Casting Vision and Avoiding Mission Drift
Church plants often lose sight of their direction, vision and resulted in mission drift in several different ways. Planters may struggle with pressure from "churched" people to stray away from the mission; discerning between "good ideas" and mission critical ideas; making decisions consistent with mission; defining priorities for growth; and balancing evangelism and discipleship.
Five Key Considerations to Avoid Mission Drift
1. ClarityThe concept of "drift" implies leaving a clearly defined and understood standard. Planters mistakenly assume their expectations for the rest of the team and body are as clear and compelling in their minds that they are in the planter’s mind.
2. Core ValuesMost planters have a strong sense of mission and ...
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Posted in: Leadership
Tags: church planting, pastor, church, planting a church, church planter, mission, vision, mission drift, vision casting, leadership, clarity, values, ministry, philosophy
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
Mission and Vision:
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1. Our first mandate is the Great Commission
Our vision is to have 1000 churches with an average of 250 people each. That would be a quarter of a million people worshipping Jesus in A29 affiliated churches. This could be accomplished in under 7 years.
2. Church: what is it?
(from Vintage Church) "The local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to scripture, they organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of baptism & communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness, scattered to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission as missionaries to the world for ...
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