1. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! Tom Cheyney

2. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! I have been a student of church growth since my early days as a young pastor and church planter desiring to grow a church. If one surveys some of the leading publishers in the field of church planting you will quickly discover some basic and fundamental principles that can be found in virtually every growing church plant. In most cases these principles are visible and can be gauged.

3. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! Number One: A Clear and Unique Vision Every growing church has a sense of unique vision and purpose---a clear sense of direction. The church planter and the laity of the church share a common vision for what God wants that church to accomplish. In most cases, the church planter and the people can clearly describe and articulate their vision.

4. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! 1.They have also dedicated themselves to be on-mission to accomplish this vision. 2.They know what their mission is. 3.They have a written mission statement. 4.They have a clearly articulated mission based on God’s vision for that church which gives the people a sense of direction. 5.They are moving toward an objective. 6.They are not merely existing.

5. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! Number Two: Leadership The leadership role of the church planter is probably the top one or two most critical factor regarding the growth and success of the new work. A vigorous growing new work is catalyzed by dynamic leadership that draws the entire church into action. For the church planter to function as a good leader, he must have certain specific character qualities and carry out certain specific leadership responsibilities.

6. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! Number Two: Leadership The church planter must truly desire growth for his church and must be willing to pay the price in hard work. The church planter must accept his responsibility as the primary communicator of God’s vision for the new work. Out of this vision the church planter must lead the new work to develop an effective philosophy of ministry. He then must lead the new work to organize the mission, set goals, develop plans, and mobilize the people to accomplishment.

7. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! Number Two: Leadership The church planter must have a missional state of mind rather than a maintenance frame of mind. He must be free to be creative, innovative, and assertive with regard to the vision and mission God has for His new work.

8. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season ! Number Three: The Importance of the Laity in Church Planting Virtually every author on church planting agrees on the importance of the laity in church planting. A well-mobilized laity is the vital sign of a growing new work.

9. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season ! Number Three: The Importance of the Laity in Church Planting The people of the new work must truly want their church to grow The people of the new work must be equipped to discover and use their spiritual gifts to assist the new work The people of the new work must be willing to work hard along with their church planter/leader The people of the new work must be willing to assume new responsibilities and willingly hand over various leadership positions to other new people as the church continues to grow and expand The people of the new work must be willing to be pragmatic about the programs and activities and not be afraid to evaluate what they are doing in terms of the new church’s growth effectiveness.

10. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! Number Four: Strategic Planning The idea in strategic planning is to develop ongoing strategies that will help achieve the mission of the church and, therefore, move the church toward realizing the accomplishment of its vision. The principle of strategic planning helps a new work see that it must become intentional regarding the steps it must take to accomplish its mission. After studying itself and its community, a new work can intentionally develop specific strategies. Once strategies for mission achievement have been developed, the process continues with setting goals, developing action plans, and assigning responsibilities. It is also wise to build into this process clearly defined accountability.

11. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! Number Five: Effective Evangelism This principle will be found in nearly every list of church planting growth and assimilation principles. Any new work that does not focus on direct outreach is doomed from the start! You can only grow so far with scheduling, programs and brochures. There is no one way to present the gospel. But there is one essential. We must present the gospel to unsaved people if our churches are to grow significantly in the years ahead.

12. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! Number Six: Life Development Groups This principle could be stated as the principle of assimilation. Perhaps the most important aspect of this principle is that the church must be structured in a way that develops an organizational base for growth. The larger the base, the greater the possibilities for growth. Life development groups provide a critical function for facilitating a church’s growth. Southern Baptists can attribute much of their growth to the development of the Sunday School, which is primarily an organization of life development groups.

13. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! Number Six: Life Development Groups In many cases, life development groups are designed as entry points in which new people are touched with the gospel and won to Christ through the teaching of the Scriptures and the witness of group members. However, another vitally important function of life development groups is to provide a means whereby new converts and new members may be assimilated into a community of fellowship within a local church. Assimilation, the process in which new members come to feel they belong, is vitally important if numerical growth is to be sustained and advanced.

14. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! Number Seven: Significant Prayer Prayer may very will be the most important principle or all. Of course, prayer is more a practice of the church than a principle of growth. However, the point is that without prayer, there is apt to be little or no growth at all. What is somewhat ironic about this fact is that even though prayer is such an integral part of a growing church, few books have been written on the specific relationship of prayer and new work growth. Without exception, the practice of significant prayer pervades every other principle. For more information on developing a prayer strategy go to www.ChurchPlantingVillage.net

15. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! Number Eight: Spiritual Power No doubt, genuine spiritual power is an outgrowth of genuine prayer. Many kinds of so called growth can be manufactured by man- made, self-indulgent methods. You can call it what you will; but without the dynamic presence of the Holy Spirit of God working to enable and effect the increase of Christ’s kingdom, it is not biblical new work growth or for that matter, existing church growth!

16. Growth Principles for the New Church Plant that are Always in Season! These eight basic principles are essential factors that have been observed by key leaders as familiar ingredients they believe God has used to accomplish the growth of His church. These eight principles are not the final word, but I hope they will help you as you work with our Lord to see growth accomplished in your new work.