State of Church Planting State of Church Planting in the U.S. Todayin the U.S. Today

A Leadership Network Research Project

Trends in Church Multiplication

Transition to “local”Transition to “local”

It is clear that the energy of successful It is clear that the energy of successful church planting is moving quickly church planting is moving quickly from from denominationaldenominational structures to structures to the more hands-on the more hands-on local churches local churches and networks. and networks.

Evangelistic EffectivenessEvangelistic Effectiveness

This generation of church planting This generation of church planting leaders is committed to increasing leaders is committed to increasing not only the not only the survivabilitysurvivability and and multiplicationmultiplication of church plants but of church plants but also the also the evangelisticevangelistic effectivenesseffectiveness of those plants. of those plants.

Church Planting SystemsChurch Planting Systems

assessment, basic training, coachingassessment, basic training, coaching

Plants using these systems are more Plants using these systems are more likely to reach unchurched and grow likely to reach unchurched and grow more quickly than plants who do not.more quickly than plants who do not.

ResourcesResources

Church plants that grow Church plants that grow larger, more larger, more quicklyquickly, tend to be more heavily , tend to be more heavily resourced and staffed than those that resourced and staffed than those that do not.do not.

FundingFunding

Church planting emphasis is shifting Church planting emphasis is shifting from the initiative and oversight of a from the initiative and oversight of a national or regional agency to that of a national or regional agency to that of a local church.local church.

The shiftThe shift

There is a trend where funding rests on the There is a trend where funding rests on the shoulders of the parent church and the shoulders of the parent church and the church planter with the national church planter with the national agencies providing no more then 33 agencies providing no more then 33 percent (or less) of funding needs.percent (or less) of funding needs.

National supportNational support

There appears to be a trended There appears to be a trended correlation between the amount of correlation between the amount of money the national agency contributes money the national agency contributes to each church plant and the number of to each church plant and the number of parent churches in that denomination.parent churches in that denomination.

MoreMore money from the national agency money from the national agency correlates with correlates with a lower percentage a lower percentage of of churches that become parent churches.churches that become parent churches.

ObservationsObservations

Local churches traditionally place a Local churches traditionally place a value on planting churches similar to value on planting churches similar to themselves—and tend to do so through themselves—and tend to do so through direct “mothering” or sponsorship.direct “mothering” or sponsorship.

Budgeting and FundingBudgeting and Funding

Churches that aggressively pursue Churches that aggressively pursue church planting have a number of church planting have a number of financial factors in common.financial factors in common.

Church planting churches…Church planting churches…

Expect new planters to raise a sizeable Expect new planters to raise a sizeable amount of the church planting budget amount of the church planting budget (50 percent – 80 percent)(50 percent – 80 percent)

Aggressive, reproducing churches Aggressive, reproducing churches

Provide less financial support than do Provide less financial support than do less-aggressive churches.less-aggressive churches.

The more money a parent church puts The more money a parent church puts into a single church plant, the fewer into a single church plant, the fewer number of churches they actually number of churches they actually planted. planted.

More-aggressive parent churchesMore-aggressive parent churches

Assigned 10 percent or more of the Assigned 10 percent or more of the church’s overall budget to domestic church’s overall budget to domestic church plantingchurch planting

Staffing and partnershipsStaffing and partnerships

One-third of larger churches had paid One-third of larger churches had paid staff assigned to church planting.staff assigned to church planting.

Church planting staffChurch planting staff

Most of these staff spent less than 50 Most of these staff spent less than 50 percent of their time focused on church percent of their time focused on church planting. planting.

There is however a positive correlation There is however a positive correlation between the number of staff who assist between the number of staff who assist with church planting and the number of with church planting and the number of churches planted by that church.churches planted by that church.

There is a direct correlation between the There is a direct correlation between the senior pastor’s commitment to church senior pastor’s commitment to church planting and the church’s ability to plant planting and the church’s ability to plant successfully. successfully.

The more staff involved in church The more staff involved in church planting, the trend is for the church to planting, the trend is for the church to become more involved with other become more involved with other partners and providers.partners and providers.

