Reading: The Launching Blueprint (Slides)

The Launching Blueprint

Henry Reyenga

Gestation Period 

Every church plant needs an appropriate gestation period for a variety of reasons, but two stand out above all others: (1) to identify the contributions and limitations of the launch team members and (2) to reach a critical mass of people significant enough to populate the ministry teams and/or small groups.

James Griffith;William Easum. Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts (Kindle Locations 341-342). Kindle Edition. 

Determining Critical Mass (1)

Critical mass can also be explained by the number of cars in the parking lot that suggests something legitimate is happening inside. If you pass by a restaurant in a thriving metro area and don't see any cars in the parking lot, the restaurant isn't as appealing as one where the parking lot is full.

James Griffith;William Easum. Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts (Kindle Locations 348-350). Kindle Edition. 

Determining Critical Mass (2)

But, if we were out in the country and passed by a diner where two cop cars and a pickup truck were in the parking lot, we might say, "This looks like a good place to eat." Critical mass is culture dependent. It is impossible to put a number to it. So, we talk about gathering enough people so that when you launch the church it appears you are actually viable. 

James Griffith;William Easum. Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts (Kindle Locations 350-352). Kindle Edition. 

Planting In A Community Toward Critical Mass

Why Critical Mass Is So Important!

Instead of a critical mass, the church is simply an overgrown small group. The gathered group is of such insufficient numerical size that it begins subtly to defend itself by citing the benefits of its size-intimacy, connectedness, and inclusiveness. Doing so unwittingly creates a barrier, making it impossible for any new people to find their way into the young church. Then the inevitable happens-the remaining entrepreneurial leaders begin to fade away.

James Griffith;William Easum. Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts (Kindle Locations 355-357). Kindle Edition. 

This Is A Big Problem

With all of the apostolic-minded people gone, the remaining people circle the wagons and focus on their needs and expect the planter to focus on them. You know what happens next-the church hangs on for many months, if not years, justifying its existence with false thinking such as, "We really are a great group of people, and we love each other so much.”

James Griffith;William Easum. Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts (Kindle Locations 359-361). Kindle Edition. 

Preview Season

A taste of what is to come

A practice worship for the team

An opportunity to invite friends

An opportunity for well wishers to come

A rehearsal to work out the bugs

This is a great time to follow up on new invited contacts.

Preview Season Activities

Several “Taste and See” Events

Develop word of mouth presence 

Goal to keep adding 25% more people at every event

Take offerings

Train lay upfront presenters

Follow up system is put in place with data base

Remember the mission field for critical mass

Multiple cell groups are formed

Exhibition Season

Ideally, on the day and hour and at the location of the new church.

The team gets used to the schedule

The Hospitality Team and Assimilation Team get powered up

Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are celebrated

Working toward critical mass

The Leader Teams are getting mobilized

The Public Launch

Don’t use the words “Grand Opening”

12-18 Months from the beginning of the effort

Get more process thinking than results thinking, so that the result is more healthy! 

The Public Launch Milestones

The capacity to add significant numbers of people

Multiple small groups

Offering ownership

Essential ministry in place that connects to the mission field

Discipleship growth and numerical growth

Leadership people are identified and put in place

Evangelism –Is and Will Be

One of the hard lessons we learn in consulting with churches is that if the pastor ceases to model inviting the public and pushing the Great Commission then the congregation will become a closed system. An equally hard pill to swallow is that, in the majority of church plants, people are so completely extracted from the culture and spend so much time with church people that over a very short period of time they have no close friends outside the Church.

James Griffith;William Easum. Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts (Kindle Locations 433-436). Kindle Edition. 

Evangelism –Is and Will Be

The church planter stays into reaching mode, keeps modeling evangelism

The catalectic leaders stay expanding

The nurturing leaders support the catalectic leaders

The new converts are offered training at the CLI mentor center

The catalectic and nurturing cycle is created.

The Elbow Principle

Eighty percent of everyone who visits a church, returns to that church, and gradually becomes enfolded into that faith community, does so on the elbow of someone already connected to that church. So what we want is for people to invite their networks to "come and see" what you're doing.

James Griffith;William Easum. Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts (Kindle Locations 452-454). Kindle Edition. 

The Truth You Must Communicate!

What most people don't realize is we have moved from an "attract culture," where "Build it and they will come" works, to an "invite culture," where people are far more likely to show up at church if a friend invites them.

James Griffith;William Easum. Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts (Kindle Locations 463-464). Kindle Edition. 

Church Planting A Contact Sport

Your contacts and the contacts of the team. The church planter is the leader. The church planter needs to meet 300 (Bi-Vocational)/ 1,000 (Vocational People)

Keep community one time events in the mix even after the church plant opens

The church planter joins general clubs…even the country club depending on the village/town/city you are reaching

Church Planting A Contact Sport

4. When you meet people have conversations about your narrative, ask them to tell their story, and find out if there is a connection to lead them to their next step. 

5. When appropriate, schedule next meeting 

Get The Networking Expectations

Critical mass in your area

50 percent of your time

Try reaching 5 people a day (25 people/wk) 3 meetings: 5/3 Vocational; 2 people a day with 2 meetings (10 People/wk): 2/2 Bi-vocational. 

External accountability helps  

Formulate your Meeting People Plan. Get over negative self talk

Get an effective elevator speech

Pray without ceasing! 

The Taste And See Events

Fun

Testimonies

Regular events

Opportunity for the vision narrative

Hand off new attendees to team members

Recruit Connectors

They have the gift of hospitality.

They greet everyone, but focus on connecting people.

Connecters ask: 

Hey, how long have you been coming?

How did you hear about this church?

How do you spend your time in life?

Connectors then CONNECT new people with existing people.