bookkeeper to keep your books. This would insure that you are filing timely and proper tax forms. These firms will also pay bills and do payroll. The expense is usually minimal.
These steps will insure that God’s church is started and operated legally and with integrity.
Other articles about getting started on the church planting journey:
“Purpose doesn’t take the pain away or make the process easier” Kirk Jones – Generate Conf Recap
Some Big Takeaways from the Generate Conference with Shawn Lovejoy, Kirk Jones, & Bill Dye. The Conference brought together Church Planters & Leaders from around Louisiana. Great networking & the content was top shelf.
from Kirk Jones, founding pastor of Fellowship Church in Prairieville, on lessons learned while planting:
> Straight rows are efficient. Finished rows are fertile.
> Faithfulness is required, not perfection.
> Preparing the field will never lead to perfection but to fertility.
> Purpose doesn’t take the pain away or make the process easier.
> The more seeds you plant, the more you harvest.
> The more seeds you plant, the more seeds you have.
from Bill Dye, Sr. Pastor of North Monroe Baptist Church in NE Louisiana, on overcoming growth barriers:
> Overcoming barriers comes through vision.
> If you give up on church growth, you’re giving up on people.
> Church is designed for people not there.
> We don’t try to make converts. We want to make disciples.
> Build your vision around the Great Commission. Helps deal with resistance. Who can resist the Great Commission?
> Most important thing to get people to buy in to in church: “It’s not about you.”
from Shawn Lovejoy, Founder of Mountain Lake Church in Cummings, GA & ChurchPlanters.com that host the popular Velocity Conference each year:
> Too many church planters want to plant & harvest in the same week.
> Most pastors quit right before the harvest.
> Be careful what kind of church you plant, you might have to pastor it one day.
> Successful leaders lead themselves first.
> The condition of our hearts determines the outcome of our ministries.
> Be developers of people, not doers of ministry.
> What you celebrate, gets done. Celebrate the individual life, not the huge crowds.
> No discipleship plan is perfect, so work your plan.
And thanks to Fellowship Church for going above & beyond as our host for the conference! Hope it won’t be the last!
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- Kirk Jones & Todd Blount
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- Bill Dye
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- Bill Dye & Kirk Jones
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- Shawn Lovejoy
“Build in the Beginning What You Want in the End” – Basic Training for #ChurchPlanting Recap
Finished up our first Basic Training for Church Multiplication event yesterday in Louisiana. Two more events coming up this year. Basic Training serves as a workshop overview of systems that need to be in place for a church to get off the ground & sustain flight toward evangelizing a community for Christ. A study of recent church plants in Louisiana shows that planters that take advantage of some kind of workshop training experience 45% higher attendance & 61% more baptisms in their first three years. Our trainings in Louisiana are free & include overnight accommodations & three meals. And feel free to bring your team. If you can’t make it to these & are in the midst of planting a church, find a boot camp, school of church planting, or significant training event to plug into.
A few highlights:
- Understanding the soil in which you are planting – spiritually, socially, and culturally – is crucial to the effectiveness of your church plant.
- Just like farming, there are two activities for church planters: cultivating and planting. If you do the right thing in the wrong season, you get zero results.
- Vision is nothing if it’s not rooted in human problem and growing toward God’s glory. ~ Will Mancini
- You won’t do ministry that really matters until you define what really matters ~ Aubrey Malphurs
- Three keys to church planting: Gather, Gather, Gather.
- Healthy churches have a healthy culture that is created and facilitated by healthy systems.
- Most new members in church plants don’t go from 0% to 10% in giving right away. That’s a path we must lead them down.
- Church Multiplication is a spiritual decision of a local church to put the needs of a desperate world before self-preservation. ~ Stephen Gray
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- Lonnie Tucker, Stillwater Baptist Church
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- Scott Cheatham, The Way Church
Pray for Great Kingdom Church – Hammond, Crossroads Church – Kenner, Stillwater Church – New Orleans, Downtown Church – New Orleans, Life Point Church – Plaucheville, Life Point Church – Simmesport, Hope Church – Chauvin, Bridge Church – Covington, & three yet to be named projects.
#ChurchPlanting Hack: 18 Proven Ideas for Engaging the Community and Planting Seeds
When starting a new church or wanting to impact a community for Christ through evangelism, scattering seeds should be one of your primary missions. On Church Planter reports we ask for the # of contacts made each month. No coincidence that often the church plant with the most salvations and baptisms is also the one with the most contacts made in the community over the course of a year. That’s not always the case at first, because some communities will take more of the spiritual work of cultivating the ground through prayer and serving before seeds can be planted and harvest gathered. But if a church planter aggressively devises a strategy of seed scattering and planting, eventually a harvest can be expected (Psalm 126:6).
What is scattering seed for a church planter? Seed scattering is any activity that intersects believers &/or the gospel with the lives of people in the community. The more directly evangelistic the better. But considering that it probably takes 20 touches for someone to become a Christian, plan for activity that cultivates, plants, and draws the harvest.
Here’s 18 Proven ideas for engaging the community and increasing your contacts and seeds planted in your church plant:
Lane Corley 