The more rapidly a church grows, the The more rapidly a church grows, the more likely they seem to initiate or more likely they seem to initiate or become involved with a para-church become involved with a para-church church-planting network.church-planting network.

Churches that were 200 or less in Churches that were 200 or less in attendance were four times more likely attendance were four times more likely to plant a church than churches of 1000 to plant a church than churches of 1000 or more in attendance.or more in attendance.

Churches between 200–500 in Churches between 200–500 in attendance were twice as likely to plant attendance were twice as likely to plant a church than their larger counterparts.a church than their larger counterparts.

The more partners and service providers The more partners and service providers a parent church worked with the more a parent church worked with the more churches they planted.churches they planted.

A “reproducing, multi-staff, high-impact A “reproducing, multi-staff, high-impact style” church plant seems to be more style” church plant seems to be more popular with larger churches, and popular with larger churches, and parallels the number of partners and parallels the number of partners and providers with whom they associate.providers with whom they associate.

Recruitment, Assessment, & Recruitment, Assessment, & TrainingTraining Churches that reported aggressive Churches that reported aggressive

church planting results viewed church planting results viewed assessment, training, encouragement, assessment, training, encouragement, coaching, and mentoring coaching, and mentoring as more as more important and strategicimportant and strategic than financial than financial support.support.

Church-planting churches self-perceived Church-planting churches self-perceived role is to prepare the planter for the role is to prepare the planter for the work in the field and to press him to work in the field and to press him to self-sufficiency. There is a lot of self-sufficiency. There is a lot of freedom given to church planters to freedom given to church planters to determine methodologies and form.determine methodologies and form.

Vision and ValueVision and Value

A shared trait is the importance of A shared trait is the importance of articulating articulating the vision and value of the vision and value of church planting to the church body church planting to the church body through through multiple levels multiple levels of mass of mass communication.communication.

Success is conveyed in terms of Success is conveyed in terms of personal involvement by its membership personal involvement by its membership through prayer, financial giving and through prayer, financial giving and being sent out as a part of the planting being sent out as a part of the planting core group. core group.

The value of church planting is The value of church planting is expressed as the most effective means of expressed as the most effective means of evangelism that a church can participate evangelism that a church can participate in for the expansion of God’s Kingdom in for the expansion of God’s Kingdom and the fulfillment of the Great and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.Commission.

The lead pastors encourage staff The lead pastors encourage staff participation through lending their participation through lending their expertise in their particular ministry area expertise in their particular ministry area to the church-planting efforts. to the church-planting efforts.

AnalysisAnalysis

Church-planting churches consistently Church-planting churches consistently reported a goal to create self-sufficient reported a goal to create self-sufficient church planters and churches.church planters and churches.

Most of them do not fund heavily. Most of them do not fund heavily. Rather, they place the planter into a Rather, they place the planter into a great amount of training. great amount of training.

What is a Church Planting Church?

Do your church's founding documents or published vision, mission, values and strategy documents identify church planting as a key component of your church's vision?

DNA + 2 of the following: Does your church regularly send members out

to help with church plants? Does your church give 5% or more of your

annual budget to support direct church planting?

Does your church have a Church Planting Director or Coordinator on staff? (full or part-time)

Do you have a church planter internship or residency program?

How are people getting other churches involved in church planting?

Assemblies of God (AG)

Evangelical Free Church

Reproducing Clinic 101 An Introduction To Church Multiplication

Evangelical Free Church

Six Critical Questions:

1. Why start new churches?

2. How do we prepare to parent?

3. How do we get our church to plant?

4. How do we design our basic strategy?

5. How do we select right planter & place?

6. How do we establish a healthy parenting process?

NAMB

Books on Multiplication:

The Multiplying Church: The New Math for Starting New Churches (Bob Roberts)

Be Fruitful and Multiply (Bob Logan) Churches That Multiply: A Bible Study on

Church Planting (Elmer Towns and Douglas Porter)

The Ripple Church (Phil Stevenson) The Dynamic Daughter Church Planting

Handbook (Paul Becker and Mark Williams)