I believe churches should be planted with a team. Lone ranger church planting just isn’t healthy. Here are a few words of advice for core teams.
Focus on Three Things
“Your focus needs more focus.” – Mr. Myagi (Karate Kid Movie)
I believe that a church plant should focus on only a handful of things. These include Outreach, Small Groups, and Core Team Training.
The team training itself is a lot to tackle as it consists of so many variables. We are talking about training for the church doors to open and have maximum impact on the community. From the welcome team to the worship and tech teams and the children’s ministry.
In this blog, I will give a summary of the 3 areas which I feel should be our primary focus.
Why Only Focus on 3 Things?
We can get bogged down in many ministry areas to the point that it would take years to actually open. Youth Ministry is great and needed, but not in the start-up phase. This area can and should be developed at a later date.
Stay focused on the three top things. Your core values may differ but regardless of what they are… FOCUS! Don’t do everything all at once.
Core Team Development is crucial!
The day of the lone ranger church planter has passed. I don’t care how awesome you are or think you are, a team is needed. It’s biblical! Moses couldn’t do it all by himself and neither can you.
So, how do you develop your core team? The core team can consist of seasoned followers or people recently saved. (either or both) The first step is sharing the vision and mission of the church plant. I mean, why start a church? Arent there plenty of churches established in the area? Share your “why” and how you hope to accomplish the mission. If they are interested, invite them to be a part.
Next, identify their gifting. Everyone is a “10” at something. Some will be teachers, and some have the gift of hospitality and should be a part of the guest services / welcome team. You may want to use a gift survey such as Strength Finders.
Patrick Lencioni just released a book titled: The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team which I also highly recommended.
Identify their gifting and then resource them. Buy them books, recommend videos or connect them to a mentor who can train them.
Outreach is an Absolute!
The main reason to start a church is obedience to the Great Commission. This means being outward-focused. Please don’t “fish in someone else’s pond!” (aka sheep stealing) If you are… REPENT! Remember why the church exists! You didn’t start the church to merely rearrange the Body of Christ. You and your team have been called to share the good news of Jesus with those who are far from Christ. Your community is filled with people. Go share the gospel! Go make disciples!
If you need help with an outreach strategy, you can connect with my friends at Kindness Outreach Ministries. www.Kindness Outreach.com.
Steve Sjogren is known as the “godfather” of servant evangelism. He has tons of outreach suggestions on his site: SteveSjogren.com
Great Things Happen in Small Groups
Small group ministry is where life transformation can take place. Something special happens when we gather corporately, but there is also something real and authentic when we share life with others.
The group members build a rapport and look out for one another. They tend to care about the overall well-being of others, whether it’s mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical.
Small groups are also a place where current leaders can spot potential in others and bring them into some type of leadership development.
I encourage you to be intentional about these important things.
Don’t try and control every aspect of the church plant. Identify, trust and empower people.
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