One of the most important aspects of launching a new church or new ministry is the people who you inspire to join your LAUNCH TEAM.  If you get gifted, faithful, loyal, inspiring team members to surround you – then everything you do will gain greater speed, depth, and effectiveness.  If you do everything alone, or if you surround yourself with people who are more draining that contributing, then you will feel a sense of perpetual exhaustion.

Where do great team members come from?

In a new church or new ministry, there are often zero funds to provide compensation.  Those who join your team will know that, in a new situation, the chances of their being a paying job in the future is also unlikely.  So where do you get talented people who are willing to work for just opportunity and vision?

1.  RAISE THEM

The best team members are people who you have personally won to Christ, mentored, or poured into in the past.  They will follow you because they like you, respect you, and feel that you have made an impact on their life.  So go back into the reservoir of  your past and identify people who might consider joining your team.

2.  RESEARCH THEM

This requires the skill of networking.  Ask everyone you can think of about people they know of who might be interested in the vision you are pursuing.  If you need a worship leader.  Ask other skilled worship leaders, professors at a College, youth pastors who might have a young person who has ability.  Seek them out one conversation at a time.

3.  RECRUIT THEM

This is a bit delicate because the team member you need might currently be serving somewhere else and with someone else.  There is a difference between RECRUITMENT and RAIDING someone’s team.  It’s ETHICAL PRACTICE to talk to their pastor or employer first and seek their permission to have a conversation with their team member before moving into recruitment mode.  Many times, employers are unwilling to allow their staff to even discuss another opportunity.  Yet, it is still the right thing to do.

These are moments were we have to trust God and not just operate out of fear which makes us cross these boundaries of respect and sensitivity.

4.  RELEASE THEM

This means we pray them in.  We ask God to release LABORS into His Harvest Field.  Remember that this new church or new ministry is not your idea.  Hopefully, this idea started in the heart and mind of God.  So agree with God for those He has already ordained to work with you – to be released into the work.

5.  RECEIVE THEM

Finally, you need to be prepared for these leaders when they show up.  Give them a job description.  Explain the goal you have for their role.  Meet with them regularly to coach their progress.  Invest in their personal development.  Celebrate their success.  Give them opportunity for new experiences.

When you receive leaders well, and together you succeed – they will often go out and recruit more leaders as well, simply because they become passionate about the friendships, the vision, and the work.

A few months ago, I had a long and healthy discussion with someone about the ‘call of God’.  The question was:  HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE CALLED TO DO?  This is often a complicated question and somewhat intimidating to try to figure out.  Here’s a process of discernment that I recommend.

1.  The ‘ WHAT’ Question – this is often a starting point.  This requires us to consider two things:

• Gifting - what gifts has God wired into my life?  We find options in passages like Romans 12 and Ephesians 4.  Are you a teacher?  administrator?  exhortor? Do you have the gift of giving, mercy, leadership?  Are you a pastor? an evangelist?  If you are not sure what your gift is – then start attempting things under the guidance of a leader.  Let them help discover and affirm what’s there.

• Grace - where does God seem to be favoring my efforts?  In the New Testament, Simon Peter had a grace to ministry to the Jews and Paul had a grace upon his life when speaking to Gentiles.  There are some that I know of in my congregation who have a grace upon their life to minister to addicts or to the grieving, etc.

2.  The ‘WITH WHOM’ Question – God releases us into ministry out of the context of relationships.  When Paul and Barnabas were called to be missionaries (Acts 13) they were sent from a local church family (Antioch Church) and sent as a team to do ministry.

• Who Will I Serve? - one of the most important decisions that a person starting out will make is the decision to connect to and come under another leader.  Becoming a great follower is a first step in developing a servant-leadership approach to life.  As my dad is famous for saying, ‘you can’t be over until you are under.’  So you start by submitting to and supporting someone else’s vision.  It’s there you learn and grow.
• Who Will Send Me? – this leader often will be the one to help us discern what’s next.  God will often allow you to share the ‘calling’ and ‘anointing’ of the leader you are called to serve.  As you do that effectively, they will often then be able to release you into some specific aspect of the larger thing God has called them to do.
• Who Will I Go With? - in going, God will often prompt others to go with you.  Like Paul and Barnabas went as a team, God often calls teams to serve His purpose.

3.  The ‘WHO’ Question – So often finding the will of God becomes an exercise in self-actualization.  We start asking the wrong questions like, ‘what will make me the most fulfilled in life?’ or ‘what fits me best?’

