Anyone here been involved in starting a new church?

[rkymtnjesusfreak]

Just wondering if anyone here has been involved in the starting of a new church. Our church has recently experienced a split over legalism and doctrinal issues. Those of us that have left (a group of around 40) have toyed with the idea of a start-up church. We have too many to be a "home church".

We are just not sure where to start to even explore the idea.

Any thoughts? Thanks.:wave:

[rkymtnjesusfreak]

Nobody?

[talitha]

I've been involved in the planting of a church in a foreign country, but it started with some cell groups that later began also having meetings as one big group. Most of the discipleship and support and prayer for one another happened in the cell groups, and the big meeting was mainly for worship and doctrinal teaching. But I'm talking about mainly baby Christians too..... I'm assuming there are mature believers in your group.

If I were you I would begin by having a group meeting in which some ideas of what church needs to be like can be discussed, and go from there.....

blessings
tal

[HeyHomie]

I'm involved in a church plant right now.

Our congregation has gotten too big for its building, so about 40 of us moved across town and have started meeting in a former used car store. We have weekly attendance of about 100 now.

We still share the same senior minister, same elders, and same budget, though.

[Diatheke]

You need a pastor, a leadership team, a place to meet and some cash.

You will have to obtain a 501C3 for tax exemption purposes and there are some other legal issues - it would be wise to hire a local attorney to help.
You don't need this immediately but you'll want it as soon as possible.

There are a lot of resources on the net and a lot of books regarding pioneering churches - if you are going to do something like that I would advise to get started quickly before your small group of people start looking elsewhere.

Books I would reccomend:

Simply Strategic Growth - Attracting a Crowd to Your Church - Tim Stevens and Tony Morgan

Starting a New Church - The Church Planters Guide to Sucess - Ralph Moore

Purpose Driven Church - Rick Warren

You need a pastor with a vision and a group of people willing to buy into the vision and do whatever it takes, it's not easy but many claim a new church plant is the most effective way to evangelize a community.

A strong vision helps create excitement in the core group and the excitement will spread and help grow your church.

Many new churches meet in motel banquet rooms, a school gymnasium or a movie theater, most theaters will rent to you on Sunday mornings and you have built in seating, built in screen for powerpoint and a built in sound system, its pretty much "plug and play" - it can be a really cost effecient way to get started.

You need a new name and to be as far away from the old church as possible, you want to shake off the stigma of "being the church that split" as soon as you can.

Once you have a pastor, a meeting place and a leadership team, you need a core group which it sounds like you already have so then you need to start getting the word out which can mean many things depending on your budget, the size of your town and the demographic you want to appeal to.

You can go door to door with handbills, use newspaper, radio, billboards, etc. you can also make sure each of your members have a lawn sign like the little signs politicians use that stick in the grass and that they put it in their yard, you can do the same with bumper and window stickers - its a rolling advertisement.

Community outreaches are great too, offer a free oil change service for the elderly, single moms and disabled, go house to house and do repairs or lawn work, hand out water at a fair or sporting event, etc.

Also get a good professional website - I stress professional as in hire a pro, no matter how much one of your members swears up and down they can build a website unless they do it for a living hire a pro - your website is the virtual front of your church - if it looks amateurish and hokey your better off without one.
Make sure to plaster the URL on every handbill, flyer, bumper sticker and whatever other advertising you do.

With a group of forty you should have enough volunteers, just because you start small doesn't mean you can't be professional, get some greeters, ushers, parking attendents, coffee team and whatever else you can think of together and have a bunch of run throughs - the very first Sunday that visitors outside of your core group show up you should have the appearance of professionalism as if you've been having church for years.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.
Now stop messing around and go start a church! :thumbsup:

[Wisdom's Child]

You need a pastor, a leadership team, a place to meet and some cash.

You will have to obtain a 501C3 for tax exemption purposes and there are some other legal issues - it would be wise to hire a local attorney to help.
You don't need this immediately but you'll want it as soon as possible.
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Most of your advice is sound, but I would caution any and all congregations to avoid 501c3's.
Use the "separation clause" and do not allow the government to get involved in matters of religious expression.
Yes, it would mean not having tax exempt status...
But Jesus taught us to render unto caesar what is caesars.
It is better to pay taxes where it is waranted, than it is to have the Government able to hold your leash.
If you should happen to do anything (politically incorrect) in your service, the government is quick to threaten your tax exempt status.
This is the major underlying factor in the main denominations accepting homosexual leaders. They feel that they cannot afford to pay taxes on their multi-million dollar properties and assets. You can easily loose your tax exempt status if you as an "employer" should discriminate against any "favored" minorities. Think before you lead your group down that path.
There are better and more biblical alternatives than selling your collective souls to the government.

Also, look towards the person who was the key spokesperson of your new group as your new pastor. Clearly the Holy Spirit has appointed that individual as the groups leader. "Hiring" an outsider to lead you at this point would be counter-productive.
Do you really want to be led by a Hireling?

Just a few thoughts for you to consider.

[rkymtnjesusfreak]

Thanks so much for the info.!! You guys are great. We are hoping to get a meeting together in the next couple of weeks to really solidify what everyone involved is thinking. I will take these suggestions with me so that others can look at them. Thanks again!!