Financial Self-Sufficiency and Viability
Money management is an ongoing concern in both the church and for church planters personally. It is easy to avoid these issues, which can lead to all sorts of disasters for the planter and church. Most planters despise the administrative part of ministry.
Planting a church is a risk-taking endeavor with an uncertain future. Planters are often thrust into fund-raising for the first time in their lives with little or no training. Many plants take years to become financially self-sufficient. Thus, they rely on other churches and donors.
It is a missiological axiom that churches become self-supported. But, as this chart shows, it can take awhile.
Five Ways that Church Plants Address Financial Viability
1. The Bi-vocational PastorWorking a secular ...
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Posted in: Leadership
Tags: finance, viability, self-sufficient, church planting, church, pastor, church plant, planting a church, bivocation, raising support, money management, giving, tithing, offering, budget, funding, launching, money
Leadership Development and Reproducing Culture
Planters face incredible pressure to find quality leaders quickly. Yet the limitations of money, critical mass, and spiritual maturity in new churches create an under-stocked leadership fishing pond. Planters can make critical mistakes as a result.
Many church planters attract interested people but few prepare leaders. Leadership development is the most frequently cited challenge of planters according to our research in this survey of church planting leaders and thinkers. Leadership includes the following.
1. Recruiting and developing leaders2. Implementing teams3. Leadership development approach4. Hiring and leading staff 5. Making changes to facilitate growth 6. Decision-making 7. Empowering volunteers
Five Hurdles to Clear to ...
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Posted in: Leadership
Tags: leadership, church-planting, pastor, church, leaders, culture, raising leaders, staff, resources, discipleship, coaching, church plant, planting a church
By Scott Thomas, President of Acts 29.
Adapted and excerpted from his message, “Fighting For One Another: Gospel Friendship.”
We face a problem in the church. We’re often too busy fighting with each other and we’re failing to fight for each other. We need to learn to fight for each other with every weapon in our arsenal.
Each of us stands functionally alone unless we have a brotherhood (a band of brothers, a community, a network) that we gather ourselves in and around. Peter reminds us: “be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
I’m sick of fighting with other believers and other pastors over menial ...
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Posted in: Relationship Building
Tags: four characteristics of a gospel friendship, gospel friendship, christian friendship, discipleship, coaching, scott thomas, fighting well, fighting for each other, christians fighting, good fighting, fair fighting, fighting for not against, 1 peter 5, how to be a friend, how to be a christian friend, how to be a gospel friend, how to be a helpful friend, true friendship, band of brothers, pastors need friends, pastor friendship, dallas boot camp, dallas, church planter training, church plant, training, leadership training
The following is excerpted from Matt Kruse's "What I Learned from Raising $150,000 in 40 Days."
God in His grace surprised us at Seven Mile Road this Fall. We needed to raise $150,000. Cash. In 40 days. In the teeth of a recession. In a Jesus-hating commonwealth. Somehow, we did it. I am still not sure how, but I am looking at the signed documents.
I’ve complied a list of 10 key things I took out of the exhausting process of leading our church through that season. May they be a help to others who will need to raise some capital to fund the redemptive work of God among those they are called to.
1. You have probably never actually met the person who will make the biggest gift.
We realized that those who could give large gifts ($5k+) probably resided outside of ...
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Tags: fundraising, church plant funding, funding, support, support raising, church plant, how to fundraise, how to raise support, how to fund a church plant, finances, financial, finance
Join us March 10-11 at The Village Church in Dallas, Texas, for our first Boot Camp 2.0
A New Kind of Boot Camp
The Acts 29 Network helps pastors plant churches that plant churches so more people can know about Jesus. To better help pastors plant those churches, we are offering a new kind of church planter boot camp we are calling Boot Camp 2.0.
Boot Camp 2.0 will take place over three days; the training and audience will get more focused and more specific as the boot camp progresses. Those pastors interested in joining Acts 29 as members will need to attend all three days. The other two days will be open to a larger group of people.
Day One Features our Top Communicators on Biblical Church Planting.
The first day will provide a place for anyone interested in church planting, church ...
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Tags: church planting training, church planter training, church plant, acts 29 boot camp, new kind of boot camp, new training opportunities, practical training, church, leadership, missional, reformed, pastor, evangelical, christian