• God-Centric NOT Me-Centric - The real question is not ‘what do I feel passionate about.’  The better question is ‘what does God feel passionate about?’  Calling is all about God sharing a burden with you and you choosing to take responsibility for it.  God wants to share a burden with you.  If  you ask Him what breaks His heart, He will tell you.
• Hearing ‘Who’ Is Calling - When Paul was ‘called’ to go to Macedonia to preach – he heard a man calling out from that region – COME AND HELP US.   God is listening to the cries of people who are lost, hurting, and all alone.  Their calling to him breaks his heart.  God’s call is less about YOU and it is more about THEM.
• Seeing Their Faces - When you sense a calling you will begin to see the faces of the people you are called to reach.  Young people? Addicts?  Single Mom’s?  People who live in a neighborhood, attend a school, or live in a town that needs a church?

4.  The ‘WHERE’ Question – many times, getting an answer to the ‘who’ question immediately provides an answer to the ‘where’ question.  But often the ‘where’ expands over time.

• The Immediate – Where we fulfill the call is often with the opportunities that are presently around us.  So we do what we can where we are.  And God breathes on it and expands it.
• The Faith Step - At some point, God will call us to take a step beyond what is easy, comfortable, or easily available into something far more risky and unknown.  This may involve us leaving a place to go to somewhere that is more concentrated with opportunities to touch our ‘WHO’.

5.  The ‘WHEN’ Question – this answer is the easiest.  The time is NOW.  Calling is not discerned by analysis.  It can’t be revealed by a test or an assessment.  It is best discovered by doing and pursuing. In fact, if you put off doing something toward your goal – you may end up locked in the gridlock of personal confusion.

• Obedience Unlocks Further Revelation - God often reveals his direction one step of obedience at a time.  He doesn’t always tell you the ultimate end of the equation.  But He always tells you the next step.  If you wait to hear BIG direction before you obey SMALL direction, then you may never hear anything again.
• Action Clarifies - As we serve, we learn our gifts and our grace zone.  As we work to meet the needs of the FACES we see, we experience a greater sense of God’s heart.  Most often God speaks as we are in motion.  And following Him is not as complicated as we make it out to be.  One moment of obedience leads to the next and before long, we have stumbled into something large and amazing.

My prayer for you is that God will help you to get your eyes off of yourself and onto the faces of people as you seek to hear God’s call for your life.  May God be able to trust you with a burden that is on His heart.  And may you discover the answers to all of these questions as you step out in faith and obedience.

What makes me excited about church planting is not just the birth of another church.  Actually, I am not committed to church planting for church planting’s sake.  There are several things that are primary motivators for me…

#1 – THE OBEDIENCE FACTOR:

I have felt prompted by God that this is His strategy for the region where I pastor, so obeying that prompting enabled me to join God in what He is doing in my area.   Joy is a by-product of obedience to God.

#2 – THE ADVENTURE FACTOR:

Working for God’s agenda is truly an adventure.  When He breathes on something, it moves faster and hits bigger than anything we could imagine.  When we do things in our own strength, we gain what our strength can produce.  When we do things in the stream of what God is doing, then we step into activity that only God can produce.

#3 – THE CITY-REACHING FACTOR:

I believe God’s agenda is more than just growing the church that I pastor.  I believe God wants to reach my city one life at a time.  There is no better way to reach a city than by multiplying churches.

#4 – THE REPRODUCTION FACTOR:

When a church multiplies and reproduces another church, there is a need to raise up and release new leaders to step into critical roles and responsibilities.  Discipleship takes on its truest form when people are being sent out to do ministry.

#5 – THE COACHING FACTOR:

I love to coach.  When I started as the Lead Pastor at APC, I had some great coaches that helped me (my father and father-in-law primarily).  I absolutely love being able to encourage, listen, and coach the pastors of these new churches.

#6 – THE ABUNDANCE FACTOR:

The giving of money, leaders, people away to a new church requires and reinforces and abundance-mentality.  It forces me to practically and tangibly choose a Kingdom-value system instead of a personal-advancement value system.

#7 – THE ETERNITY FACTOR:

There is no way to really judge the eternal impact of multiplying churches.  It is like starting a chain reaction in a very positive sense.  People will come to Jesus that I may never meet on this earth, because they do not attend my church.  But because I was a part of the launch process, I get to share in the celebration of their salvation.

I probably could add to this list.  But these factors are really what its all about for me.

Pastor Scott Wilson, from the Oaks Fellowship in Dallas, Texas – was our speaker (by Skype) for our monthly MCM Network Leaders Meeting - a few months ago.  Scott provided some amazing insights in his short talk to us.  One of the items that he shared was his FIVE POINT FORMULA for celebrating WINS in his congregation.

