Church plants are needed – point blank! The local church serves as a beacon of hope for the community. This is where people can be disciples and grow in the spiritual walk. However, due to a lack of resources or proper planning, many churches fail to survive beyond their third year.
This can be disheartening for all involved, but there are still ways to improve upon this statistic and ensure that your church plant will be around for years to come. Here are some of the most important strategies that can help make sure that your church planting mission is successful in the long haul:
Develop strong leadership teams:
The success of any business or organization depends heavily on its leaders, and churches are no exception. Leadership teams should be diverse and carefully chosen – those with different backgrounds, skill sets, life experiences, and networks can help create a vibrant church culture while promoting future growth.
Don’t gather “yes men” who just go with the flow and have no fresh ideas or input. Also, don’t gather people with the same gift set as yourself. You need some diversity of gifts, talents, and knowledge.
The success of any business or organization depends heavily on its leaders, and churches are no exception. Click To TweetCreate missional activities:
The church has always been at the forefront of social justice and engaging with local communities to create meaningful impact. With missional activities, churches can demonstrate Christian values and build relationships within their local area.
Here are some ideas for how your church can engage with its community:
1. Organize volunteer programs:
Invite community members to join a volunteer team and work together on projects that will benefit everyone, such as planting trees, creating public spaces, or organizing educational workshops.
2. Provide counseling services:
Reach beyond those attending the church services and provide individual counseling sessions for troubled teenagers or those struggling with addictions or mental health issues. This is a great way to show compassion and give back to communities needing help!
3. Start after-school programs:
Create activities such as painting classes, sports tournaments, or language lessons geared towards children and teenagers who are looking for ways to learn new skills while making friends during their free time outside school hours.
4. Advocate for Core Value issues:
Use your platform as a Christian institution to speak up about modern economic or social justice topics – always keeping in mind the example set forth by Jesus Christ when he advocated for the poor, needy, and helpless!
Tips: Don’t shy away from your core values. For example, We are pro-life and stand firm on the value of life for both the mother and baby.
Don’t engage in activities just for the sake of doing something. Make sure you are passionate about it and are determined to make a difference.
Utilize technology:
In this day and age, technology is ever-evolving, providing churches with many new opportunities. From live streams to video lessons, seeing how much churches can leverage technology these days is truly inspiring.
Here are some examples of how churches of all sizes have been using tech:
1. Livestream church services:
Whether it’s a Sunday sermon or a special event, many churches now stream their services live on social networks such as YouTube or Facebook. This allows people worldwide to follow along with the service in real time – even if they’re not physically present at the church itself!
2. Offer online courses:
Attending church sometimes isn’t feasible due to location or other reasons, so why not provide online courses instead? Many congregations across the country are now offering virtual classes on topics ranging from Bible studies to marriage counseling – something that can prove invaluable for those interested in deepening their faith through digital means.
3. Create podcasts:
Podcasts are becoming more popular than ever as a way to share stories, music, and messages from the pulpit on a regular basis. Whether it’s interviews with key people associated with your church or sermons about relevant topics for today’s world, there’s no denying that having your own podcast can be a great way to spread your message beyond local boundaries!
4. Utilize gaming platforms:
Believe it or not, some churches now use video games as part of their outreach strategy! Organizing tournaments where participants can compete against each other has been shown to draw in younger believers who may not come into contact with faith-based organizations otherwise, and those curious about Christianity too!
Network with other churches:
Forming partnerships with other churches fosters relationships based on collaboration rather than competition by allowing different ministries to share resources (i.e., funding) or personnel when needed. This will boost morale as well as efficiency levels within the Body of Christ.
Have a healthy financial plan:
Lastly, every church should always endeavor to maintain a healthy budget in order to keep operations running smoothly without any unnecessary delays or hiccups in service delivery. Unfortunately, money is often tight when it comes to church planting so having an effective strategy for financial management is essential if one wants their ministry project to last more than just three years!
If you are brand new, I encourage you to seek out other church planters or get a coach to help you strategize.
By taking into consideration all of these strategies when launching a new ministry project, you’ll have much higher chances for its success in the long run! With careful planning and execution, you can ensure that generations yet unborn will benefit from the Lord’s message being carried further around our country – something worth sacrificing resources (time/money) for!
