10 Questions Parenting Churches Should Ask
1. What is the purpose of the church plant? What is the need?
The purpose of planting a new church is obedience to the Great Commission to “go and make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19) In most areas, 60-85% of the people are non-Christian. The goal of every “evangelical” church is to reach as many people as possible for Jesus Christ. This usually takes a variety of methods and a variety of churches.
2. What will be the relationship between the parent church and the church plant?
Just like parents support their children, a parent-church will provide support for it’s “daughter-church.” Also, the “daughter-church” will be bringing regular reports back about how its going. Often these are exciting stories of God’s work in changing lives…
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4 Ways of Planting – Why Parenting is Best
Parenting: Like parenting healthy, growing children — where one church gives ‘birth’ to another – by tithing their attendance, consistent prayer support, making referrals of prospects, helping with outreach and launch events, and giving 1/3 to ½ of the financial support over 3 years.
Partnering: Where one church is not strong enough or prepared to parent, but where several churches join together to each help with – giving some people to the launch team who sense the call, by consistent prayer support, making referrals, helping with outreach and launch events, and by pooling their resources to help with 1/3 or more of the financial support over 3 years…
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Process for Parenting/Partnering of New Churches
Step 1 – Preliminaries
- Learn about how your church could plant a new church without it negatively impacting your own church.
- Schedule a time for your leadership to spend 2 hours with a church planting director to help process information. After subsequent processing, make a decision to consider looking at planting a new church.
- Recommend an intention to your congregation. Supply adequate information through a communication process. If needed, get congregational approval…
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Parented Churches Are Healthier and Grow Faster
1. Natural Church Development
According to a 2001 international study by Natural Church Development done by Jonathan Haley and Christoph Schalk, they find that after 5 years:
– All Churches who don’t parent gain 16 new members per 100
– All Churches who parent gain 28 new members per 100
– Healthy Churches who parent gain 64 new members per 100…