He said that he starts every leadership gathering with a time for his leaders to testify about the good things God is doing in their ministry together.  Here are the five keys:

1. SHORT – keep it brief and to the point.
2. SPECIFIC - be very specific about what happened, the people involved, and the transformation witnessed.  It shouldn’t be something vague like ‘God was really moving.’  It should include names, faces, and real evidential change.
3. STRATEGIC - it should have something to do with the ministry plan you are pursuing together.
4. STATS - it helps to understand the large scope of the impact.
5. STORIES – helps us remember that is truly all about changed lives.  Faces help us feel the vision and its impact.

Great thoughts.  Thanks Scott!  You should check out Scott’s recent book – STEERING THROUGH CHAOS.

When one church reproduces itself in another it sets in motion so many wonderful things.  There is the potential for everything to be reproduced, so that there is not one but two sources of ministry.  Instead of one children’s ministry, now there’s two.  Instead of one worship team, now there’s two.  Instead of one missions program, now there is two.

Element Church was planted about 2 and 1/2 years ago in Millvale, PA (just north of the city limits of Pittsburgh).  Pastor Rich Jones recently emailed me about a number of things we are working on together.  He closed his note to me with this great report:

One more thing before I sign-off.  You will be happy to know that God has been blessing Element BIG TIME.  We gave more in missions this January than we had in the bank last January! …  What a difference!!!  Also, our board voted on Monday to pick up another missionary for this year, and increasing our giving another 1%.  That gets us to 11% in our tithing & another missionary we support at $40/ month on top of that.  Getting ready to enter into miracle territory, right?  We are seeing God provide like never before, and I know it’s because we have been faithful in the little things.  Expecting BIG STUFF this year.  God is good!

Thanks for your leadership and friendship.  Praying for you all the time, Pastor.  Talk to you soon.

If you are considering one day planting a church or desire to be a part of a church planting team, let me recommend some of the best resource books that I have come across during the last fifteen years.

#1 – LAUNCH – Starting A New Church From Scratch (by Nelson Searcy)

This book is on the top of the list because it does such a good job of outlining step by step what is involved in the proper planning for a new church.  Nelson thinks like a system’s engineer and is very comprehensive in his approach.  You don’t have to agree with every item his list.  But just reading through the list will make you consider things you have not thought of before.

#2- EXPERIENCING GOD – Knowing &  Doing The Will Of God (Henry Blackaby and Claude King)

This is a classic book on how to discern WHERE GOD IS MOVING so that you can JOIN HIM in His work.  Many of Blackaby’s examples have to do with church planting and how to trace God’s hand in a start up situation.

#3 – EXPONENTIAL – How You And Your Friends Can Start A Missional Church Movement (Dave Ferguson)

Best book on how to reproduce leaders that I have ever read.  If you are interested in multiplying yourself, reproducing leaders, parenting or planting a new church, this book will deal with the paradigm necessary to raise up a movement of leaders on every level.

#4- FUSION – Turning First Time Guests Into Fully Engaged Members Of Your Church (Nelson Searcy)

Again, Searcy is so good with thinking through the step by step process necessary for this every important aspect of a new church.  How you receive and assimilate guest is huge in your planning for growing a new church.

#5- THE MULTI-SITE REVOLUTION – Being One Church In Many Locations (Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Warren Bird)

This book documents the various methods and creative approaches to church multiplication.  So many good ideas will come out of exposure to these innovations.

#6- THE UNITY FACTOR – Developing A Healthy Church Leadership Team (Larry Osborne)

Excellent stuff on how to lead a healthy board structure.  Larry’s books on STICKY CHURCH or STICKY TEAMS could have made the list as well.

#7 – LEADING ON EMPTY – Refilling Your Tank & Renewing Your Passion (Wayne Cordeiro)

This is a must read for any pastor or leader who wants to remain personally healthy over the long haul.  As you plant the church, you need to establish good healthy patterns in life and ministry.

When it comes right down to it, we have to recognize that church planting is not an end in and of itself. It is a means to an end. When we plant a church, what we are doing is working creatively to reach new people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The goal is all about souls. It’s about THE ONE who needs to experience forgiveness and a fresh start.

Check out this baptism service from Lifestone Church in the South Side of Pittsburgh, which was planted just one and 1/2 years ago.

I was asked yesterday to prepare a talk to a group of church planters.  The topic that I was assigned was this:  COMMON MISTAKES CHURCH PLANTERS MAKE.  Now, I have never personally planted a church.  But I have been a part of helping (parenting) ten other churches to get started.

