Parenting a New Church Evangelical Covenant Church: Dave Olson and Larry Sherman

Why We Plant Churches

38,556 More New Churches Needed in the US just to maintain Christian presence in our nation.

2000 Percentage of Population at 9.1% Tompkins 10.0% Otsego 11.1% Cortland 11.7% Wayne 11.9% Queens 12.0% Livingston 12.1% Sullivan 12.2% Greene 12.4% Saratoga 12.5% Ulster 12.6% Saint Lawrence 12.7% Washington 13.0% Seneca 13.2% Suffolk 13.3% Fulton New York 13.5% Putnam Chenango 13.6% Madison Warren 13.7% Nassau 14.1% Rensselaer 14.4% Oswego 14.6% Jefferson 14.8% Cayuga 14.9% Rockland 15.0% Orleans Orange Dutchess 15.3% Richmond 15.4% Steuben 15.5% Tioga 15.6% Ontario 15.7% Westchester 16.0% Herkimer 16.1% Delaware Schoharie 16.4% Columbia 16.5% Essex 16.8% Kings 16.9% Bronx 17.6% Monroe Chemung Albany 18.8% Onondaga 19.0% Allegany 19.2% Oneida 19.5% Yates 19.6% Broome Schenectady 19.7% Franklin 19.8% Schuyler 19.9% Wyoming 20.4% Cattaraugus 20.6% Montgomery 21.3% Clinton 22.4% Chautauqua 22.9% Niagara 24.8% Lewis 26.9% Erie 27.4% Genesee 28.2% Hamilton 0.0% to 14.1% 14.1% to 17.6% 17.6% to 29.2% New York Counties 2000 Percentage of Population at Christian Churches Beige = Higher Rose = Medium Blue = Lower

New Churches are needed to reach the 84 New Churches are needed to reach the 84.5% who are not in church on any given weekend.

New Churches are needed to reverse the decline of Christianity in NY.

Impacting More Lives The Covenant has grown steadily for 14 consecutive years.

Attendance in New Churches has fueled the Covenant’s growth many in new churches are new converts

Our Plants Grow Well ECC Plants grow at 25% per year in years 2 – 7. Ave size after 5 yrs = 238 85% - 90% survival rate

Conversions Per 100 Attenders 30 Why We Plant Churches Conversions Per 100 Attenders 18 2003 GLC 2004-6 GLC This graphic illustrates the results of repeated studies, which bear out the fact that church planting remains a highly effective means of evangelism today. Lyle Schaller, one of the most respected analysts of church life states that “church planting is the closest thing to a guaranteed method of outreach.” http://www.churchesplantingchurches.org/

Parented Churches Do Best Parent: 1 church provides people and finances to help another church start. Partner: 2 or more churches assist with the launch of a new church Pioneer: no churches help – denomination sends in a planter who may or may not have a core Community-Based: a planter who has extensive networks in the community.

What Happens To A Church When It Parents?

**The same qualities that would cause your church to want to plant a church are the same qualities that will cause your church to grow. **The same qualities that would cause your church to not be interested in church planting are the same qualities that may keep your church from growing.

Qualities needed from a parent church: .Vision .Faith .Giving Spirit .Sacrificial Attitude .Wisdom

In an evangelical denomination, 21 churches parented new church in the last 10 years. Here were the results: The parent churches grew by an average 24.89% in attendance (12814 to 16003) from the time of parenting until the present (this averaged 5.5 years). When the new churches were included in the parent church's present attendance, the growth rate per church was 80.05%, or 14.49% per year. Of the 21 parent churches, 3 declined in attendance, 17 increased and 1 stayed the same. In all three that declined, the daughter churches did very well, so much so that the growth rate for these parenting churches with their daughters was 65%, 81% and 194%! 4. The new churches averaged 236 after 5.5 years (very good for a new church). They received an average core group of 48 adults and children from the parent church.

How does a Church begin Thinking about Parenting a New Church?

How Was Your Church Was Started?? If your church is like most: it was a risky venture; a strong spiritual passion led the founders to do it; it took a lot of sacrifice and work; it may have been the most important spiritual milestone in their lives;

Every Church has a Beginning Genesis 1 God causes life & growth “Be fruitful & multiply … each according to its kind” Health causes growth Growth leads to reproduction Reproduction causes species growth & challenges parents to further growth

Quote “Every church contains the seed for other churches. The local church was meant to reproduce itself over and over again. As a healthy plant forms seeds that when planted bring forth other plants, so healthy churches form seeds that produce other churches. There is a price to be paid for the planting of that seed. But there is a far greater price to pay if the seed is not planted” Keith Biely (1981) Missionary Alliance

The Bible Encourages It “You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 Most churches are good at “Jerusalem” and the “Ends of the Earth” We must also expand the kingdom to “Judea” – people like us and “Samaria” – near-by people who are less like us. We do this by church planting in communities nearby and with people groups who need the Lord.

What have been the spiritual results of your church since its founding? People who Became Christians?? Children Taught about Jesus?? Marriages Saved?? Acts of Compassion?? God Worshipped?? Missionaries Sent Out?? Pastors raised up from your church??

If You Could Start a New Church, and It Would Not Negatively Affect the Ministry of Your Church, Would You Do It?

What a Parent Church Does Pray People: 5-10% of Parent Church Fishing Lisence Mission-Minded people for core Referrals of those who are seeking We plant new chs to REACH People for Jesus Participation in Outreach Events & Help with Previews & Preparatory Worship “Parts is Parts” – Equipment Phinances – a third to a half of the support for the new church.

GR Example – Other things they’re doing in Parenting a Latino Church Meeting with Church Staff – mutual blessing, communication, prayer, planning Liason for building usage Facilities – as negotiated with FCC: Office space Space for 4-stage Launch & Outreach Events Core Group Development: July – Oct Preview (monthly worship) in phase 2, Nov – Jan Preparatory (weekly worship) in phase 3: Feb… Launch (weekly worship) at FCC or elsewhere starting April or Sept ‘07

A Process for Parenting

Checklist for a Parent Process .Meet With Church Leaders - e.g. "How Your Church Was Started" .Individual Life Transformation Stories - e.g. "God Knew I Would Never Go Unless" ."Church Planting Done Well" Stories - e.g. " _____________ " ."Gentle Leaning" - Often For 2 To 3 Years ."Spiritual" Peer Pressure Address Legitimate Fears, Concerns, Hopes And Dreams

Prayer Proceeds and Permeates the Process: Area Covenant Leaders Praying for Steven Faulk & M-6 Plant 10/05

South of M-6 & 131 Between Kenowa Byron Center Identify the target area or target group. Byron Center

Tomas Ivens – Esperanza Covenant Church, signing the Covenant Agreement. Parented by First Covenant.

One Last Word “Every church ought to say to itself, ‘we are part of a chain… we owe our birth to somebody else. We want to continue this chain of blessing. We don’t want the family of God and the spiritual reproductive process of planting to end with us’ ” Adapted from Win Arn