Here are seven observations:

 #1 – LAUNCH TOO SOON

We made this mistake during our first plant.  We began to hold public services before we had enough established.  We needed a worship leader, so the church had to suffer through some very poor worship experiences.  We needed more people.  We needed to leverage this one time opportunit to have an effective grand opening.

Now, we use a three to six month PREVIEW SERVICE process, where the church meets only once a month, to practice, build team, and ramp up to a larger grand opening.

#2 – PRAY TOO LITTLE

It is a subtle temptation in every area of life and ministry to depend too much on strategic and technical excellence.  Nothing of any lasting value can happen without the work of the Holy Spirit.

#3 – ACT TOO BIG – TOO SOON

Sometimes smaller churches try to act like mega churches and therefore work against thier own uniqueness.  What makes a small church attractive is the availability of relationships.  When a church gets to be larger than 250 people, they will need to develop levels of great excellence and organization in order to keep that amount of people engaged.

But in the early stages of a church – the most important thing we can do is LOVE PEOPLE and make room for them in our lives.  It should be stated that LOVING PEOPLE is always the most important thing, even as the church gets larger.  But being focused on relationships is the even more critical for a church in the early stages.

#4 – COMPARE TOO MUCH

This is a common trap in life.  We compare ourselves to others and when we come up short, we get discouraged.  Every situation is unique.  Every community has a varying degree of difficulty associated with it.  Planting a church in the Bible belt is different from planting a church in Iraq.  We should anticipate that the size of a church and the size of the launch may vary.

If your process is slower and your start is smaller, THAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU A FAILURE!!!

#5 – LOSE TOO MUCH MOMENTUM

A key to growth is something I like to call ‘leadership speed.’  The speed of leadership involves the ability for the leader to avoid lags in vision and execution.  Sometimes leaders put a huge amount of effort into the start of something, they acheive success, and then they take a long break from ‘vision.’

There is nothing wrong with resting.

What we cannot afford to do is lose clarity and urgency about the next ‘win’ that is on the horizon.

 #6 – PREPARE MESSAGES TOO MUCH

Another mistake that pastors can make is that they spend too much time trying to make the message they are preaching… perfect.  So they spend 30 hours preparing a 30 minute message.  The thought behind this is that, ‘If I preach well, my church will explode.’

Yes, solid preaching is important for spiritual and numerical growth.

But if you spend 18 hours in prep, and the level of quality goes from 95% great, down to 88% great, that is totally ok.  This is especially true, if you use those additional 12 hours to spend discipling and investing in people.

#7 – WIN TOO FEW

The final mistake I will comment on has to do with personal evangelism.  There is often a ‘if we built it, they will come,’ mentality about a new church.  But church planting is all about winning people to Jesus who have not yet experienced him.  We are not trying to build a better service than the next church so that other christians will want to join us.

People follow the example of a pastor.  What you do, people will follow.  People do not follow what you describe. (some do).  Most people follow what they see.  Leading the way in making invitations, building relationships, and sharing your faith – is a major key to effectively building a new church.

Welcome to my new blog site.  The posts from here on will be devoted to documenting what I am learning as a pastor who is committed to helping plant many new churches and campuses in the future.  These posts will come out of my reflections and experiences as a pastor, leader, father, husband, and most of all as a parent church pastor.

Currently, I have been part of helping to plant 10 new churches.  There are lots of experience (positive and not so much) that has come from that.

Next year, we are in the process of facilitating the planting of 10 more new churches (including several multi-site campuses).  The goal is to help to establish 100 new churches in the next 10 years.  This blog will document the learning and experiences that happen during this journey.

Thanks for visiting.  I look forward to learning from you as well as we step boldly into the future.

This is a story of a woman named Patty.  She lived across the street from the location where ELEMENT CHURCH now meets for worship, in Millvale, PA.  Element Church was planted out of Allison Park Church several years ago (it was church plant #8).

When Patty arrived at Element Church, she has some obvious needs.  The primary one was the need to break free from a cycle of pain that was centered in her use of illegal drugs.  So Pastor Rich Jones referred Patty to CITYREACH CHURCH in the North Side of Pittsburgh, PA.

CityReach Church was the seventh church planted by Allison Park Church.  Pastor Brian Bolt established not only this great church, but HOPE HOMES which help provide a way for men and women to recovery from various addictions.

Patty not only found Jesus as her savior through the ministry of these new churches.  She also is now drug-free.  She is being used by God as a Director in one of the WOMEN’S HOPE HOMES.  None of this would have happened without the planting of these two new churches.  Watch her story below: